The Next Big Thing!

What a lovely day for a Blog Hop! Marcy over at Mainewords clued me into this one so make sure you go over there and check out here lovely blog...

Meanwhile...I have some questions that needs be answering!

What is the working title of your book?

It's laboring under the title of "The Machination's of Jekyll"
 
Where did the idea come from for the book?
My BRAAAAAINS! Ha. Honestly...I wanted to simply write a character driven book that was dark, yet humorous...and had a twisty plot. So I started asking myself a lot of 'what if...' questions. And writing the answers down. My plot map on my story board is a wreck. I swear. If the Secret Service ever breaks into my house, they're gonna lock me away for a long time.

What genre does your book fall under?
Steampunk Horror Detective. Hmm. Is that a genre? It is NOW dammit!

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Yeesh. Umm. The Detective. Owen Straff. I would have him played by the guy that played Dresden on the TV show all those years ago. He's just the right amount of scruffy and beat up. Yet smart and conniving. Jekyll needs to be a slightly insane person, though very charming at the first. You know. Your average sociopath. I'd also need someone British. Christopher Walkin would have been great in his earlier years. Not sure now. Anthony Hopkins. The guy that played Moriarty on Sherlock. I need a no name for the woman lead. For my own personal reasons. And on to the next question!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Private Detective First Class Owen Straff has sworn to protect Queen and country though this is made harder when Dr. Jekyll starts rampaging about England in an Undetectable Dirigible backed by an army of half biological half clockwork monsters of his own creation.
 
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Hopefully Represented by an Agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Still working on the first draft. I'm very much a plotter. So every detail is planned out...pretty slow going. Plus I'm pretty new to this "serious writing" thing. :) I've only been doing it for about a year. And I totally ditched my first WIP after reading "Hooked".

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Huh. Well. I've come to realize that I've not read a whole lot of Steampunk. I THOUGHT I had...but on further research...I'm woefully behind. Pathetic really. I have a list. Working on it now. But I think the horror is somewhat Lovecraftian a bit. Quite dark. But I try to balance it out with snarky humor. Not over the top. Just dry wit. What I like to read. Maybe like Butcher? I don't know though.

Who or What inspired you to write this book
That's a hard one. I really can't say. It was weird when I Really started writing I kept it kinda secret. And I still don't let a whole lot of people read my writing. (Confidence?) But I'm getting better. My inspiration came mostly from within. Just needing to write. Something. Anything. Be heard. Which is ironic as I rarely let anyone read what I write.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
The difference between my book and your average Detective Mystery book is the characters. They're flawed. They don't fall in your perfect little square boxes. They have issues. And the plot twists. I know that every writer wants to believe their story has that killer plot that just gonna make the reader's jaw drop and really who's does? I don't know. But I'm working to try to break out of the stereotypes. Trying to find different ways to bring these characters together, pull them apart, I want my readers to really believe the horror Straff feels when he discovers Jekyll's lab and the atrocities therein. Yet, also the sence of wonder. Because isn't it amazing that a person could still be breathing, yet have had his heart replaced with gears and levers! Amazing! 


So there you have it. My Next Big Thing! Hopefully I didn't forget anything!  

Dominatrix Character Writing

No. Not that type of character! Sheesh!

Though that might work...

See. I have this scene. And it's giving me fits. I know what I want to accomplish. My MC needs to be given a tour of her new surroundings. Oooo. Thrilling I know. But it kinda is given that her new surroundings consist of an underground steampunk lair complete with dorms, engineering, a lab for 'experiments', kitchen, and a huge observation/dirigible landing deck. That last is, of course, above ground. But I'm not telling you how they get there.

My Problem is the character giving the tour. She's driving me nuts. And I'm not sure why. I don't know why her personality isn't coming through right. She and my MC aren't supposed to hit it off for a while...and they aren't. But she's just coming off as a scene killer. Dialogue killer. Just plain...ugh.

Bitch.

Me. Lounging about. Thinking about my story...

Control my story. I think not.

