The Next Big Thing…again

That’s right, I was tagged in the Next Big Thing blog hop again, this time by my good friend Sammy HK Smith. An author of many talents, she wrote about her current WIP called Anna.

Since I’ve already participated in this once with The Lokana Chronicles, and since Sammy was so kind as to tag me again, I was going to try to do it again using my current WIP, tentatively titled The Lokana Chronicles: Fog of War. Then I reread my original post. What I discovered is that a lot of the answers apply to my WIP as well as my original novel, since my WIP is a sequel. But I’m feeling procrastinatey, so here we go! 🙂

What is the working title of your book?
The working title as of right now is The Lokana Chronicles: Fog of War. I’m not a huge fan, but it’s the only thing I could come up with. There’s fog in the book. There will be war at some point. That means I’m golden, right? 😀

Where did the idea come from for the book?
To be honest, I really can’t remember anymore. I think it was something about a possible invasion and then somehow I just saw this kid wandering through the forest wondering why in the heck his parents wouldn’t let him near the place. Of course, by kid, I mean stubborn, rebellious teenager who thinks his parents are morons.

What genre does your book fall under?
Fantasy. It’s definitely a fantasy. Unless, of course, you know of a secret portal to another world located in the woods somewhere. In that case, by all means, point me in that direction.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Can I skip this question? I pulled names out of a hat last time and my ideas aren’t much better this time around.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When Michael accidentally wanders into the strange new world of Lokana, he risks being stranded there forever to help a new friend save her home.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
God willing, I’ll land an agent someday. I would be tickled so many shades of pink, you don’t even know.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I’m still working on it. Hopefully I’ll be about half done by the end of the month (NaNo, y’all). Fifty thousand words does not a fantasy novel make.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Uhhh…I said The Chronicles of Narnia the first time. I think it still counts. But since I’m not finished yet, I feel a little funny answering this question.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I’ve spent so much time revising the first Lokana book that it’s crazy. I know if I ever get it sold, I’ll spend even more time revising, but I’m trying not to think about that right now. Anyway, I really liked spending time in Lokana and hanging out with my characters and since I wasn’t quite ready to let them out of my greedy little hands, I decided to write them a second book.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
An overwhelming desire to find out what happens next to the characters from the first book? Oh, wait, that’s why they’d pick it up in the first place. My bad. Hmm, I’ve got some interesting new characters mingling with the old and a couple of new twists…but you’ll have to read the book to find out what they are. 😉

And then, of course, there’s the tagging bit. I’m going to tag…everybody! If you’ve got a book, then you’re tagged! If you’re working on something for NaNoWriMo, then you’re tagged! I know that’s not exactly how this is supposed to work, but I want to share the love with everyone. I just hope you’ll all let me know about your books so I can read them all!