THE NEXT BIG THING!

Greetings!

I’ve been tagged in a writer’s blog chain called ‘The Next Big Thing’.  Through a series of passed on interview questions, spotlights are shone on new and upcoming novels.   In other words, it’s a literary game of ‘blog tag’.   Just like regular tag, only considerably more wordy and digital.   More keyboards, more monitors, no human contact, no eye contact, more sitting, and no running.  Oh, and it’s a good thing when you’re ‘IT’.  This week, I am IT! Thank you very much to Marissa Campbell for offering me this space. Her next novel, Raven’s Blood, a historical romance, sounds very intriguing!

Ten Interview Questions for Harrison Wheeler, author of Jesters Incognito:

What is your working title of your book?

I’m working on two books at the moment.  The first is a YA novel called: The Fathom Five.  The second is a middle school graphic novella called: The Exclamation Box.

Where did the ideas come from for the book?

The seed for The Fathom Five was planted years ago during a conversation I had with a good childhood friend.  He had visited a place called ‘Fathom Valley’ in northern Ontario I believe, and we imagined what wonderful things could be ‘fathomed’ there, and who would do the fathoming. The idea germinated for years, I wrote a children’s stage play in the late 90s by the same name.  It will be the sequel to my first book, Jesters Incognito, in the Incognito Series.

The idea for The Exclamation Box came long ago from a comic I drew, and then again from Jesters Incognito.  In the book, modern jesters deliver boxes decorated with exclamation mark designs to spread their message of a spontaneous, creative revolution.  I feel it’s an idea worthy of it’s own book, told from a child’s perspective.

What genre does your book fall under?

Both are humour/speculative fiction.  The Fathom Five is a YA book (12+), and The Exclamation Box is a junior/middle school book (5+)

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

No one recognizable.  Fresh talent who can creatively interpret the roles.  There are 7 billion people in the world, and we watch the same 200 Hollywood actors over and over again.  Quite frankly, I’m sick to death of them!

That said, DeNiro would be perfect for the lead role!  Ha, ha! Not.  A few cameos wouldn’t hurt though, and The Fathom Five is a comedy, so maybe some comedian faves like Ricky Gervais, Mike Myers, Jim Carrey, Bill Murray, Eddie Izzard could make appearances as the five immortals?  That’d be fun!

[image error]What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

The Fathom Five:  After returning from a revolutionary research experiment, Dr. E. Roger is a quantum physicist competing to win a spot in the elite genius collective of immortals, The Fathom Five, and finds himself in a fierce battle between scientific method and morality as he and his trickster friend, Vincent the Jester, track down the answers to life’s most coveted secrets through time, space, and multiple dimensions.

The Exclamation Box:  During a city-wide black out, a depressed young boy discovers a curious box that stirs his imagination, and leads him to uncover the story behind a new modern myth known as The Jester.

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

From my brain to my heart, down through my hands and reviewed by my eyes, then yes, both will be self published, at first at least.  I understand publishers aren’t usually interested in authors who illustrate their work…

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

I’ll let you know!  Ha! I just began late in 2012. Jesters Incognito took about 18 months before I felt I had a solid first draft.  Because I’m illustrating The Exclamation Box, the time line may be a little quicker than The Fathom Five.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I’m not sure what The Fathom Five could be compared to yet.  Perhaps a cross between Labyrinths by Borges with a twist of the Martian Chronicles by Bradbury and a humorous dash of Happiness by Will Ferguson.  I only reference these in ‘flavour’ of their ideas and style; of course I’d be writing for a younger audience.

The Exclamation Box is drawn in a original style, and has a similar layout to Shaun Tan’s Lost Thing, but with a style more akin to Lemony Snicket.

The Lost Thing by Shaun Tan

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Ideas, in a nutshell. Anything that I find hard to fathom!  Insects, gravity, the incredibly tall and incredibly small.  I’m influenced by my father’s career as a professor, my brother’s as a biologist, my own teaching career, and I’m addicted to TED talks, The National Geographic, and technology news.

As for The Exclamation Box, I guess Kinder Egg Surprises could be an inspiration.  That, and I spent over a decade of my life depressed and I want to help others who may be suffering from the same condition. It’s no fun.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I’m happy to say I’ve had pleasant feedback from Jesters Incognito, and both of these new projects are written in same style:  1st person, and in a comic voice.  The fact that I merge dystopia with humour I think makes the books more approachable!  This sketch may entice readers too, from the Fathom 5.  I like to sketch my book as I write it ~ seems to kickstart the imagination! 

I’ve really enjoyed this interview, and thanks for taking the time to read it.  It’s been like folding an origami crane with very firm paper.  In a good way!  So brilliant to meet other authors and learn of their many exciting, imaginative projects being birthed.  Creativity abounds!

Speaking of which, please enjoy the next authors who have agreed to participate in this interview. I’m tagging Amy Durham, a YA novelist with a spirit for adventure, romance, and life lessons for young readers, and Joseph Eastwood, a writer with a penchant for the supernatural and fantastical.  Thanks in advance to both of you, I look forward to reading your interviews next week!

TAG!  YOU’RE IT!