DISSONANCE: My Next Big Thing

Chicago-area
people: Tomorrow is the Books + Beer Signing – I’ll be there with Jamie Freveletti, Linda Joffe Hull, and Keir Graff, buying beers for readers and giving a 10% discount on every title. There’s more info here, but as an added
bonus, if you buy the entire Torn Trilogy, you get a custom necklace or
t. It would make an excellent Christmas gift. (It would make an
excellent self-gift, too. I won’t tell.)

(I’m
quite smitten with them.)

And
now, onto the Q&A! Elizabeth Amisu tagged me to participate in the the “Next Big Thing”
meme. Next Wednesday, I’ll link to the authors I’ve tagged. For now, I hope you
enjoy reading a bit more about Del and DISSONANCE.

What
is the working title of your next book?

My next book is titled DISSONANCE. It’s coming out in Fall
of 2013, which feels both far away and very soon at the same time.

Where
did the idea come from for the book? 

DISSONANCE
falls more into the speculative/sci-fi realm, which is what I grew up reading,
so in an indirect way, it came from all the authors I loved as a kid, like Robert
Heinlein and Roger Zelazney.  This
particular book came from my fascination with two things: the theory of
alternate universes, and the idea that we’re defined by our choices.  If you have limitless choices, how do you
decide between them? What does that say about you?

What
genre does your book fall under?

Sci-fi. Del’s ability to navigate alternate
worlds is grounded in science, not magic.

What
actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie
rendition? 

Ooooh. I am terrible at this. I tend not to think of specific
real-life people during the writing process, because I worry the characters
would become less themselves, and take on more characteristics of the actor.
Let’s say this: I would love for Joss Whedon to cast it, because the
Whedonverse is full of incredibly talented, versatile actors.

What
is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A
sixteen-year-old girl navigates between alternate universes and falls for
different versions of the same boy in each one – but in her home world, he
barely knows she exists.

Will
your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 

I’m represented by the brilliant Joanna Volpe of New Leaf Literary; DISSONANCE
will be published by Simon and Schuster Books For Young Readers.

How
long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Hmn…five
months, maybe? I tend to write a really messy, awful first draft. Revising it
into something coherent is my reward for reaching the end.

What
else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

The working title of the book was "The Roadside Marker Book," because I am really, really bad at coming up with titles. Also, there are eleventy billion Doctor Who references, because I’m a little
obsessed with the show. You'll also find plenty of kissy bits, which are always fun to
write, and sisterly squabbling, the accidental end of the world, a slightly deranged grandfather, minor larceny,
and Del’s collection of boots, which I am QUITE envious of.

Thanks for the invite, Elizabeth! I'll be back next week with links to the next round of authors!