Wednesday, September 11, 2013

The Next Big Thing!


Fellow Blogger/author David List mentioned me on his blogpost about “The Next Big Thing” questionnaire where a writer updates everyone on their latest writings and happenings. So here’s my blurb on the Next Big Thing. Thanks David!

1.       What’s the working title of your book?
Fort Defiance

2.       Where did you get the idea for your book?
Oddly enough it’s probably the first story I ever wanted to write, but I didn’t find the right words for it until now. I’ve always been interested in stories about family and how settlers survived on the colonial frontier.

3.       What’s the genre of your book?
Historical Thriller, with a leaning toward YA.

4.       What actors would you pick to portray your novel in film?
I really have no preferences, I’d be happy if people simply enjoyed the story as a book.  

5.       Provide a one sentence blurb of your book.
      Sixteen-year-old Joss Roebuck must defend his family and farm from the land-hungry Magistrate Pendleton and the nearing French and Indian war-parties that threaten to destroy his home on the Virginia frontier.

6.       Will you self-publish or have your book represented by an agency?
Time will tell, but either way I intend to make the book the best it can possibly be, via rewrites, feedback from CPs, and professional editors.

7.       How long did it take to write the first draft of your book?
It went fairly well. I wrote over 85,000 words in about 12 weeks.

8.       What other books in your genre would you compare it to?
It’s a twist between The Last of the Mohicans and Huckleberry Finn. More contemporary comparisons would be Thom’s Follow the River and Speare’s Sign of the Beaver.

9.       Who or what inspired you to write your book?
My wife. Definitely my wife. Without her I couldn’t have progressed a single day.

10.   What else about your book might pique a reader’s interest?
I genuinely wrote this book to be a fun and engaging read. I want readers to really enjoy themselves, and even though it’s a historical piece I think YA readers will like the story and pacing.  

Keep the Next Big Thing going…I nominate a few fellow writers/bloggers for this questionnaire, mainly because they’re super awesome and I’d be interested to see what they say to some of these questions.

28 comments:

  1. Sounds like an awesome project; thanks for letting me read the first chapter a while back -- and for the mention!

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  2. Historical thriller! Like the sound of that. Sometimes those first stories turn out to be the best.

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    1. Thanks Alex, it feels good to finally get aroudn to it:)

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  3. I love books based on history that keep me reading (and don't read like text books). This sounds really, really good. However you decide to publish I hope it happens quickly!

    Thanks for sharing :)

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement:) I def wanted it to not read like a text book.

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  4. I love the title! Look forward to picking it up. I'll be following it's progress. ;)

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    1. Many thanks:) It looks liek you're investigating self-publishing...let me know how it goes:)

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  5. Sounds fun. I loved Huck Fin. Thanks for following my blog!

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  6. Wow, 85000 words in 12 weeks is an awesome task for me. You book sounds amazing, Mark. Good Luck.

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    1. Thanks, when it's going I try to just let the words flow.

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  7. What Cathrina said. Wow, that's like NaNo numbers. I've written about 95k in two years. :P

    But good for you! Must be a strong story idea if it stayed with you all this time and you were able to crank it out that fast. :)

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    1. It definitely felt good. But it doesn't matter so long as the quality oughtweighs the quantity.

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  8. I love the sound of your book. And aren't supportive spouses beyond price?

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  9. As someone who has read a few chapters of Fort Defiance I can say its your most interesting work so far. And historical thriller has a intriguing sound to it. And 85,000 words in 12 weeks is simply awesome, Mark.

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    1. Thanks Rachna, your feedback so far has been invaluable:)

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  10. Love reading more about you and your work, Mark. I'm excited for your project! It sounds thrilling. And twelve weeks is impressive. Phew--that's dedication!

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    1. That's very kind of you to say, thanks for the support:)

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  11. Other than Language Arts, history was my favorite subject in school. I used to dream of the colonial days, even going so far as to envision a story world revolving that era. I may have to someday explore the realm of historical fiction just a little bit.

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    1. Sounds cool, let me know if you ever write some it down. I'd love to read it:)

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  12. Sounds like a lot of fun. Best of luck with Fort Defiance. 85k in 12 weeks is impressive.

    Mark, I hope you might consider joining my bloggers' book club. Details are here: http://armchairsquid.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-cephalopod-coffeehouse-september.html

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  13. Mark, your book sounds fascinating! I'm blown away by historical fiction writers. What a great skill.

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    1. Thanks:) I love history and I love literature, so hopefully I can make something entertaining out of it too:)

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  14. I'm JUST NOW coming across this! Shame on me!
    Sounds very very cool. I love that time in our nation. Very tense and tumultuous... ripe for story telling.
    And if 85k comes out in a matter of weeks, you know you're doing something right.

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    1. Yeah, I like investigating social history during slightly overlooked eras. I always like to know what the average joe was doing, not just the rich and powerful:)

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