So, I know Winterspell, my first YA novel, doesn’t come out for quite some time (Fall 2014, to be exact), but Serena Lawless and Alison Cherry, both lovely and talented ladies, recently tagged me in a meme called “The Next Big Thing,” so today I’m going to share some tiny little tidbits about Winterspell!
HAVE SOME SUGAR, KITTENS:
1) What is the working title of your book?
Winterspell (which was in fact not the original title, but I love love loooove this one; it’s so dreamy and evocative)
2) Where did the idea for the book come from?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been obsessed with The Nutcracker, but the ballet was always too shallow and saccharine for me. I wanted a darker, demented Nutcracker. Hence, Winterspell!
3) What genre does your book fall under?
YA fantasy
4) Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Lily Cole as Clara Stole
Ethan Peck as Nicholas Drachstelle
Johnny Depp as Drosselmeyer
Chloe Moretz as Felicity Stole/Bo
Alexander Skarsgard as Dr. Victor/Borschalk
[insert awesome actress here] as Patricia Plum/Anise
I just cannot think of anyone who has all the necessary qualities for Anise. A young Charlize Theron might work. But even that’s not quite enough to portray Anise in all her . . . Aniseness. See, Anise is like . . .
The youthful innocence of Clémence Poesy . . .
. . . all wrapped up in one tiny little body.
So, if someone can tell me who this mysterious actress might be, who embodies all of these qualities, please LET ME KNOW. Because it’s bothering me that I can’t pinpoint this one.
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A re-telling of The Nutcracker in which seventeen-year-old Clara Stole journeys from 1899 New York City to the hidden land of Cane to rescue her father from a mad faery queen, only to find herself falling in love with a cursed prince as she struggles to conceal a deadly secret that could destroy — or save — them both.
6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Winterspell will be published by Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers in Fall 2014!
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
It took several months to outline in detail (I was working on other projects simultaneously). Then I drafted the bulk of the first draft (or “zero draft,” as I like to call it) in about four months. So probably a year overall, if we’re including the outlining time.
8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I feel ridiculous saying this because her writing is so astonishing, but I think fans of Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series will find a lot to love in Winterspell. (I’d say it’s also for fans of the forbidden attraction in Leigh Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone and the kickass girl power in Kristin Cashore’s Graceling, Fire, and Bitterblue.)
9) Who or What inspired you to write this book?
As I stated above, my lifelong obsession with the ballet was the original inspiration. But I was also inspired by the fashion of Alexander McQueen, the music of Bjork, Massive Attack, and Madonna, and, believe it or not, The Borg. You know, these Borg.
10) What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
This book pushes the envelope, and when I say “the envelope,” I mean “the envelope of sexytimes.”
Also, for the fashionistas among you, I have two words for you: Faery. Couture.
~*~
Now, since the rules of this meme are for me to tag five other writers, who will then talk about their WIPs, I hereby tag the immensely talented:
Go forth, tag-ees! Carry on the meme and tantalize us with your manuscripts!
