Aren't we all a work in progress? At two days shy of forty years old, I know for sure that I am, but progress is indeed being made. One of the things I am progressing toward is writing my second novel. I was recently asked by a veteran writer, T.K. Thorne, to join her and some others in a blog chain by answering questions about our works in progress. Check out her answers, too!
1.What is your working title of your book?
I currently do not have a title, which is strange to me, because my first book had a title long before the story had even taken shape.
2.Where did the idea come from for the book?
From the horrific story from 2009 of the woman who was driving under the influence and killed herself and seven others while driving the wrong way on a New York road. I in no way intend to examine that exact crash or the people involved, but the story has always stayed with me.
3. What genre does your book fall under?
Pure fiction. That is my favorite genre to read, so I find myself drawn to writing it as well.
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Wow, that's hard. I am just getting to know my characters myself, so I can't answer that yet. I think someone like Jessica Chastain would be amazing as my protagonist. It has to be someone whose emotions play out great on screen, because this is one seriously conflicted woman.
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A woman loses both of her children in an automobile accident caused by her sister, and is left to raise her niece and nephew, who miraculously survive the accident.
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I self-published my first book, but am certainly willing to be represented.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I'll let you know when I finish it!
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
My hope is that it's not too similar to anything out there. I am aiming for a Jodi Piccoult-esque emotional feel, with lots of interpersonal conflict.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Reading the newspaper reports and seeing the television accounts of the accident in New York in 2009 really haunted me, and I thought of the parents who were left to go on without their children—then I began to wonder what would have happened if the surviving parents were faced with having to take in the children whose mother caused the accident to begin with, and the story took shape.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
I think anyone can empathize with people who find themselves smack in the middle of a tragedy like this, and trying to create a family out of two shattered ones should prove to be a worthwhile journey.
If you'd like to read about other works in progress, click on the link(s) below!
T.K. Thorne
