Week 16: The Next Big Thing
Maybe, just maybe, one of our independent books will be the next big thing. It’s always possible, of course. The secret to ‘best seller’ success is to ensure that a book has a good combination of the following: 1) a GREAT story, 2) is well written, 3) is put in the hands of the right readers, and 4) is promoted/marketed to the right target audience and in a consistent manner. Blog hops offer an opportunity for authors to focus on the latter two.
This blog hop consists of stopping off at a myriad of different blogs to discover new works of literature, as well as works in progress. As a blog hop participant and/or visitor, rest assured that you will find some fantastic works of fiction to enjoy. Some are still being written, some are just being released. I would like to thank Bella Harte @ www.bellaharte.blogspot.co.uk for inviting me to participate.
In this blog hop authors answer 10 pre-determined questions, which reveal a little about my second novel, Tainted Love, which is the much-anticipated sequel to Sweetest Taboo. As always, I welcome your comments, feedback, and/or any questions you may have!
Q & A
What is the working title of your book?
Tainted Love
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Tainted Love is book two of the Sweetest Taboo Saga, so the idea came naturally. Tainted Love is the sequel to Sweetest Taboo and takes off where Tom and Isabel’s story left off.
What genre does your book fall under?
*Mature* Young Adult – contemporary romance
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I can definitely envision Isabel being played by an attractive young Latina, someone like Justin Bieber’s GF, Selena Gomez. Isabel’s journey with Tom starts at 15 and spans several years (in Sweetest Taboo) so Selena would be perfect. She would clearly be more appropriate for Tainted Love because Isabel is in her late teens/early twenties in the sequel to Sweetest Taboo.
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As for Tom Stevens, that’s difficult since the ideal actors I envision are not the right age (i.e. Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, etc.). If Matthew McConaughey lost his Texan accent and had slightly darker hair, he might just do the trick!
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What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Isabel thought her life was on track – she was doing well in school, moving quickly toward her future, and deciding who she wanted to be. Best of all, she’d reunited with Tom, the love of her life. But it doesn’t take long for her history – and his – to start catching up with them, presenting a range of uncomfortable questions. Does he really love her? Are they meant to be together? And what exactly has he been doing in their time apart?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Tainted Love will be published by Terra-Mía Press, a small and independent publishing house, but is not represented by an agency.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Since this is the second book of the series, the first draft of Tainted Love took me a bit less time to write…roughly 4 months (Sweetest Taboo took me nearly double, 8 months to compete the first draft).
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Tainted Love is probably closest to Jamie McGuire’s Beautiful Disaster, but without the violence, explicit sex and severe language. Tainted Love is definitely for mature YA audiences since the story unfolds in a university setting.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
The readers/reviewers of Sweetest Taboo inspired me to write a sequel because they were keen and interested in learning about Tom and Isabel’s future. If it weren’t for my readers, Tom and Isabel’s story would have ended with Sweetest Taboo.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
If readers have read about Tom and Isabel, then the ending of Sweetest Taboo was enough to pique their interests and these readers are already anticipating what awaits Tom and Isabel in Tainted Love.
Below please find a list of the authors/bloggers I have tagged for next week. Stop by their blogs next Wednesday, October 10 to read about their works in progress and/or new releases:
