Lost and Found: THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP
Welcome to the NEXT BIG THING blog hop.
What is a blog hop? Basically, it’s a way that readers can discover new authors, because with bookstores closing and publishers not promoting new authors as much, we need to find a way to introduce readers to authors they may not see in their local bookstore. So I get to give a shout-out to the wonderful author who invited me to this “dance” and then invite (and highlight) five more terrific authors at the end of the blog.
Debut thriller author Donna Galanti invited me to join the “hop” and I’d met her first by email and later in person at Thrillerfest last summer. Her paranormal suspense novel, A Human Element, is a spooky, thrilling read–don’t take my word for it. NY Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry calls her story, “an elegant and haunting first novel. Unrelenting, devious but full of heart.” See the links at the end for to five other authors you really MUST check out. Check out Donna Galanti’s website here, and you can buy A HUMAN ELEMENT at amazon or B&N or even iTunes.
Magical-Dawg is a discerning reader.
10 QUESTIONS ANSWERED!
In this particular hop, I and my fellow authors, in their respective blogs, have answered 10 questions where you get to learn about our current work in progress as well as some insights into our process, from characters and inspirations to plotting and cover decisions. I hope you enjoy it!
Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts and questions. Here is my Next Big Thing!
1: What is the working title of your book?
LOST AND FOUND is my most recent book, what I call a “thriller with bite!” because it includes a dog viewpoint character. But I’m in the process of plotting the sequel, HIDE AND SEEK.
2: Where did the idea come from for the book?
Oh, the idea came from so many different places! Probably the most obvious inspiration for LOST AND FOUND is the setting. The story evolves during a freak North Texas blizzard. I live in North Texas, and a few years ago we had a freak blizzard. In fact, the trailer for the book includes video of my own dog Magic racing through the snowy landscape.
HIDE AND SEEK continues the story and the idea came, frankly, from readers asking me what happened next. September will face the ghosts of her past, with the help of canine companion Shadow–Macy the cat will figure more prominently and of course thrilling complications will ensue. 
3: What genre does your book come under?
Thriller and suspense.
4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Wow, that’s a tough question. See, in another life I’m an actor and I know there are fantastic Texas actors who could give stellar performances so if I was fortunate enough to have LOST AND FOUND optioned, I’d hope the movie would offer break-out opportunities for up and coming talent. So I’m going to cheat and not name names…and instead ask my readers to suggest in the comments what actors they might see in the following roles:
September, April, Combs, Lizzie, Ghost, Doty, Gonzales, Humphrey Fish, Steven . . . Shadow and Macy.
5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
An autism cure will kill millions unless a service dog and his trainer find a missing child . . . in 24 hours.
6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?
LOST AND FOUND is published by a hybrid publisher, Cool Gus Publishing
7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It took me YEARS to write the first draft of LOST AND FOUND, because I work full time as a nonfiction writer and repeatedly had to set the story aside. Paying the bills often sidetracked me. But more recently the nonfiction books now take a back seat to the fiction, and I anticipate the sequel HIDE AND SEEK to be ready for publication much sooner.
8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Reviewers have compared LOST AND FOUND to the medical thrillers by Michael Palmer and to the marvelous story THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN because of the dog viewpoint character. Dean Koontz also writes marvelous stories that includes dog characters, but about the only thriller that I know of that comes close to a similar dog viewpoint is James Rollins and his great book BLOODLINE that features the war dog Kane. I was very fortunate to have Jim agree to read an advance copy of my book and offer a marvelous cover quote, too!
What’s going on inside that furry head? …my answer is in LOST AND FOUND.
9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My dog Magic inspired me to write this book. For years I’ve looked for a book that I wanted to read, one that included thrills and made the hear trace, a story that incorporated medical issues, and above all, one that respected animal characters as ANIMALS and wrote them from that perspective–not as little humans wearing fur. Finally I wrote the book that I wanted to read.
10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The story is science based. Yes, there really are drugs given to children without having been tested on the children. And yes, dogs CAN learn vocabulary just as quickly as Shadow does in the “name game” scene. And finally yes, cats can be trained–and Macy’s “hero cat” scene where she “nails” the bad guys at the end is also based on something that really happened.
Below you will find authors (in no particular order) who will be joining me by blog, next Wednesday. Do be sure to bookmark and add them to your calendars for updates on WIPs and New Releases! Happy Writing and Reading!
Clea Simon writes awesome cat-centric mysteries and I know her through membership in the Cat Writers Association. Check out her great blog at Cats, Crime & Rock & Roll
Arden Moore, America’s Pet Edu-Tainer, writes terrific cat and dog care books, one of which was ranked #3 of ALL BOOKS on amazon! In a former life Arden was my editor, and we share a birthday (one month apart). She has some new books in the pipeline and blogs at Four Legged Life
Carol Shenold has been in my writers group for more than 20 years and is one of my dearest friends and a talented tech writer and novelist. She writes paranormal mysteries. Learn about her work and check out her Monster Under The Bed blog.
Check out Michael W. Sherer blog here. He writes terrific mysteries AND thrillers. I met him through Thriller Writers, and he invited me to participate in an AWESOME Kindle Fire give-away (plus some autographed books from famous thriller authors).
Victor DiGenti (writing as Parker Francis) publishes mysteries and has also written award-winning YA cat fantasy. Like Clea, we also met through Cat Writers Association.
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions. Do you have an ASK AMY question you’d like answered? Do you have a new kitten and need answers? Stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, check out weekly FREE PUPPY CARE newsletter, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter. Stay up to date with the latest book give aways and appearances related to my THRILLERS WITH BITE!
Filed under: Writing Advice & More Tagged: Amy Shojai, dog behavior, dog training, dogs, Lost And Found, thriller, www.amyshojai.com
