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 1st,
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 1st, 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.
