I’ve been tagged in the Next Big Thing—a blog hop that started back in October and has gone viral. To participate, I need to answer questions about the novel I’m currently in the process of writing. Thanks to Charlie Cochet for inviting me.
What is the working title of your book? After Christmas Eve. Yes, another holiday title, and I’d be willing to bet you’ll see more holiday titles from me in the next couple of years.
Where did the idea come from for the book? In Until Thanksgiving, available from Dreamspinner Press, Thad’s Uncle Philip–one of the supporting characters–mentions a lover who killed himself thirty years earlier. After Christmas Eve is set in 1966 and begins with that suicide.
What genre does my book fall under? Both Until Thanksgiving and After Christmas Eve are romance/thrillers, but the balance between the two is reversed. The romance has been dialed down in After Christmas Eve, for reasons that will make sense to readers (I hope!). To compensate, I’ve ratcheted up the suspense–or tried to. Guess I’ll have to wait until it comes out to find out if I succeeded.
Which characters would I choose to play my characters in a movie? Okay, this is a really hard question for me because I pretty much quit going to movies more than a decade ago. All the stars I know are way too old. So I Googled top actors to see if anyone hit me for any of my characters. Ben Foster would make a good Philip Potter. Robbie Amell or maybe David Henrie could be George Walker. I’d be curious to see who a casting director would pick.
What is a one sentence synopsis of my book? Hmmmmm. That’s tricky. It’s the story of how Philip Potter came to devote his life to young gay men from families who shunned them–or worse–when they came out.
Will my book be self-published or published by an agency? I’ll submit the manuscript to Dreamspinner Press.
How long did it take me to write the first draft? I started nearly five months ago and have just about finished.
What other books would I compare this with in my genre? Well, honestly–I’d have to say Until Thanksgiving!
Who or what inspired me to write this book? Philip Potter, a supporting character in my first book, has a story to tell. Now that I’ve nearly finished the prequel, it’s clear he has several more stories vying for my attention.
What else about my book might interest the reader? The story takes place in December 1966/January 1967–a dark time for gay and lesbian Americans when homosexuality was considered a mental illness, homosexual acts were outlawed across the country, and hiring homosexuals for federal jobs was illegal. Gay liberation got its start two years later with the Stonewall Riots in New York. Researching gay life during this era was eye opening and helped me to realize just how far we’ve come in the last 60 years.
The next round of The Next Big Thing blog hop takes place next Wednesday. Pop over to the following blogs to see what these writers have to say about the novels they’re working on.
And let them know you heard about them here on…
My Glass House
2 responses to “The Next Big Thing”
Great post, Michael! Thanks so much for sharing!
Thank YOU, Charlie, for inviting me to be part of The Next Big Thing. And congratulations for all your Reader’s Choice Award nominations!