aamcnamara

I was kindly tagged for this meme by Brit Mandelo. Time for a finals break!

1) What is the working title of your next book?
Whisper-Trail (as I am sure everyone reading this LJ knows by now).

2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
Thoughts about urban fantasy--particularly, about the mundane protagonist in urban fantasy novels and how to make that work without any kind of Chosen One thing. These thoughts have been percolating for a while, it's also part of the last urban fantasy novel I drafted (not sure if that one is salvageable), but this is a different take.

3) What genre does your book fall under?
Urban fantasy, with a dash of mystery. I guess early-college-age protagonists aren't quite YA, so it's probably in that weird "New Adult" category.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Shockingly (I am horrible at actors!), I have some for this: Ellen Page as Heather (the protagonist). Evanna Lynch as Eva (Heather's roommate). A younger Natalie Portman as Els. I don't know who would play Francis (detective, sort of) or Marisol (Heather's ex-girlfriend) or a lot of other people--there isn't a very wide spectrum of gender presentation among young-ish female actors. (I do not blame the actors for this.)

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Twilight for sensible people, but with lesbians. --um. Heather helps to solve a supernatural murder mystery, and gets in for a lot more than she bargained for.

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
An excellent question. When I find out, I will let you know.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
So far, almost a year (earliest file is from January 17, 2012), due to stops and starts; I'm almost exactly halfway through.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Finder by Emma Bull, which I only realized recently. Also, Lies and Prophecy by Marie Brennan.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
That is a very good question, and I have lost all my notes. (Actually they are probably in a notebook somewhere, but one I do not have with me at the moment.)

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
It's full of queer people! It's full of people frequently being horribly awkward, but well-intentioned, and mostly-but-not-entirely avoiding being total jerks to each other! Also, major restructuring of power within a city, and the problems of how to be a part of a community you really want to be a part of without forcing your way into it. And I am pretty sure the major emotional relationship in the novel is going to be the protagonist gaining a best friend.


Is there anyone who hasn't done this meme yet who wants to? If so, sound off in the comments, and consider yourself tagged.