Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Next Big Thing


I have been tagged for this Q and A by the lovely Sarah Dunnakey, who I envy desperately for having had a story broadcast on Radio 4 recently.  She's also had success in several high-profile writing competitions, and I can't wait to read her novel.  You can read her answers here.  

Meanwhile here are mine:

What is the working title of your next book?
Put a Spell on You

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book? 
Josie inherits a book of spells and tries to change her life. 

Where did the idea come from for the book? 
I was thinking one day (as you do) how brilliant it would be if you could wave a magic wand to change things.  Then I thought, what if you did but something went horribly wrong ...?

What genre does your book fall under? 
Adult rom-com with magic (is that a genre?)

Which actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
I find it really hard to picture actual people playing the parts while I'm writing - as soon as I do they're not my characters any more. Boring, but true I'm afraid!

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I'm inspired mostly by my own desire to write - preferably something silly that will make people smile.  I've always read avidly, but the Adrian Mole books by Sue Townsend, and The Old Girl Network by Catherine Alliott - which I read nearly twenty years ago - made me laugh out loud and I knew that was the kind of fiction I wanted to write.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? 
I’m represented by Lisa Eveleigh of the Richford Becklow agency.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
About nine months.  It was part of a 2-book deal for Random House in Germany so there was no slacking, I had to get on with it. There were several more months of rewriting and editing though.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? 
There's quite a bit about spells and witchcraft in there. I read a lot on the subject to get a feel for it, and even tried out one or two (though I didn't have the proper ingredients, so maybe that's why they didn't work).  It brought back memories of doing a project about witchcraft at school once, so maybe I'm harbouring a secret desire to become one!

Thanks for that Sarah, I rather like answering questions. I'm going to pass on the baton to the talented Deborah Carr, who I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more of in the future.

12 comments:

Deborah Carr (Debs) said...

Great answers Karen, I can't wait to read, Put a Spell on You.

Thank you for nominating me. I'll post about this shortly.x

broken biro said...

Your new novel sounds great! There certainly should be a category of Adult rom-com with magic!

Librarian said...

I LOVE the Adrian Mole books, and some years ago, I found a DVD set of the original series made for TV in the UK in the early 1980s. Now that you've mentioned the books, I think I want to watch the series again :-)

Jumbly Girl said...

Adult rom-com with magic sounds ideal to me, just what I'd like to be curled up reading right now. Really looking forward to reading Put a Spell On You

Sue Blackburn said...

Great interview Karen. Your new novel sounds just the sort of read I love. Can't wait :o) xx

Teresa Ashby said...

It sounds great, Karen :-) I can't wait to read it x

Patsy said...

Sounds like a fun book.

Rosemary Gemmell said...

Sounds fascinating, Karen - all the best with it!

Maria said...

Thank you for sharing Karen, your new book sounds like a lot of fun!

Wendy's Writing said...

Adult rom com with magic - who can resist!

Karen said...

Thanks for all your lovely comments :o)

Anonymous said...

Karen, thanks for your comments on my 'Made It Moment' - Suspense Your Disbelief, much appreciated. Glad you liked my sampler. I have been having a wander round your blog too...enjoying it a lot. Also congrats on The Next Big Thing - I was nominated in November and it is exciting. Good luck with all your work and I shall pop back soon. Jane