My dear sweet funny friend Heather Haven, whose parents were circus performers and herself on the stage as a performer, is not only fabulously funny and wonderful, but generous. She tagged me in a game of round robin, or the author's version of Promote Yourself and Your Friends too.
So first: my friend who tagged me and her website. Pictured above are her first three novels in a series of fun murder mysteries. And her blog with HER answers
Makes sense that she would now be the Amy Pohler version of Lee Child, right? Seriously, check her out.
The game is this: We answer ten questions (below) with our answers to ten interview questions promoting the thing we are working on.
Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:
What is your working title
of your book?
The
working title of my book is “Of Mermaids and Mockingbirds.”
Where did the idea come
from for the book?
There
is a small island of the coast of North Carolina where I spent some time as a
child. It taught me a lot about
community, childhood, and how to be in relationship. It is the island of my mother’s people. My family of origin is not the closest
of families, but my mother was always the one who taught me about how to be
family. In a way, this is her
story, an homage to her and how she lives today.
What genre does your book
fall under?
I
am not sure. It could be Chick
Lit, but it has a lot to say, so it could also be Southern Fiction. And I would
love for it to fall under “Literature,” but I am not sure it is tortured
enough, or uses long words that are either confusing or erudite. So I think I have missed out there.
Which actors would you
choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Well,
I would love Emma Stone to play the grown up version of Weezie, and Jane Levy
from Suburgatory would be a great teenage version of her. I want Queen Latifah to be Miss Maybe,
Nathan Fillion would Mr Jack, and Miss Acacia should be Ashley Judd, with Susan
Sarandon as Mimi. I mean this IS
my fantasy cast, right?
What is the one-sentence
synopsis of your book?
It
is a coming of age novel set on a small island in the South that speaks to us
of relationships, redemption and reunion.
Will your book be self-published
or represented by an agency?
An
agency, please.
How long did it take you to
write the first draft of your manuscript?
All
together, in fits and starts?
About three years. And then
I threw out half of it, and another third a year later. I am just now finished two years later
with a version that I really happy with.
What other books would you
compare this story to within your genre?
The
Help. The Prince of Tides (for
women), and maybe a little bit of Sarah Addison Allen thrown in.
Who or what inspired you to
write this book?
My mother. Always. And my best friends who love
the Southern stories that come flying out of my mouth over wine and blues late
after dinner. They are never sure if I am lying or not. It is great fun, really.
What else about your book
might pique the reader’s interest?
It is funny enough to make you belly laugh
for a while, and so sad that your heart will break in millions of
pieces. There is magic and mystery
and the wonderfulness that comes of growing up in such a place.
so there it is, the work of my heart, . . .er. . spare time. I am looking for an agent, or publisher, so if anyone knows of a good one?
My friends whose work I admire and want to also promote:
