Hester Kaplan's Blog - Posts Tagged "on-writing-a-novel"
The Next Big Thing
The Next Big Thing
What is the working title of your book?
“The Tell”
(The book has a beautiful cover!)
Where did the idea come from?
There was a period of time when I happened to find myself in casinos in various parts of the country. I don’t like to gamble, and I don’t like casinos, but I was fascinated by the women who seemed to be enthralled by the slot machines. I wondered, if someone saw me there, would they think I played the slots? Would they wonder if I were a compulsive gambler, like some of those women must have been? And what would a husband do if he found out his wife was addicted to the slots and had kept her troubles—and money losses—hidden from him?
I started with the character of Mira and put her in a precarious time in her life that was full of stresses and fears. The two people in a marriage are not always in sync, and this moment when the book opens and the mysterious stranger appears at the back door is one of those times. And of course, because Providence is one of the stranger places I’ve lived, Mira and Owen’s story had to be a particularly Rhode Island one.
What genre does you book fall under?
Fiction.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
A friend suggested Christopher Waltz for Wilton. I like Rebecca Hall or Emma Stone for Mira, and Matthias Schoenaerts (look him up!) for Owen.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Not a big fan of the one-sentence synopsis for a novel, because it depends on the day you ask. But here are a few:
--The appearance of a new neighbor, a has-been TV actor, sets a marriage off on a troubling course.
--A woman becomes addicted to gambling and is at risk of losing everything.
--A husband and wife begin to crumble under the pressures of maintaining the family house.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
My book is represented by Jennifer Carlson of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner, and is published by HarperCollins.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
That’s hard to say because there are a lot of starts and revisions that go into my first draft. The whole process took about five years.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’d prefer to have other people answer this question!
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The image of a woman at the slot machine. Also Providence inspired me to set a story there.
What else about your book might pique the readers' interest?
There’s a lot happening in the book—addiction, violence, public school teaching, Rhode Island traditions and vagaries, money, the nature of celebrity, the weight of old houses. All these issues swirl around three people who are also trying to understand the limits of love and friendship.
What is the working title of your book?
“The Tell”
(The book has a beautiful cover!)
Where did the idea come from?
There was a period of time when I happened to find myself in casinos in various parts of the country. I don’t like to gamble, and I don’t like casinos, but I was fascinated by the women who seemed to be enthralled by the slot machines. I wondered, if someone saw me there, would they think I played the slots? Would they wonder if I were a compulsive gambler, like some of those women must have been? And what would a husband do if he found out his wife was addicted to the slots and had kept her troubles—and money losses—hidden from him?
I started with the character of Mira and put her in a precarious time in her life that was full of stresses and fears. The two people in a marriage are not always in sync, and this moment when the book opens and the mysterious stranger appears at the back door is one of those times. And of course, because Providence is one of the stranger places I’ve lived, Mira and Owen’s story had to be a particularly Rhode Island one.
What genre does you book fall under?
Fiction.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
A friend suggested Christopher Waltz for Wilton. I like Rebecca Hall or Emma Stone for Mira, and Matthias Schoenaerts (look him up!) for Owen.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Not a big fan of the one-sentence synopsis for a novel, because it depends on the day you ask. But here are a few:
--The appearance of a new neighbor, a has-been TV actor, sets a marriage off on a troubling course.
--A woman becomes addicted to gambling and is at risk of losing everything.
--A husband and wife begin to crumble under the pressures of maintaining the family house.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
My book is represented by Jennifer Carlson of Dunow, Carlson & Lerner, and is published by HarperCollins.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
That’s hard to say because there are a lot of starts and revisions that go into my first draft. The whole process took about five years.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I’d prefer to have other people answer this question!
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The image of a woman at the slot machine. Also Providence inspired me to set a story there.
What else about your book might pique the readers' interest?
There’s a lot happening in the book—addiction, violence, public school teaching, Rhode Island traditions and vagaries, money, the nature of celebrity, the weight of old houses. All these issues swirl around three people who are also trying to understand the limits of love and friendship.
