THE BLOG HOP

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

THE NEXT BIG THING (WEEK 27)

There’s nothing like a deadline to get me moving, especially if it’s only a few hours away and I’m a little curious about how I’m going to handle this particular situation. You see this isn’t my usual post about the old days or that wonderful, patient dog that lets me live here.

Tonight, I’m going back to almost four years ago when I dared venture into the world of writing fiction. It’s been an interesting experience. I’ve “met “ new people (on the internet and by chat sessions), read excerpts of their very interesting but yet-to-be -finished novels, and struggled to make my own stories  passable.

Back to that deadline I spoke of.  A writer friend, Gina Salamon, contacted me wondering if I would be interested in participating in something she had found interesting. Well, it seemed to be simply a matter of linking with other writers and answering a few questions––ten, to be exact, so I agreed and found myself “tagged” to do this question and answer thingy.

It didn’t take long to realize this could lead to some deep thinking ––something I have done very little of since the first of June when I started selling part of my hammered aluminum collection. By “part” I mean three or four hundred items, so I have had been limited on time to think about anything but keeping my computer functioning and keeping up with the various password changes that seem to plague my life.

The Blog Hop gives writers a connections to other writers' thoughts about their writing and current
projects, but could be of interest to others who are interested in what goes into writing a book and the titles of some of the latest to be published.

Following the blog hop rules, I will list each question and follow with my answer. Links to other writer friends and those I’ve tagged will be shown at the end.

What is the working title of your book?

 The title is simply Sarah.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I’d previously written another story and had opened with prologue, which I later cut. I couldn’t 

bare to send it to the trash and finally expanded it into a story of its own.

What genre does your book fall under?

Historical fiction

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

This is a tough one to answer since I've watched very few movies in recent years.

My main characters are:

Sarah Smith, recently widowed, in her early twenties, a fragile appearing blonde who is a saucy, independent frontier woman. Perhaps Amy Adams. She does saucy, very well.

Seth Hendricks, part owner of a lumbering business who becomes smitten with Sarah’s saucy independence when she defies him, despite believing he is a dangerous outlaw. Later, unable to forget her, he leaves the family’s lumbering business to start a new life and find Sarah, for he realizes she is the woman he wants for his wife. He is apparently doomed to meet Sarah under the most awkward circumstances. Cam Gigandet has been suggested. I'm at a loss, here.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Wow. I have trouble reducing it into one paragraph, but here goes: Sarah’s independent spirit helps her create a successful business, but leads her into trouble as she tests the restrictions of the customs of the 1870s, and it fails to shield her from her attraction to a man she is determined to hate.

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?

I have no plans to self publish and would prefer to turn over the entire project to an agency.

How long did I take you to write the first  draft of your manuscript?

That part was quick. It took about six months. A year later I’m still correcting and rewriting.

What other books would you compare this story to within this genre?

I hesitate to make any comparison. I have drawn upon stories of my parent's and grandparent's lives in the 1800s, and although not of the same genre as Larry McMurtry's work, a few of Sarah's  characters have a faint resemblance to those he writes about.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

It simply grew out of the deleted prologue of my first manuscript. Those were my first words of written fiction and I suppose I couldn’t bear to send them into the trash pile.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Perhaps the main interest will be in seeing if Sarah learns to see Seth as he really is and not the uncouth outlaw she thought him to be.A romance between the two is expected and waited for. The issue of women's rights and Sarah's own rebellion against the existing laws, are similar to some of the problems of today. I believe many readers will also like to follow the lives of this cast of characters and experience the customs and lifestyles of 150 years ago as our nation moved westward. The characters may be of a long ago era, but they have ambitions to fulfill and prejudices to cope with; they find themselves in dangerous situations,and  must deal with outlaws and crooked politicians.



Dannie Woodard at Rocking Chair Journey http://rockingwithdannie.blogspot.com

 Kate Reid at  http://katereid5.wordpress.com

Gina Salamon at http//gcsalamon.blogspot.com

At these sites you will find other links.

I have contacted the following writers. They have expressed interest but have not yet committed to filling a time slot with their answers to the questions.

Michael Bratton...writer of poetry and a novel in progress
Bobbye Hudspeth... writer of several novels, with one to be released this week-end.http://bobbye-land-hudspeth.jigsy
Sam Wazan.....author of The Last Moderate Muslim
Cynthia Morris...writing coach, author of a helpful blog for writers at : http://www.originalimpulse.com/blog/ and author of a new book, Chasing Sylvia Beach