The Next Big Thing!

The Next Big Thing BlogHop part i

I was tagged to be a part of this meme by Rebecca Alexander

What is the title of your next book?

“Naming Names”.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I’ve been interested in gross criminal psychology since my teens, I suppose, so this book has been developing for a long time.

What genre does your book fall under?

I’ve been told, variously, that it’s commercial or literary fiction, or even a thriller. I’m loath to categorise any book. I simply always want to read, or, better yet, write, the next good story.

What actors would you choose to play the parts of your characters in a movie rendition?

My protagonist, in my mind's eye looks rather like Rooney Mara, in her teens, and her mother rather like Angelina Jolie, although they both speak with English accents in my head. The male character is Martin Freeman.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

A young woman, on remand for her mother’s murder, unravels her identity as she reveals the stories of a childhood characterised by unrelenting abuse.

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

I have a lovely agent on the strength of “Naming Names” being one of two runners-up for the inaugural Mslexia novel writing competition 2012.

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

I’m the sort of writer who opens a vein, and this novel was very tough, so the blood had to be collected very fast; I believe it was about six weeks.

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

I wouldn’t, but others have compared it to “The Room”, which I haven’t read.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Two things: The truth, and the victims.

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

My father worked for Her Majesty’s Prison Service, so my bogiemen might have been more real, I think, than those invented for and by other kids.

The Next Big Thing BlogHop part ii

I was tagged to be a part of this meme by Josh Reynolds

What is the title of your next book?

“Gilead’s Curse”.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Dan (Abnett, the husband) and I co-wrote a Warhammer book about an Elf way back at the turn of the century. It was called “Gilead’s Blood”, and for twelve years, people have been asking when we would write the sequel. That’s what we’ve been doing for the last year or so. I think it happened because I read a couple of pages in the Warhammer source book about Skaven and thought they’d be fun creatures for Gilead to fight.

What genre does your book fall under?

It’s Warhammer fantasy for the Black Library.

Gilead's Curse

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

When Stefan Kopinski was drawing the covers for the two books (“Gilead’s Blood” is being reissued with “Gilead’s Curse” in the spring), he asked me the very same thing. When I cast male elf characters I always think of them as female, especially long, lean women with very attenuated physiques... Think about it... Anyway, Gilead, as masculine as he is, is also Uma Thurman.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Gilead Lothain returns! From the warrens of the skaven to the streets of Nuln, the shadowfast warrior and his faithful retainer Fithvael find themselves surrounded by evil. Beneath the earth, the dangerous and insane Rat King, its powers amplified by evil magic, plots Gilead’s downfall, while a bloodthirsty vampire count becomes an unlikely ally… and Gilead’s deadliest foe... Or, at least, that’s the blurb on the publicity material.

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

It’s available from the Black Library in the spring.

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

I wrote “Gilead’s Curse” in installments for the Black Library’s digital magazine, and it was in collaboration with the husband, so, between other projects, I guess it took a year.

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

I think it fits very comfortably into the Warhammer canon, and, beyond that, if you like fantasy or elves...

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Pretty well everything I read and loved as a teenager, once Dan started posting books under my nose. SF and fantasy were pretty new to me as a seventeen year old, and I have him to thank for that.

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

Once we’re done, I can never quite tell where Dan puts the writing threads down and I pick them, which is weird. I often wonder if the readers can see the joins.

Now it’s my turn! These are THE NEXT BIG THINGS you should be keeping an eye on, so you can tell all your friends to buy their books! Hopefully, they will answer the same questions next Wednesday, 5th December, but if they are too busy, still check out their blogs and books!

Rosie Garland, who won the Mslexia novel writing competition.

Dan Abnett, who is already a fives times New York Times bestselling author, and so probably shouldn’t be on this list, but who has just written his first novel for children, which I think is properly beautiful. And yes, he is also the husband, but I blow raspberries in the face of nepotism.

Andy Smillie, who is one of the newer Black Library contributors, and one of my favourite exponents of the very short story in that particular stable.

Kaaron Warren, who is one of my favourite writers, and whose novel, “Slights” won the Ditmar award in 2010. It’s always a struggle to wait for her next book, and each is a new delight.