The Next Big Thing

Greg Lilly, writer/publisher and all around awesome person, asked me to be part of the Next Big Thing Blog Hop. It sounded like fun, plus I get to tag some talented writers. My answers to the questions are listed below, and I’m tagging three others to be part of the hop. They will post their answers next Wednesday, December 12. You can read Greg's post here.

These are the rules/questions:

Details: Rules
*Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress)
*Tag up to five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them. It’s that simple.

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:
What is the working title of your book?
Madness in Brewster Square: Book 1 of the Brewster Square Series

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I can’t really answer that, except to say that I believe it has been simmering in my head for a while now. I was at a dinner for writers this year when the idea for the entire series came to me. That night, I went home and began outlining the story.

What genre does your book fall under?
This is definitely a cozy mystery series!

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? This question is difficult to answer, because my characters are not written with any particular actress/actor in mind and because I don’t pay much attention to television shows. Casting would be challenging, but this list is close to what I visualize when I write:
Ava Maria Sophia Cecelia: Sara Rue
Giuseppe (Ava’s brother, founder of AA Paranormal Investigations): Zachary Quinto
Charlie (Ava’s best friend): Reese Witherspoon
Stanley (Ava’s new boyfriend): Simon Baker
Oliver (new police detective in Brewster Square, former DEA agent): Danny Pino

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? (One sentence did not work for me, had to make it a wee bit longer)
Ava loves working in her brother Giuseppe’s Aromatherapy store, but hates when he drags her into his paranormal investigations. Those things are boring and nobody really believes in ghosts anyway. On the night they investigate the old McAllister place, the one house Ava is convinced is truly haunted, they find a dead body in the basement. As Ava looks into the death, she starts to wonder: has everyone in Brewster Square gone mad?

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
This book will be traditionally published, most likely with a small, independent publisher.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It took ten months to write the first draft, and will take another three to four to edit before sending it out.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
The Brewster Square Series can be called a cross between Diana Killian’s Mantra for Murder Mystery Series and Juliet Blackwell’s Witchcraft Mystery Series. While not exactly the same, my series has similar themes of family conflict and alternative spirituality.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
My family. Growing up within a large Italian family had many of moments of craziness sprinkled with lots of love (and food). Whenever I am able to spend time with my relatives in Connecticut I am surrounded by love and laughter.. Plus, I wanted to create a fictional town where I could name the streets and make it whatever I wanted it to be. Brewster Square is a combination of the Connecticut towns of New Haven and Branford, with a little imagination to mix it all up.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
My father used to tell me about the hostilities that existed between the Italian and the Irish immigrants in the Northeast when he was a kid, so I used that for this book. I hope that since I’ve been having so much fun writing this, you’re going to have just as much fun reading it.

For now, you can hop on over to next week’s participants and see who they are.
J. Conrad Guest, author of January’s Paradigm, One Hot January, January’s Thaw, The Cobb Legacy, A Retrospect in Death and 500 Miles To Go, as well as a novella and numerous articles. You can read his blog and check out his website for more information.

Jeanne Johansen, author of 27 Minutes and Tea With A Hussy in the novella collection Chesapeake Bay Christmas. As founder of High Tide Publications, Jeanne is dedicated to seeing other writers get a great story out to great readers. Her blog can be found here.

Chris Eberle is the author of the John Seraph mystery series. Check out his blog and website for fun information.