The Next Big Thing

Thank you to Deb Batterman, author of Shoes Hair Nails and Because my name is mother, tagged me to participate in The Next Big Thing, in which writers get an opportunity to talk about their current works-in-progress.

What is the working title of your book?
Lights at the Sheraton

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I was waiting to pick up my daughter from work late one evening. While I waited, I watched the hotel across the street for twenty minutes: Which rooms had lights on; which had lights off. This got me thinking about the patterns we so easily fall into in our lives, and I began writing a story about two women, both stuck in unfortunate situations and how they suddenly are thrown together. At around the same time, I had a short story rejected by a literary magazine. I decided that the story fit with nicely thematically with the other and decided to combine the two into one longer story involving several different families.

What genre does your book fall under?
Literary fiction

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I never think this far ahead!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
The life-giving nature of change.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I self-published two digital books, one a series of short stories and the other five essays exploring the idea of home and community combined with a short story about the devastating effects of fracking. While preparing the books for publication took a lot of time and effort, I found it a relatively painless process. However, I was completely unprepared for the amount of time marketing takes up! If I gain more of a readership, I plan to continue to self publish. Despite the work involved, I enjoy the freedom and the control I maintain.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It has taken--and will continue to take--quite some time: We're in the process of relocating and half of my writing has been in moving boxes for two months. Bits and pieces of the draft are scattered everywhere: in my purse, in notebooks, on my computer, and in my brain. Once I can sit down with all the pieces in front of me, putting it together should be fairly straightforward.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I hate to compare my writing with the writing of others. I will say I was very inspired by the novel-in-stories Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout and Karen Russell's book of short stories St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. Both books, while quite different, share the quality the short story and have given me a new way to think about the structure of my writing.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
I love the idea of connections, disconnections and reconnections. I enjoy exploring relationships between people. And I love to know the story of everyone I meet. If I don't know someone's story, I'll gladly give them one! I also think it's really important to consider a person's story. We're so quick to leap to impatience with people because we're putting our own needs first. I think if we were to know the story behind a person, we may choose to be kinder.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The importance of history plays a big part in the story. Flamenco dancing. Soft pretzels covered with huge chunks of salt.

And so I pass the torch to Lance Burson, author of
The Ballad of Helene of Troy. I can't wait to see what he's working on now.