{"id":1348,"date":"2012-11-05T18:40:56","date_gmt":"2012-11-06T01:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lindacollison.com\/blog\/?p=1348"},"modified":"2012-11-25T16:12:20","modified_gmt":"2012-11-25T23:12:20","slug":"big-thing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/big-thing\/","title":{"rendered":"The Next BIG Thing!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been tagged twice for a round-robin blog called The Next Big Thing<\/strong>; once by Alaric Bond <\/a>and once by Helen Hollick<\/a>, authors I’ve had the pleasure to have met in person.\u00a0 Bond\u2019s tag came right as I was traveling, and Helen\u2019s tag the other day prompted me to do my part and post my answers.\u00a0 This comes at a good time as I’m working to finish the manuscript for a novel that has been in the works for some time.\u00a0 It is NOT book three of the Patricia MacPherson Nautical Adventure Series, who has set off for Havana, but we’ll get back to her later…<\/p>\n

Ten interview questions for The Next BIG Thing<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

What is the title of your book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The working title is \u201cThe Good Fortune<\/em>\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0(At least, that\u2019s what I\u2019m calling it this week!\u00a0 What do you think?\u00a0 The other titles I’ve been considering are Lucky Dragon<\/em> and Blue Milieu<\/em>.)<\/p>\n

Where did the idea of your book come from?\"\"<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

A listing junk moored at the Ala Wai, covered with blue tarps and seemingly teeming with ghosts.\u00a0 You know me, I\u2019m obsessed with nautical settings.<\/p>\n

Under what genre does your book fall?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a mash-up between psychological\/paranormal thriller-at-sea, and historical novel.\u00a0 As it is a story within a story, the one within is historical.\u00a0 Oh, and it features teen protagonists, so it might be YA.<\/p>\n

Which actors would you choose to portray your characters in a movie rendition?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unknown, emerging actors and actresses.\u00a0 This would be their breakout movie, sure!<\/p>\n

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A troubled boy enrolled in a summer sailing program for problem teens discovers the ship to be controlled by Chinese ghosts and sailing to its doom.<\/p>\n

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?<\/strong><\/p>\n

James Schiavone, my current agent, is eager for me to complete this manuscript.<\/p>\n

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Well let\u2019s see\u2026 I\u2019ve been working on it for about three years now.\u00a0 I hope to have a working draft to show my agent by the end of the year.\u00a0 This year!<\/p>\n

And the intro?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Wanted: Adventurous teens to crew a traditional Chinese junk exploring the equatorial Pacific.\u00a0 Learn to work as a team; develop mind, body and spirit.\u00a0 An unparalleled summer program designed for teens who need a challenge.\u00a0 No prior sailing experience necessary.\u00a0 http:\/\/theGoodFortune.chn\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n

Who or what inspired you to write this novel?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A ship I felt certain was haunted \u2013 and the disaffected voices of American teenagers — combined to create a frightening premise.\u00a0 Being on a ship at sea — even a ship that is not haunted — can be\u00a0scary.\u00a0 For instance, if your electronics go then you are out of communication with the rest of the world, floating on an enormously powerful force.\u00a0 You could be in any century, if your modern equipment fails.<\/p>\n

I love\u00a0psychological novels.\u00a0 \u00a0When I was a nurse I worked for a short time on the psychiatric unit and have a passing familiarity with some of the disorders.\u00a0 Also, I have been on a boat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, becalmed, and felt so completely powerless.\u00a0\u00a0These factors, these experiences drove me to exorcise the demons by writing a rather fantastic story.\u00a0\u00a0The narrator is terribly unreliable, however.\u00a0 So you don’t really know if the ghosts are real or not.<\/p>\n

What else about your book might peak your readers\u2019 interest? \u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In writing this book I take on a troubled boy\u2019s persona, it has been taxing.\u00a0 I\u2019ve had to learn some Chinese history, and of course have gotten side-tracked in that deep, long, fascinating subject.\u00a0 I do hope you\u2019ll feel as chilled when you read it as I feel when I\u2019m writing it.\u00a0 The process has given me a new appreciation for the meaning of time, of the Individual, of heaven and hell.\u00a0 I now wear a jade Quan Yin, goddess of mercy amulet around my neck to protect me from the shuigui who haunt my characters.\u00a0 (Does anyone know where I might obtain a Tianfei, goddess of the sea, amulet? \u00a0Because we\u2019re gonna need it!)<\/p>\n

The rules of the Next Big Thing game say that I tag five authors.\u00a0 This sounds vaguely like choosing teams for dodge ball in junior high, but I’m going to tag Margaret Muir,\u00a0Joan Druett,\u00a0Susan Keogh,\u00a0Barbara Peacock,\u00a0and J.\u00a0David Davies<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0 Do you know what these authors have in common?\u00a0\u00a0They all write\u00a0nautical historical fiction.\u00a0\u00a0 OK, let’s see who wants to play…<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been tagged twice for a round-robin blog called The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[221],"class_list":["post-1348","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-author-interviews","tag-the-next-big-thing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1348","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1348"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1348\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1354,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1348\/revisions\/1354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1348"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1348"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madhatdesign.com\/newsite\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1348"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}