This is a blog tour that's been circulating for quite a while. I wasn't able to do it last time but an author friend tagged me again and I finally had the time. So here we go!
What is the working title of your current/next book?
The working title is MY GIRLFRIEND BITES.
Where did the idea for MY GIRLFRIEND BITES come from?
Well, I read TWILIGHT. I can see why so many readers enjoy the books and that's cool. But what bothered me in the first one was Bella. I like to read about strong female characters and she was the complete opposite of that. So that made the wheels turn inside my brain. I don't really like vampires but I've always loved werewolves and if I ever did a paranormal story, it would have to be with a girl werewolf. So that idea floated around in my head and then I remembered an old screenplay I wrote years ago that had a strong-willed teen girl who manipulated a boy into doing some very bad things for her. I then mixed the two ideas together and came up with more of a...what if she was this strong teen werewolf trying to adjust to a new human school and then a normal boy falls in love with her? And the boy needs this girl because he needs someone to challenge the misconceptions he has about himself. And she needs this boy because she's isolated from her pack and desperately wants a friend. So the story kind of expanded from there.
What genre does your book fall under?
It's a young adult paranormal werewolf novel. Some might call it a Paranormal Romance. But since the protagonist is a guy, I'm just calling it a paranormal novel. (wink)
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I would say Michelle Trachtenberg for Bree the werewolf girl.
And Josh Hutcherson from THE HUNGER GAMES as Aiden, the boy in love with Bree.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A teen boy learns that true love for the perfect girl requires tough love for the imperfect werewolf underneath.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
MY GIRLFRIEND BITES will be indie-published in late Spring just like my first YA novel, SKID.
How long did it take you to write the first draft?
I struggled with the first draft on and off for at least a year and a half. I'm a perfectionist by nature and the last half of the novel just wasn't working to my satisfaction so I had to put the manuscript away to work on other material. There were times I wanted to delete everything and forget about the book. Actually, I did do that once, but luckily I had a backup copy. :) Something about the book kept dragging me back to it. I guess I really fell in love with my characters and couldn't leave them. I'm thankful that last year I solved the problems I was having with the second half of the book and was able to do a good first draft. That part took roughly three and half months to finish.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I would say this book is more like BLOOD AND CHOCOLATE by Annette Curtis Klause but mixed with a much darker TWILIGHT vibe. And the werewolves aren't cute dogs. They're more old-school werewolf scary, but with a heart.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I wanted to explore some themes that TWILIGHT and other books in the paranormal genre don't explore as much, themes that were more interesting to me. And to write a book where the normal teens are just as deep and interesting as the supernatural ones.
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Be sure to look out for the next installments of The Next Big Thing next week, February 8th, on the blogs by authors Pamela DuMond and Sonia Gensler!
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