The Next Big Thing!

So, I’ve been tagged. Twice. Once by the energetic and always beautiful Debbie Davis, and once by the fantastic Rachelle Christensen. So I figured that even though it’s been a super long time since I played along with games like this, I probably ought to jump in and answer lest I break my string of good luck or something else dreadful.

So here you go. The answers to your most curious questions about the book I just sold to Rhemalda Publishing. (To be released May 1^st, 2013.)

What is the working title of your book?

Descendant

Where did the idea for the story come from?

A long time ago (like, 7 years or longer) I attended a workshop about holistic and energetic healing that involved chakras and crystals, and I thought, “What would it be like for a teenager who had healing powers to live in today’s world?” And then, I drew from memories of my own teen years, how big and huge and heavy everything felt back then. Also, I added in a lot of romance, because I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff, and I think kissing scenes make every story better.

What genre does your book fall under?

Young Adult Contemporary Paranormal.

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

Okay seriously, I should pay better attention to the actors who are this age, but I just don’t have any idea. That’s why I’m not a casting director. But I’ll tell you what they’ll look like, okay?

Abby, the main character, is really small, about a hundred pounds, with long-ish auburn hair and blue-green eyes.

Kye, Abby’s love interest, is tall, just over six feet, wiry with well-defined muscles, wavy dark-blond hair with sapphire blue eyes and a heart stopping smile.

Is that good enough?

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson never suspected her Gifts of Healing and Sight came from an ancestor who was killed by a demon, and she especially didn’t understand that the same demon army might someday try to kill her.

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

Descendant is represented by Brittany Howard of Corvisiero Agency, and will be published by Rhemalda Publishing, May 1^st, 2013.

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

This is a really hard question, because the drafts have been so drastically different, that a few times, I pretty much dumped the whole thing and started over completely. The very first, 000 draft, took me a month (NaNo anyone?) but being that it was a complete train wreck, it took me another 18 months or so to rewrite and recompile into a semi-quazi real first draft. (3 ½ more years of editing, too, BTW. And now I will edit even more. Oi.)

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

I’m thinking it’s a little like The Eternal Ones by Kirsten Miller, a little like the TV show heroes, and a little like Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My aunt, and good friend Tova Heaton taught the class (mentioned above) so she played a big part in inspiring me. Also my own unending need to try to help people, try to fix the things wrong in the world, whether it’s within my power or not.

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

How about the most recent blurb? (Probably not the cover blurb, but it’s something!) No cover yet, but soon, my pretties. Very soon.  *rubs hands together*

Descendant:

Seventeen-year-old Abigail Johnson is Gifted.

Blessed—or cursed—with Sight and Healing, Abby lives an unsettled life, moving from place to place and staying one step ahead of the darkness that hunts her. When she arrives in Jackson, Wyoming, she is desperate to maintain the illusion of normalcy, but she is plagued with visions of past lives mixed with frightening glimpses of her future. Then she meets Kye, a mysterious boy who seems so achingly familiar that Abby is drawn to him like he’s a missing piece of her own soul.

Before Abby can discover the reason for her feelings toward Kye, the darkness catches up to her and she is forced to flee again. But this time she’s not just running. She is fighting back with Kye at her side, and it’s not just Abby’s life at stake.

I think I'm now supposed to tag other people. I'm not sure how many, but I'm going to guess five, because, well, that sounds like a good number. So I hereby tag Elana Johnson, Jenn Johansson, Karen Hoover, Windy Aphyrath, and Heather Moore because I can't wait to hear about their next big things.