The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

Thank you, Kristina Miranda, for tagging me in The Next Big Thing blog hop! This blog event allows us to highlight our work-in-progress (which might very well be the next big thing), by answering ten interview questions. Then we tag five more authors to do the same, to keep the ball rolling.

So, here we go! My answers to the ten questions.

Ten Interview Questions for the Next Big Thing

What is the working title of your book?
For the longest time, the title was MEREDITH MOUNTAIN MIRACLE. I recently changed it to ADVENTURE ON NEMESIS MOUNTAIN to make it more appealing to boys. Still not sure about this. I need your feedback. Is it a good title? Suggestions are welcome!

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I've always liked stories about unlikely friendships, so I thought I'd write my own. I was just practicing my writing, but this story ended up being good material for a novel, so I expanded it.

What genre does your book fall under?
MG Adventure.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Hmm... Tough question. I don't watch that many movies, and hardly any TV. I see my characters clearly in my mind, but I don't know any actors who look like them. Anyone who's about 10, and who's tall and blond, or a little shorter with curly brown hair.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When nature-loving Emilio and athletic Hans get lost in the forest during a fifth grade field trip, they have no choice but to put their differences aside in order to survive and find their way out.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I'm looking for an agent right now. If I run out of options, I might consider self-publishing, but not before giving it my best try.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Hard to tell! My book started as a short story and grew over the last three years to what it is now, with the wonderful help of my critique group. This is my very first novel, so there was a lot of learning and revising and rewriting entire sections involved.  It started as a 2,000-word short story, then it grew to a 6,000-word novella, and it's now a 21,000-word MG novel.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George is probably the closest to my book. I've heard people compare it to Hatchet as well, but I haven't read it yet, so I can't tell.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?
The setting was inspired by a small mountain I go to whenever I need some quiet time in nature. The characters are totally made up. I wanted to write a story about an unlikely friendship, and that's what my muse came up with. The two boys can't be more different from each other.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
The characters are of different nationalities, although their cultures don't really play a major role in the story.

Five authors I'm tagging
(Actually, three totally awesome ones, so that counts for five.)

Kate Larkindale
S. M. Blooding (aka Frankie)
Ralene Burke

Check out their posts on October 31st!