WIP:The Next Big Thing - Blog Hop!

So, my friend and fellow writer's group member, Becca, tagged me in this thing called WIP: The Next Big Thing. It's a series of questions designed to give readers a chance to know a little bit about our current WIP (Work in Progress)... So, here we go:

What’s the working title of your WIP?

Well, the working title for my current novel was originally "Revelation" when it began as a short story. Now, I sometimes refer to it simply as "The Fae Story" or "Lis' Story," so it really is only a working title. I'm going to have to brainstorm once I'm closer to publication...

Where did your idea come from for your book?

This will sound slightly silly, but my idea came from a conglomeration of little things. I have loved Faerie stories (not to be confused with their more innocent and happy cousins, the Fairy stories) for years and years and have tried crafting my own more than once. I am also obsessed with trying to find the perfect example of a great guy best friend that becomes the hunky boyfriend story, so again, I've been wanting to craft my own. And... it all sort of came together when I saw two things that directly inspired my main character, Lis (short for Chrysallis)...

One was Ashley Tisdale's video for the song, "Crank It Up"


I just adore the imagery of a club girl with tiny wings...hence a faery who adores the vitality of the L.A. club scene...












...and then Lis really came to life in my head when I started watching the TV show, Lost Girl. The main character's best friend, Kenzi, is actually exactly how I imagined Lis, except human...

What genre does your book fall under?

My book would be considered a young adult fantasy.
What actors would you pick to play your characters in a movie rendition?

As you could see above, I would love to have the actress, Ksenia Solo, from Lost Girl play Lis. As for the guys... Cam Gigandet (Burlesque) would make a fabulously rakish, Gryff, and I can't help but picture True Blood's Ryan Kwanten as the lovable Ewan. 


What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

Faerie accidentally exposes all of her kind and must deal with the fallout in both the human realm and her own.

Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?

Though I would love to find a traditional publisher, at this point I think that I will be self-publishing. The publishing world is in an interesting place right now...

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 


First, I have to remind you all that I'm not technically done with the first draft yet, LOL. I'm aiming (pushing myself really) to get a full first draft done and out to my readers by the end of this calendar year. From start (in the short story version) to now, I think I've been working on this novel for about a year... I think.

What other books would you compare this story within your genre?


Oh, I hate doing this! The whole point is to try and not be totally reminiscent of other people's works, but... fans of Melissa Marr's Wicked Lovely series will probably feel right at home. I know there are also similar elements in Julie Kagawa's Iron Fey series...

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
 As I've already said, I've always wanted to write a Fae story. When inspiration struck, it happened to coincide with the announcement of the annual Writer's Digest short story contests. I decided to craft my idea into a short story to enter (it didn't win, lol) and that's how it all began. Then with some major prodding from Becca (who is amazing, btw) it's been coming together into a much more involved story.

What else about your book might pique the readers interest?

Let's see...there's betrayal, romance, intrigue, creepy Fae, protesting humans, yoga, and more! :)

So, that's it for me, for now... If you stayed tuned here you'll be sure to see a lot more information as I get done with my first draft and start the process of editing and then publication... until then, these are all the teasers you get. LOL.

I'm supposed to tag other authors now to see if they'll participate, but I don't really know any that I think will have the time right now, so I'm breaking the chain! *cringes* Please don't throw anything at me. I'm sorry!   

Home is Beyond the Mountains

Home is Beyond the Mountains

by Celia Barker Lottridge

 

Samira is only nine years old when the Turkish army invades northwestern Persia in 1918, driving her family from its tiny village. They flee into the mountains, but the journey is so difficult that only Samira and her older brother survive. Beginning with a refugee camp run by the British Army, the children are shunted from one temporary home to another, finally ending up in an orphanage where it seems that they will live out their childhood. Then the new orphanage director, Susan Shedd, decides that she will take the 300 refugee children back to their home villages — a journey of 300 miles — through the mountains, on foot. Samira embarks on the journey with wonder and fear. Even if they make it, will there be anyone in her old village to take her in? (description from Amazon.com)

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I was surprised how easy this book was to read. It's written in very simple sentences and goes very, very quickly. I think I read the whole book in about 2 1/2 hours. I had not really thought I would enjoy this one that much (thanks in part to a yucky cover :/) but it turned out to be pretty interesting.

I don't honestly know that much about the middle eastern area in history and so this story was pretty much all knew to me. Some themes from history are all the same, though, so this story of children who become orphaned in a foreign land did not feel so foreign that I couldn't relate to it. This was a heartbreaking and yet, still hopeful story. 

While not quite as epic as some of the other historical fictions I've read recently, I did enjoy breezing through this one.

Full disclosure: Borrowed from my library

Tiger Lily

Tiger Lily

by Jodi Lynn Anderson

Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair. .

 

Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.

 

Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everything—her family, her future—to be with him. When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.

 

With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart. (description from Amazon.com)


I wanted so much to love this book.  First off it has a GORGEOUS cover that I could not stop staring at... Then, it is a totally awesome reconceptualization of the Peter Pan tale.  The way that Anderson reimagined Neverland and its inhabitants was great.  I loved getting to see the way that Tiger Lily's tribe of Sky Eaters functioned and how that influenced who she was and how she fit into the traditional tale we all know. 

The major problem that I had, what kept me from loving the book, was the narrative perspective.  This tale is actually told from Tinker Bell's point of view.  She narrates the events in Tiger Lily's life and her interactions with Peter, Wendy, the lost boys and the pirates.  I had such a hard time connecting in this third person sense.  Though Tink told the reader what emotions and thoughts she picked up from Tiger Lily and those around her, there was still a huge feeling of detachment. 

Even having not felt as connected to the characters as I wanted, I feel that this is a book worth reading.  Revisiting the classic tale this way was captivating.  This truly was a more grown-up realistic version that I wish I could have dived into a little more directly...

Full disclosure: Purchased book for my Nook