The Next Big Thing

Fran Wilde tagged me in her Next Big Thing blog post and told me to talk about my WIP, then tag other authors and ask them to talk about their WIPs.

Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing

1. What is the title of your Work in Progress?

Matter-Groove (still undecided if this should be two words, one word, or hyphenated)

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

This is my NaNaWriMo project from 2010, so most likely the idea came to me about 25 minutes before I sat down to write it. Having a man-eating flatworm as a main character may or may not have been inspired by the gummy worms I was snacking on while waiting for midnight November 1st to roll around.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Hmmm…it’s sort of a Comedic Space Opera (definitely of the Skiffy variety). Unless you have another genre that killer space rhinos and sentient tofu would fall under. Interstellar Dramedy, maybe?

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Oooo! Oooo! Richard Ayoade from The IT Crowd to play Echium Stahl, because of his quirkiness and brilliant comedic timing–and let’s be honest–his dashing good looks.  Kristen Kreuk from Smallville to play Olive Song, Echium’s ice-hearted love interest. I imagine Thebiak the man-eating flatworm/Echium’s best friend would be CGI, but would be voiced by someone who could do a wince-inducing Austin Powers impression.

5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?

After accidentally killing his space station’s slumlord, an impoverished curd farmer steals a space shuttle and goes on the lam with a ragtag crew of family, friends, and a trans-dimensional flatworm, hoping their secrets won’t tear them apart before the authorities get to.

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

I think I told my agent that this book would be done, um…a month or two ago? Man, this year has flown by!

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

30 days for the first 50k words, going on 8 months (and counting) for the last 40k. Plodding along slowly but steadily at this point, but I hope to be done with my first draft by November…wait, that’s next month, isn’t it?

8. What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?

Of course, I get the standard Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy comparison, which happens any time someone tries to tell a joke in the vacuum of space. I’d probably liken it more to Rudy Rucker’s fiction…whacky, melodramatic, no holds or tropes barred. Except I have fewer advanced degrees, so in addition to my stories making you laugh, there’s the added bonus of getting to feel intellectually superior to me.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Trust me. You do not want to peek inside the random thought generator that is my brain.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

If I didn’t have you at “sentient tofu,” then this book is probably not up your alley.

Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.

Fran Wilde, fellow Viable Paradisian, tagged me. Go check out her  awesome writings.  I am tagging a handful of  writers from my cohort who I think are amazingly talented in their own numerous and varied ways, and who have been tasked to post their own Next Big Thing interview and tag their favorite fellow writers sometime during the next week.

Patrice Sarath

Seamus Bayne

Cory Skerry

Miranda Suri

Rhino photo by Erix!, Creative Commons

Space backdrop by Sweetie187, Creative Commons