Posts Tagged ‘The Next Big Thing’ Archive
The Next Big Thing!
Thanks Lauren for tagging me in The Next Big Thing meme–this has been one I’ve enjoyed reading on other blogs! (Including Jaye’s, which you all should check out. She did her post on Sing to the Wind, which comes out in 2014!) Lauren’s Next Big Thing is about her new young adult WIP titled DIVE. How awesome of a title is that?!
What is the working title of your book?
CADAVER DOG
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
After a tribe of his own kind, Cadaver Dogs, slaughters Jacob’s village, he’s left to fend for himself in the desert filled world of the future.
What genre does your book fall under?
CD is (in my mind) post-apocalyptic YA.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Honestly, I’ve never been one to think too hard on actors for my characters, but I can post pictures about Jacob’s most striking feature- his eyes. In CD, all Cadaver Dogs have beautiful amber eyes, much like a dogs.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I am represented by the dream-agent Emmanuelle Morgen of the Stonesong Agency.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Hmm, if I’m remembering correctly, it took me a few months to write the first draft of CD. Since then, it has gone through a few major revisions, each taking about a month to complete.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I gave the comp. title of The Forest of Hands and Teeth when I was querying. It has a similar feel of a journey book.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired by two thoughts before I started writing CD. The first was the question of: What would the world look like if a drought swept over the earth and never went away? And the second was: What if people could smell as well as dogs?
Interestingly, I had never heard the term ‘cadaver dog’ before. I heard it on the news one night and immediately started researching. These dogs are trained to locate human remains and are used in disaster areas- how incredible is that?!
Over the past year, I’ve enjoyed researching the dog’s scenting abilities and figuring out how to incorporate that into my writing.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Most obviously, I think the unique setting and the fact that much of my book centers around Jacob’s scent abilities will interest readers. But my very favorite part of the book is a small girl named Sam who has a very big secret…but I’m going to refrain from saying anything more on that 😉
And now it’s time for me to tag another writer! I’m passing the torch onto my lovely super-CP Ari Susu-Mago whose writing always gives me the chills.