The Next Big Thing: My Contribution

There are the authors everyone has heard about: George R. R. Martin, Stephen King. But what about all those books written by people you’ve never heard of? Some of them are treasures just waiting to be found, and that’s what this blog hop is all about: the books you might not have heard about, the authors you might end up loving.

This blog hop is like a game of tag. One author posts and then tags other authors who link back to their website the next week and tag new authors. If you follow the blog hop long enough, you’re bound to find some writers you’ll love! Maybe you’ll even discover a book that ends up being the next big thing.

I was not tagged, but asked if I could play when I came across a post on Fossilist.

This blog hop includes ten questions to help you learn more about an author, so here’s a little info about me:

1: What is the working title of your current project?

This is the easy answer that you already know if you’re at this blog, Angst is the title of my latest project and the book I hope to publish within a few weeks.

2: Where do your ideas come from?

The idea for this novel came from my own life, my own experience with panic attacks and anxiety.  As far as ideas for writing in general, usually the first glimpse or thread of an idea comes from real life and then I expand upon it with my imagination.  I think my writing is very focused around emotion.  I like emotional scenes or topics and most of my writing flows around these high or low points in our lives.  Mostly low for me!

3: What genre do you write?

Well…that’s a tough one with my novel.  I guess I’d say it’s the New Young Adult genre.  I don’t think when I set out as a writer I thought I’d be writing books for that crowd, however the story I am currently working on does lend itself to that age range.  The truth is, I had hardly read any YA or NYA stuff at all before writing my novel, so I’ve been trying to catch up lately by picking up books intended for this audience.  And I’ve sort of started to like it too!  My personal favorite genre is historical fiction.  But I’m not sure I’d ever have the patience to write one!  There’s a lot of research that goes into portraying a historical period with accuracy, but when done right, I thoroughly enjoy the experience.  Did that wander a bit?  Opppps!

4: Cat-person or dog-person?

I’m definitely a cat person, sorry dogs!  I’ve had them most of my life and I like their independent spirit!  There’s just something cool about cats, in fact my husband likes to call me kidden cause maybe I’m sort of cat-like.  Or maybe that’s just cause he likes to say I’m lazy and lay around the house with a book???  haha.

5: What’s a one-word description of yourself?

Hmmm…oh wow…ummmm….  Let’s go with Crazy since it goes so well with my novel. 

6: Will your work be self-published or traditionally published?

I’m going with self-pub all the way!  I used to be completely against it and only interested in traditional publishing, until I found a blog called A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing.  I recommend you check it out if you’ve been considering Self-pub.  The amount of control you have really appeals to me.  Sorry…I’m a control freak..what can I say??

7: How long does it take you to write a first draft?

Good God!  For my novel it took forever. I’m gonna say…1.5 years.  But keep in mind this was my first time at the rodeo, so literally I had no idea where I was going and I was writing when I had time.  Then it probably took another year to get it into sort of the spot it is now.  Now I’m polishing it until it shines.  

8: Whose work would you compare yours to within your genre?

Umm..yeah right! I’m not being tricked into this question and end up sounding like a pompous ass. No thank you!  Truth, I don’t have the audacity to compare myself because I’m a newbie.  Untried, squeaky clean new.  

9: Who are your favorite writers?

I have SO many favorite writers!  Let me pull up my handy-dandy Library Thing to help me list them off.  Wait for it….

Sara Donati, Mary Karr, Robert McCammon, Pauline Gedge, Wilbur Smith, Judith Merkle Riley, Jeanne Kalogridis, Elizabeth Kostova, Margaret George, and those are just my oldies but goodies.  I also have recently read one each of Margaret Atwood, Laurie Halse Anderson, Colleen Hoover, Laura Whitcomb and so many many more.  I’m a book reading machine!   I bought 6 books for my Kindle the day after Christmas and I’ve read…4.25 of them so far.  IN LESS THAN A MONTH.  Yup…I’ve got skills!!!  AND these were not short books.   Upwards of 300+ pages each. 

10: What would you do with your spare time if you weren’t writing?

This is a weird question because I wouldn’t be not writing ever, cause I love writing.  However, what do I do besides writing is a valid question.  I like to:  read, as you can tell from the question above and to a disgusting level that leaves my loved ones angry and resentful, I like to watch shows and movies and have a problem with Netflix.  As you can see I like stories, like A LOT.  It’s escapism and relaxing for me to live in someone else’s life for a while.  I also go to the gym (or force myself), I can play the piano, I love music to death and am always singing, constantly.  In the car, around the house, all the time.  I know you’re thinking, your poor loved ones!!  I also like to dance around, although I am not a professional dancer.  Also, very recently I built my own house, from scratch with my hubs and parents.  It was  an enormous task.  Literally it was insanity.  We did hire a few things out, but most of it was us, so I’ve been very very very busy lately, working 7 days per week and squeezing in writing when there was time and dealing with my health, etc etc.  FUN year, although I got a brand spankin new house out of the deal and some new skillz.  Pubbing would be a fitting end for me after the year plus I’ve had, a happy end. 

the End!

Now comes the part where I’m supposed to mention friends or other bloggers who write and I don’t know many on a personal level, so….I’ll just list some blogs I currently dig who write and if they want, they can pick up the thread….

My friend Em likes to write and she’s so funny, check her out here as she guides you through the joys of depression:  Baby Girl Tamagotch Bowie

I stumbled upon this blogger who somehow always writes about exactly what’s in my head.  She awesome!  Kat Micari

This blogger really gets you into the mind of someone with an eating disorder and her writing is clear and concise and I like how she’s breaking down walls and stigmas with her honesty:  We are all birds.

This blogger writes about writing and I really like his posts and his moniker BTW, by the way:  Ben Trube, Writer (BTW)