So I did a background check on her, re-read the character interview I had done for her. Turns out she has some issues of her own. But still, it didn't really answer why she was being so reluctant to be the tour guide. Why it simply wasn't working. So I re-re-read the character interview. This time without the wine...And there it was. What I had been missing all along. Only not missing, as technically on some level I knew.

There is, in my WIP, a political faction that kidnaps people for genetic and biological "experiments". All in the name of Scientific advancement. This character was one such person, kidnapped, and then rescued (I'm not giving anything away...just her background). But it turns out that she's ultimately a tribal leader where she originally comes from. So it would be far beneath her to lead my MC about and show her the ropes. Insulting even. Ah.

Crap.

Though knowing this bit, that technically I already knew, I was just trying to tell myself (god my head hurts!)...makes it much easier (hopefully) as all I have to do now is decide between two options. 1) Create a new character. Hmmm. Tempting. Though the 'good?' side is getting character heavy right now. or 2) Use one of my already created already busy with other things characters. Decisions.

We shall see! News At 8!

Y - You

Where would we as writers be without You, our audience? 

I know it sounds rather corny. Or maybe too "Deep Thought". But seriously. What are we writing for? I know for me, personally, there's a mix of reasons. The main one being simply that I must. But if I'm honest...I want to entertain. I want to have my story be told. I want someone, anyone, to pick up my book, read it and say "Huh! That was good! Where's the next one?" Just like I do with Jim Butcher. God Forbid that man ever stop writing...

Steampunk Dirigible...AWESOME!

I can't imagine ever Not writing. It's interesting the different reactions of people when they discover I write. Though I think that may be partly the fault of the genre in which I've chosen to write. Try explaining Steampunk to someone who doesn't even like Fantasy..."So, it's like if Tesla...you know who Tesla is? No? Hmmm. Do you know what a Tesla Coil is? No? Oh yes, they're still on Earth. They travel back and forth between 2012 and 1922.  But the 1922 is a different reality. It's as if a bunch of evil scientists had escaped and run rampant and taken over the world with their experiments. Oh, and there's dirigibles. No. Not everyone is an Evil Scientist. No the dirigibles don't all crash and burn like the... Look. It's Science Fiction. Not Real. TIME TRAVEL doesn't happen. That I know of. Ever seen the show Warehouse 13? YES?! That's Steampunk!! Good Christ...I need a whiskey..."

Yes. I did basically have this conversation. I doubt this will be my audience.

But I did want to take a few moments and welcome all my New Followers from the A - Z Blogfest!! Thank you for joining my craziness! I hope you enjoy my world!

G - Genre

I’m curious. How did you pick the Genre in which you are writing? Or did it pick you? Which side of your brain makes this decision? The Creative side or the Logical side? Personally, I haven’t the foggiest. 

Do we as writers “write what we know”? And if so, how does that explain fantasy and science fiction? If we’re just writing what we know, IS it Fantasy and Science Fiction? Or is it just another version of a Truth, reworded for the general public to understand in a simpler manner so that when the machines Do take over we aren’t all that surprised?

    MAN I have to stop reading those science fiction novels.

   Right ...Genre. Focus.

This picture sparked the idea for the Control Room in my book

Personally, I tried several different ones before reaching the one I’m working in right now. First came Epic Historical (Think Ken Follett). Wow. Was that ever bad. Lots of hangings, women running away from priests, and horses getting stolen. Apparently that’s what happens in history. Then, I tried my hand at a mystery or two. Got very frustrated. Gave it up. May go back. Not sure. It’s a mystery. (HA!) 


Horror. This genre I liked, and in some respects am still working in. Though, I find Horror works best when blended with other Genres. Like Steampunk. The genre I’m working in now. It was somewhat of a revelation when I decided that my book would be Steampunk. There I was, all innocent, sitting there, trying to figure out HOW the hell I was going to get my MC from 2012 to 1922. And WHAM! H.G. Wells! The Time Machine! Oh so Victorian!

And there it was, staring me right in the face...and all the pieces that were missing tumbled like blocks.

Love it when a plan comes together ...and no blood is shed.  That I have to account for...