After
seeing this writing meme around lots and loving the opportunity to
learn about what people are working on, somebody actually tagged me.
Twice. So thanks to Q and Kelsey, you get to learn a bit more about the novel I'm currently revising, THE PROMISE RING.
What is the working title of your book?
THE PROMISE RING. Honestly, it's pretty self-evident why, but it's not exactly a title I'm in love with. With my first novel, SICKGIRL, the title was something that I really connected to and it was sorta intuitive. With this one, it just sorta seemed to do the job. But I still feel like it's good enough, and so until I can think of something better, it stays. Besides, it's sorta growing on me a bit over time.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
This idea really stems– probably not a huge surprise here– from the concept of promise rings. I went to a Catholic high school, and knew at least one girl who had one. The words written across it, "True Love Waits" always stuck in my mind. One day when trying to sleep, I had this image of a girl wearing this delicate ring that felt so heavy, because of the implications attached to it. When I first wrote those first two lines on a post-it note I promptly lost, I had no idea it was going to be in verse. SICKGIRL, my first completed novel, wasn't. But when I went to write THE PROMISE RING, it was like I knew instantly this was how it was meant to be. Now I just have to hope I wasn't wrong.
What genre does your book fall under?
It's definitely YA contemporary and it's probably a bit darker than you would expect.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I honestly really hate these questions. I don't mind reading about other peoples' dream casts, but my brain doesn't work that way, and I just get a little frustrated thinking about it. Maybe at some point I'll feel more comfortable answering, but for now, if you want to know what my characters are like, then you'll have to read my book!
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
One sentence? Really? No matter how many times I see other writers answer this, I'm always impressed they've managed to condense their book into one sentence. And most of them have novels much, much, longer than mine. So anyway, I'm sure this is going to suck, but here it goes:
Eden made a promise to her dad to remain pure until marriage but then he dies, and she meets Mason, who finally makes her feel alive again but her desire for him may cause her to forget the one thing she promised her dad.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
An agency I hope! I think an agent is crucial to making sure it's sold to the right place. I'm also thinking about a career, not just this one book. If I can't get an agent with THE PROMISE RING, well there's always my next book! Or, uhh, my previous book, if I ever finish rewriting SICKGIRL.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Fifteen days. Keep in mind, however, that it's only 25,000 words long, so it's not as impressive as it sounds. That said, it was a pretty amazing feeling to realize that when those two weeks were over, I had a brand new novel on my hands. Now I just have to get the inspiration for my next novel, and start writing!
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I feel compelled to limit my genre to YA in verse, rather than YA contemporary, which would also qualify, and because of that my options are pretty limited. When I think about these for querying, I always come back to Lisa Schroeder as well as EXPOSED by Kimberly Marcus.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Pretty sure I already covered this, but basically I gave up on a novel that had some unfortunate similarities to one that's going to be published next year and was looking for a project. I mentioned my post-it idea to a writing buddy, and she was really supportive and I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It has kissing, but it's not a romance.
THE PROMISE RING. Honestly, it's pretty self-evident why, but it's not exactly a title I'm in love with. With my first novel, SICKGIRL, the title was something that I really connected to and it was sorta intuitive. With this one, it just sorta seemed to do the job. But I still feel like it's good enough, and so until I can think of something better, it stays. Besides, it's sorta growing on me a bit over time.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
This idea really stems– probably not a huge surprise here– from the concept of promise rings. I went to a Catholic high school, and knew at least one girl who had one. The words written across it, "True Love Waits" always stuck in my mind. One day when trying to sleep, I had this image of a girl wearing this delicate ring that felt so heavy, because of the implications attached to it. When I first wrote those first two lines on a post-it note I promptly lost, I had no idea it was going to be in verse. SICKGIRL, my first completed novel, wasn't. But when I went to write THE PROMISE RING, it was like I knew instantly this was how it was meant to be. Now I just have to hope I wasn't wrong.
What genre does your book fall under?
It's definitely YA contemporary and it's probably a bit darker than you would expect.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I honestly really hate these questions. I don't mind reading about other peoples' dream casts, but my brain doesn't work that way, and I just get a little frustrated thinking about it. Maybe at some point I'll feel more comfortable answering, but for now, if you want to know what my characters are like, then you'll have to read my book!
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
One sentence? Really? No matter how many times I see other writers answer this, I'm always impressed they've managed to condense their book into one sentence. And most of them have novels much, much, longer than mine. So anyway, I'm sure this is going to suck, but here it goes:
Eden made a promise to her dad to remain pure until marriage but then he dies, and she meets Mason, who finally makes her feel alive again but her desire for him may cause her to forget the one thing she promised her dad.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
An agency I hope! I think an agent is crucial to making sure it's sold to the right place. I'm also thinking about a career, not just this one book. If I can't get an agent with THE PROMISE RING, well there's always my next book! Or, uhh, my previous book, if I ever finish rewriting SICKGIRL.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Fifteen days. Keep in mind, however, that it's only 25,000 words long, so it's not as impressive as it sounds. That said, it was a pretty amazing feeling to realize that when those two weeks were over, I had a brand new novel on my hands. Now I just have to get the inspiration for my next novel, and start writing!
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I feel compelled to limit my genre to YA in verse, rather than YA contemporary, which would also qualify, and because of that my options are pretty limited. When I think about these for querying, I always come back to Lisa Schroeder as well as EXPOSED by Kimberly Marcus.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
Pretty sure I already covered this, but basically I gave up on a novel that had some unfortunate similarities to one that's going to be published next year and was looking for a project. I mentioned my post-it idea to a writing buddy, and she was really supportive and I decided to give it a try. I'm glad I did.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It has kissing, but it's not a romance.
Now
I have the opportunity to tag other writers, which would be great, if I
knew any! It seems like most have already done this, but if you
haven't– I TAG YOU.
Here are the rules:
Here are the rules:
- 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. (Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.)
I can't wait to read this, girly!
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by Kelsey! I'm so excited you'll get to read the beginning too... hopefully I'll hook you and you'll have to keep reading. Or maybe you'll just have to wait till it's in bookstores ;)
DeleteIt was so great to read about your book! I'm excited to read it. I hope you resurrect your first one if possible, if it means that much to you. <3
ReplyDeleteHi Q! :) I can't wait for you to read my book, though now I'm kinda nervous that you're so excited. I hope it lives up to the hype (also saying that makes me feel like a real author, my book has hype, haha). I really want to resurrect my first one. In the few queries I sent, I even had an agent say she'd look at a rewrite from my query and first chapter, because she loved the premise. It's close to my heart though, so maybe it needs a little more time on the shelf first. I won't forget about it.
DeleteWell, now that I've read your book, I can say I wasn't disappointed. ^_^
DeleteAnd girl! If an agent loved the premise for your first book and wants to look at a rewrite, why wouldn't you do it? Once you're done with revisions for Promise, if you still haven't figured out what you want to work on next, maybe you should poke at your first again. :P
Aww, you're so sweet.
DeleteWith the first novel, it's not like it's an R&R, she just said she'd be willing to look at it again because she liked the premise a lot. But obviously my writing didn't catch her attention the first time, and so it's not at all a guarantee. That's why I have to work on what's inspiring me, and at that point, my first novel needed a break. I might poke back at it after this, but I have been enjoying writing in verse, so I might also just stick to that. I guess I'll see :)