I´ve been tagged for The Next Big Thing blog hop by several wonderful people with awesome projects:
- Robin is writing a YA horror novel (with ghosts!)
- Rachel is writing a YA contemporary some of her readers have compared to an angrier THE SKY IS EVERYWHERE
- Heather wrote a YA paranormal (that I personally felt had a flair of Christopher Pike´s REMEMBER ME 🙂
My WiP is still a first draft. I´m actually a bit under 35k into it and I haven´t talked about it much on this blog…so here we go:
What is the working title of your book?
So far: GUILTY….it might also change to ANGEL FACE…hmmm not sure.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
When I was a teenager, I had to write a paper in my German class and I think it was on the death penalty. I read a book by Victor Hugo as one of my sources. The one called The Last Day of a Condemned Man. One never knows exactly what happened to the protagonist, or what his crimes are but one of the things that really stayed with me for a long time is how the family of The Condemned Man suffers…and then recently, this particular point came back to me and I wondered how a teenage girl would do with her dad in jail. How her family was targeted when he got arrested. How she dealt with everything but the past is now coming back to haunt her. This idea mixed with the idea of beauty pageants…and the rest is history. Or well about 35k so far 😛
What genre does your book fall under?
YA romantic suspense
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Erin (yes, one can dream, no?)
Malik
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
No. Nope. Not yet. Okay all I have is this and please note this a total draft!
Seventeen-year-old Erin may have found a way to pay her way to Yale: becoming the next Miss Teen America. That is if she can keep the fact she´s the daughter of a serial killer secret. But, when Pulitzer Prize wannabee and forever crush Malik decides to write a story about her and people start being targeted, Erin realizes there may be more at stake than a crown.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’d love to find an agent. Someone who will fall head over heels for my book and champion it. I guess time will tell 😀
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I’m still on it.
What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
Hmm it’s a tough one. It has a bit of a feel of THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING by Ashley Elston.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Beauty Queen pageants. Kisses. BFFs. Murder. Debate team. Journalism. Grandparents. And more…
You´re all tagged! If you want to do it that is 😀
Elodie Nowodazkij 
Wheeeeeeeeee! I can’t wait for you to be done with this, so I can read it!!!!!
I think I should be done very soon but that means I’m going to need to beef it up a bit before sending it to you 🙂
On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 6:21 AM, commutinggirl
Elodie I loved THE RULES FOR DISAPPEARING, your first novel (Tonio, swoon!!!) and so I think I will love this one. Sign me up as a beta. Puhleeze. And thanks for the shout out to my blog 🙂 So sweet of you!
Ohhh Tonio 😀 I love him too 😀 I should be done with the first draft in a few weeks, then it will go to my CP. If you’re still willing to beta read then, let me know 😀
On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 6:24 AM, commutinggirl
Sounds really intriguing! Good Luck getting the rest of the first draft done 🙂
Thanks Alexa 😀
On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 2:26 PM, commutinggirl
I’m thinking May might be a good month for us on the story-swapping front. 😉 You’ll get to hang with Annie and Went, and I’ll get to spend some quality time with Erin and Malik. Looking forward to it! 🙂
Ohhhhhhhhhhh sounds good 😀 I think I should have something swap-worthy by then 😀 Can’t wait to spend more time with Annie and Went!
On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 4:46 PM, commutinggirl
Oh wow, I love this idea! I would definitely want to read this. I find serial killers fascinating (I watch Criminal Minds) and I like the beauty pageant aspect too.
Thanks Zanne 😀 I’m trying to give her dad a Psychopath personality…and put a few twists in there…I may need to develop a bit the beauty pageant aspect once going through revisions but I’m very excited 😀
On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 6:06 PM, commutinggirl
Serial killers and beauty queens. 🙂 Definitely original.
Thanks Sarah 😀
On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 7:18 PM, commutinggirl
Oooh, that sounds really interesting! I love the mix of beauty pageants and serial killers 🙂 Happy drafting!
Thanks 😀 Drafting is going along quite well. My goal is to reach 40k by the end of the week…
On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 7:40 PM, commutinggirl
this sounds awesome – keep writing, because I really want to read it!
Thanks Jessie 😀
On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 7:54 PM, commutinggirl
It sounds awesome!!! I volunteer to beta if you need another reader when you’re done. 🙂 Good luck finishing your draft!!
Thanks Ghenet 😀 I may take you up on your offer after it’s gone through a first round of revisions 😀 Hope you’re doing well! (and if you need a beta for yours, you know where to find me :D)
On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 8:54 PM, commutinggirl
Thanks for sharing this peek at your new story! Hope your work on it continues to go well. It sounds great, and maybe I’m biased, but awesome name choice for your mc. 🙂
😀 I thought you might enjoy the name lol 😀 I’ve been having a character in my mind named Erin for such a long time 😀 I’m excited to keep on drafting…
On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 12:52 AM, commutinggirl
This sounds SO AWESOME!!! And love the “choices” for Erin and Malik! Keep writing it! And I will certainly be happy to read it for you!
Thanks Alison! I’m really having a great time drafting this story I hope I manage to put everything in that I want and keep the character “real” 😀 I might take you up on your offer to read after a first round of revisions 😀
On Tue, Apr 9, 2013 at 11:30 AM, commutinggirl
Ooh, Elodie! This was so much fun to read about. Love the gritty idea of the convict daddy combined with the glamorous world of beauty pageants. I’ll definitely be excited to read GUILTY in the future!