The Next Big Thing… is this the AGE OF RESTORATION?
Howdy and welcome to my blog’s version of THE NEXT BIG THING…
I’d like to thank K. J. Waters of Twitter fame for cluing me in and then including me in this blog hop opportunity. You can see her NEXT BIG THING here. Cool cover, great title, and now we just need to tear her away from tweeting long enough so she can finish the darn thing!
Here’s how this blog hop works. I’m supposed to ask myself some questions, and then, I’m supposed to answer them. Not sure how I feel about this. Sounds similar to what a professor once told me (talking to yourself is a sign that you’re crazy), but since I pretty much ignored his advice then, I guess I’ll be okay now.
Okay. A little explanation about how I will be dealing with the questions. The idea here is to answer them about a work-in-progress, or about a soon-to-be-released book. In my case, I’m going to concentrate on my series, AGE OF RESTORATION. My justification for this is, many still don’t know much about my first book, even though the second book is in the latter stages of editing and could be out by the end of the year. Thus, talking about the second book exclusively, let alone my true work-in-progress, Book Three, would leave a lot behind, since it’s all interrelated. I’ll still try to be brief (yeah, right).
So, strap yourself in and enjoy the ride.
What is the working title of your book (series)?
The actual title for the series, as already noted, is AGE OF RESTORATION. The book titles, in order, are: The Foolish and the Weak, which is out now; The Wise and the Mighty, due out, possibly, by Christmas; and Same Mind, Same Judgment, that will most likely come out sometime next year. There will be other books associated with these three, but I haven’t decided yet whether they will come under the AGE OF RESTORATION series title, or something different.
Where did the idea come from for the book (series)?
This is a very good question. In fact, so good, I can’t really answer it. Not directly anyway. You see, while this series could be considered many things, it is at its heart, a mystery. If I told you where the idea came from, I’d pretty much be giving away the mystery. However, so as not to leave you all hanging, let me offer up some hints, which hopefully will serve to whet your appetite, while giving away nothing.
First of all, this series is a prelude to an exercise. An exercise that leads to how my mind works. You see, every now and then, I come across a conundrum, a puzzle, if you will, that I can’t figure out with my favorite real world instrument: logic. If something doesn’t make sense to me, I study it, find out what others have to say about it, and see if it makes any sense then. Most times, having more information about a topic resolves my confusion. There are times, however, when it doesn’t. In such cases, I have a tendency to draw my own conclusions. I get rather inventive sometimes, though before now, I haven’t ever written a couple books because of them. The answer I came up with this time was so compelling to me, though, I just had to make it into a story.
What genre does your book (series) fall under?
The Foolish and the Weak
Your guess is as good as mine. In fact, I wish more of you would read The Foolish and the Weak, then review it, and mention what you think it is, so I’ll know. The series encompasses many genres, but I don’t know if any of them is more dominant than the other. I currently have The Foolish and the Weak listed on Amazon under Alternate History and Religious & Inspirational Mystery, because that seems to be the best way to describe it, but I’ve had it listed under Young Adult subgenres prior to this. I guess that’s what happens when you throw everything into it, including the kitchen sink. Well, okay, so not everything. There’s only wisps of romance and only feints of certain paranormality which will remain unnamed at this time.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Justin Hartley
This is probably the hardest question to answer, because I kind of think the actors and actresses I’d like to see aren’t well known or popular now. In an earlier blog post, I wrote that one of the supporting characters, Brad Cantwell, could be played by someone like Justin Hartley, who played Green Arrow/Oliver Queen in Smallville on the CW.
America Ferrera
Other than that, I really don’t have much of anyone in mind, especially for the series’ main character, Paz. She is of partial Hispanic descent, and has the darker complexion, hair and eyes, but as the story progresses, her looks change. Dramatically. So, there may be a need for different actresses, or one, through make-up or CGI, who transforms from one to the other. After seeing what Hollywood did with Chris Evans as the pre-Captain America Steve Rogers, anything is possible.
My first thought for Paz would be to have someone like America Ferrera in her earlier movies. However, as Paz goes through her transformations, she gets taller and her outward appearance changes, which would probably negate the need for an America Ferrera-type actress. I guess that’s a bridge we can cross when we get there.
For Paz’s mother, Paloma, I’ve had thoughts of someone similar to Thandie Newton, just a younger version of her. The trick here is, while Paloma is just over 50-years-old, she looks like she’s in her mid-20s. She’s also 5’11″, while Ms. Newton is 5’3″, which isn’t much taller than Ms. Ferrera at 5’1″.
Thandie Newton
Anyway, I suppose with movie magic, anything is possible.
As for the other roles, I don’t really have anyone in particular in mind, except maybe someone like Allison Mack, who played Chloe Sullivan, again from Smallville (see a reoccurring theme developing?).
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book (series)?
Oh, great…
No, that’s not my sentence. That’s me not having any idea how to describe it. Let’s see…
Reality is not what it seems.
Yeah, that’ll work.
Or you could get a better idea of what the series is about by clicking here and watching the booktrailer.
Will your book (series) be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-published. Book one already is. Books 2-8 (at least), will be, too. I’d have to be paid an incredible amount of money while retaining all rights and having creative last say on everything before I’d agree to a traditional publisher’s contract. I’m self-publishing because I like to be my own person, not because I’m trying to skip the whole rejection letter process, or think I couldn’t be published otherwise. I just flat hate the idea of others benefitting from my creativity and abilities more than I do. I know publishers can put up handsome sums to advertise and promote, but even that’s not really assured, either, and authors still do a lot of promotional leg work. Sales will always be the bottom line for publishers, which means they go with what’s hot or a safe bet, not necessarily the NEXT BIG THING.
Besides, who’s going to believe more in my books than me?
Nobody.
Case closed.
How long did it take to write the first draft?
Well, let’s see. Book One took around two months, and Book Two took a little over a month. In fairness, Book Two was partially written already, because I over wrote Book One and incorporated a lot of that into Book Two.
Who or what inspired you to write this book (series)?
Well, this goes back to the question of how I came up with the idea. So, I guess my inability to accept the answer to a certain real world situation inspired the series. What’s cool about this is, it’s a situation that many people, mostly in the United States, are aware of, in one way or another, so it’s not just something I would know or be wondering about.
What else about your book (series) might pique the reader’s interest?
I think anyone who likes to read will find something they like in this series. If you don’t like to read, I think you’ll still find something you like. Maybe you can wait for an audio version or the movies.
All kidding aside, there is something for almost anyone in this series. If you like stories which make you think, with fantasy-leanings in the modern world, where there’s a mystery to solve, you’ll like this series. Oh, and if you believe in principles over politics, that will help a lot, too.
Note: I’m supposed to announce up to four other authors who would post their NEXT BIG THING on their blog by November 14, but no one answered my inquiry, so I have none.
