The Next Best Thing Blog Hop

I've been tagged by my writer friend, Celia Breslin to answer some questions about my current work-in-progress as part of the The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. It's a great way to discover new authors and books.

 

1-What is your working title of your book?

     Darkness Undone

2-Where did the idea come from for the book?

   First off, I love Reynner, he appeared briefly in my first book, Absolute Surrender. After reading various legends of the pantheons, the one from the Sumerian pantheon caught my attention. A goddess who'd send her consort to Hell... what would stop her from sending a lover who spurned her, there too? My Machiavellian mind went to work and Darkness Undone was born.
 

3-What genre does your book fall under?

   Paranormal romance, what else.

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

   Honestly, I have no idea. But it wouldn’t be fair to put set images in readers mind when they can form their own, now would it? But I’d go for unknown actors. It would be fun.

5-What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

  A fading realm, a warrior bound and the woman who'd save them both...

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

   It’s at querying status right now, so, I’ll be sending out to both agents and publishers of my genre.

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

   Amazingly, six weeks for the rough draft.

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

   It is a paranormal romance. My stories have a different spin to them. But I enjoy romances from Sherrilyn Kenyon older works, Nalini Singh, JR Ward and GA Aiken and a few others :)

9-Who or what inspired you to write this book?

   My daughter ♥ Her absolute faith in me. And of course, my hero, Reynner.

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

  What happens when a mortal takes on a goddess in a battle of life and death? More, it's about choices in life. And yes — love, redemption.
   
Intrigued? Click here for an excerpt from my first chapter:
Darkness Undone 

Include the links of people you have tagged. 

Piper Shelly

Zrinka Jelic 
Farrah Joceline

                                                              ♥

Rules for The Next Best Thing Blog Hop

***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)
***Tag other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them. 

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:

1. What is your working title of your book?
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
3. What genre does your book fall under?
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.

Curveballs in Life

 

My ramblings this Friday morning.

 

As I often tell my daughter, life throws us curveballs but what we do with it makes us who we are.

 For me, it was to get back on the path as a writer. After one rejection, it took ten years but I’m glad I did so. Mostly, it’s thanks to my daughter who put me back on track again, because I probably would have let it pass me by and missed out on an experience of a lifetime. Yes, writing and finally being published.

 Writing, strangely enough wasn’t my first love. Books were.

I was too shy to put my deepest emotions on paper back then. I’d always have this thought in my mind that they’d see me, see the person I truly am, painfully shy, awkward and always with my head down hoping no one would notice me, they'd laugh...  The fear would make my hands sweat, my chest hurt. I probably knew every crack, every flaw on the flagstones gracing the school walkway back then.
Aah, the insecurities of the young...it consumes who we are.  
So even in my school work, I’d just skim the surface of whatever essay I had to hand in, because I couldn’t let anyone too close, in case they saw the 'real' me. The miracle was I must have done something right even then.

After all, heck, I did pass English and had fallen in love with the written word.  
All this comes down to emotions. Because we are afraid to put ourselves out there and get hurt. Most build a wall—a façade to conceal our hopes and dreams. To protect ourselves from hurt of any sort.

But when it comes to writing, alas it doesn’t work. You need to lay it all out there. But as writers, fortunately, we can hide behind our characters as we do so.

Tom Bissell says it so well, “A great writer reveals the truth even when he or she does not wish to.”

Now back to darling daughter. She has one of the most creative minds I’ve ever come across. I think it has to be from all those Disney movies she lived, breathed, and ate as a child.

She’s great for bouncing off ideas especially when I get stuck on a plot point. But when it comes to her own scribbling, agh, she makes me want to tear my hair out.

She second-guesses everything she does.

And the simple reason for all this drama taking place right now? She had a plot disagreement with a friend. She’s had fair warning before this could happen, besides me speaking to her about it.

Remember, I spoke about my paranormal experiences in my last blog, well, dear daughter has a touch of it too. This friend she couldn’t bring herself to talk to? Well she dreamt she had a fight with her, over the same issue of writing, and yes, it happened the following day. There’s lots of tension and irritation vibrating off her right now, since she’s in a quandary of what to do.

Curveball dear child, remember. And you can’t collaborate and work with another aspiring writer knowing how possessive you are over your ideas. You have to face your fears, no matter what they are. It’s what will strengthen you. So, I shall leave her to ponder her decision, and move onto something else.

Few days ago, while having a little pow-wow with dear daughter over breakfast/supper conversation on Skype (she lives some 11000 miles away) over the novella I’d been writing, I mentioned to her I wasn’t satisfied with it being just a short story. In my hero from ‘A Demon for Christmas’, I saw so much more there, and boy, did he have a story to tell. By the time that conversation was over three hours later, the novella had taken a different turn and a compelling twist. I'm so eager to share it with every one, but alas, I still have to write it.  
Yeah, like I said she has a wonderfully creative mind.

So now some chapters for my novella have been deleted, and new twists and turns taking place. I’m eager to get back to my paranormal world of Empyreans, gods, and demons while I wait for my second round edits for Absolute Surrender to make its return to me, in preparation of its release early next year.

Until later, have a fabulous day. ♥