Sarah R. Yoffa invited me to participate in a blog series she is doing called “The Next Big Thing”. Since the next big thing, in my case, is pretty close to the first big thing and could use all the press it can get, I readily agreed.

A self interview is quite a bit like an informal chat with friends, except by yourself. I like informal chats and I find that I talk to myself a lot as well. Sara gave me the following list of interview questions and I took my best shot at the answers:

1) What is the working title of your current/next book?

Alexander’s Tail. I have to admit that I am loving the story and the characters, but not the title so much right now. I also haven’t done much tweaking of the title at this point.

2) Where did you get the idea for that book?

Unlike some of my story ideas, that have literally come to me in dreams, this one came through channels solidly tethered to earth. The three main characters began as real people and quickly morphed. Even more so, the situations are ones that hovered around the edges of real interactions. The inspiration was bringing the story and the characters together to play, I guess. That said, I must state that the situation(s) in the book have not been experienced by me, or anyone that I know, and none of the characters portrayed are remotely real. They are both composite figments of my (often provocative, sometimes ill) imagination.

3) What’s the genre of the book?

Ugh, I knew this question was in here and I’ve thought about it dozens of times. I don’t like the question simply because, as a writer whose characters are often gay, I feel like my stories will get pigeon-holed into the “Male – Male Romance” genre. At the point I am at in my published writing career, the very cusp of it, if you will, I guess it is what it is. However, I have other themes and stories started and hope that I can break out of this label sometime. Time and the quality of my writing will tell, I guess.

4) If you could pick actors to play the lead characters in your story, who would you pick?

If I can freely use hair dye…maybe lifts…and a time machine…I would choose Orlando Bloom to play Alexander, Cory Monteith to play Brice, and Taylor Lautner to play Nico.

I’ll never get over Orlando as the tall, slender elf. That physical presence is what I am imagining for Alexander.

Brice is just as tall, but built heavier and it is his nature and demeanor to be more innocent and open. Cory Monteith fits this bill for me.

Finally, I need someone dark and muscular, serious, older and shorter in this triumvirate. The boys use their height to their advantage, but Nico has power from within and doesn’t need to tower over anyone to dominate. I must admit, who plays Nico was the biggest struggle for me. It’s not a type I’m generally on the lookout for, but I think Taylor Lautner would carry Nico off well.

5) How would you describe your book in one sentence (10 words or less)?

Alexander’s Tail is about love, neglect and broken personality.

6) (a) How will your book be published, submitted through the traditional route to a traditional publisher or will you be handling it yourself through Indie Publishing methods?

Hmm, excellent question. I haven’t thought it through yet, but I’m pretty sure I will not be looking at traditional brick and mortar print publishers.

6) (b) If you’re an Indie Author, will you be publishing through your own Indie Publishing company or in a collective with other Indie Authors?

Again, I must say, I have not yet decided. I’ve been talking to a number of authors who have published using several directions and it surprises me how many options there are to successfully publish a book without every approaching a traditional publishing company. The market for books is so very much larger than it was when I was a child growing up in Baudette, MN. Then, if I couldn’t get the book from the library, which housed mainly traditional titles and authors, or one of the drug stores in town, which was the place to go for paperback best sellers and romance novels, I was out of luck. Today, the options for finding reading material are almost as unlimited as your imagination.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of this book?

A little more than a year (I’m hoping, lol). I began in December of 2011 and I am almost done with the first draft. Rewrites and editing are my next big worries at this point.

8) What other books within your genre are similar to yours?

None, mine is totally unique *eye roll*.

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

The original inspiration came from within, after a number of life changes. The on-going inspiration came from a group I call my original “have your back” friends. Most of them have read different stages of the draft and given me constructive feedback and fraternal enthusiasm. A couple of them have inspired and helped me every step of the way.

10) What about your book will pique the reader’s interest?

Everything, I hope! But, realistically, the creation of characters that are able to have strong relationships with each other, while being engaging, funny and multidimensional, is what drives and motivates me.

I’m thanking Webbiegrrl Sarah for asking me to do this blog and tagging several of my favorite authors to ask them about their “Next Big Thing”. The tag is a surprise for some and expected by others, so we’ll just see where it goes!

Tag, you guys are it, I hope you want to play! –> Andrew Ashling, James Austen, Alex Akira, Edward Jakob and David G. Hallman.

For anyone that feels the need to rummage through this site and look at what I’ve posted about Alexander, Brice, and Nico already, click here.