Christy English

The Next Big Thing: Find Out What I’m Working On Next

Wednesday, September 26th, 2012 | The Next Big Thing

The sweet and charming Sophie Perinot is not just a fabulous writer, she is a kind woman as well. She was generous enough to tag me in the ongoing game of The Next Big Thing, in which authors get to talk about their favorite thing: their work, and what their current Work in Progress is.

The ups and downs of being a writer, published or not, are challenging on any day, but the sense of community fostered by games like these  makes it all worthwhile.

http://www.sophieperinot.com/blog/2012/09/20/tagged-the-next-big-thing-%E2%80%93-find-out-what-i-am-working-on-now/

 

The Next Big Thing

 

What is your working title of your book?

HOW TO WOO WITH MUCH ADO

Where did the idea come from for the book?

The Idea Fairy, AKA the Muse, who brings all my ideas, often in dreams. When I was coming up with the idea for my current novel, HOW TO TAME A WILLFUL WIFE, a take-off on Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, this idea came along with it.

What genre does your book fall under?

This series of novels are historical Regency romances, set between 1816-1818.

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

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie. Though it might be disconcerting to see Brad in a red wig. My hero, James, is a red-headed Scotsman from Aberdeen.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Angelique Beauchamp, a widow and hardened woman of the world, falls in love against her will with a Royal Navy captain, James Montgomery. If you run from love hard enough, it might just catch you.

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

All my novels are represented by Margaret O’Connor of Innisfree Literary Agency. She is fantastic.

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

Nine months. Normally it would not take this long to write a romance, but I stopped and started again and again as I revised WILLFUL WIFE. I was lucky though. My characters James and Angelique never abandoned me, even when I left them alone for weeks at a time. They wanted this book to be born as much as I did.

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

WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND by Shana Galen  is a charming Regency romance. I hope my novels are as charming as this one.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The Muse inspired me, along with a healthy dose of Shakespeare. MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING is one of those funny but annoying plays of the Bard’s, where idiotic evil throws the world into disarray, only to be out right again almost by chance. My characters have to work to rebuild their world, and make sacrifices. But still, Shakespeare is a great genius to steal from.

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

HOW TO WOO is about two people who begin an affair who find that they can’t get out of it again. What was supposed to be a one night stand first turns into a torrid connection neither of them can break. Before they know it, they have fallen in love. Of course, love does not automatically conquer all, even in Regency romance. James and Angelique have to choose the path they will take, if they will learn to live together, giving up their former lives, or if they will live without each other. Since it is a romance and not real life, the end is prescribed, but how they get there is not.

***

And Now, for those I have tagged:

 

Mitchell James Kaplan, author of the brilliant historical novel BY FIRE, BY WATER

http://www.mitchelljameskaplan.com/blog

 

Michelle Cameron, author of the gorgeous THE FRUIT OF HER HANDS and the inspiring IN THE SHADOW OF THE GLOBE

Michelle will be joining us here on Oct 5

 

Stephanie Cowell, author of the beautiful novel CLAUDE AND CAMILLE

http://www.stephaniecowell.com/blog.htm

 

 

Sheila Webster Boneham, author of the delightful mystery DROP DEAD ON RECALL

 http://sheilaboneham.blogspot.com/

Stephanie M. Hopkins, writer, blogger and reviewer from the Goodreads group Ladies & Literature and The Layered Pages

http://layeredpages.blogspot.com/

 

Heather Webb, novelist, blogger and reviewer from Between the Sheets: A Novelist’s Adventures

http://www.heatherwebb.net/blog/

***

 Please tune into these blogs the week of October 1-7

 

Message for the tagged authors and interested others:

Rules of the Next Big Thing
***Use this format for your post
***Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (work in progress)
***Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing:
What is your working title of your book?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
What genre does your book fall under?
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.

Be sure to line up your five people in advance.

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