the next big thing

I suppose this is a variation of a chain letter: instead of receiving loads of books or knickers, you get to read the blogs of people writing books. In The Next Big Thing, a blogger 'tags' you to write a post about your novel in progress. When you've done this, you 'tag' five more writers, who in turn, post about their work the following week - you get the picture.

 I was 'tagged' by Alison Summers:  http://belledelettres.wordpress.com/                            

What is the working title of your book?
 

Water’s Edge. I have never veered from this title, initially because it conveyed the setting. Having finished writing the book, I feel that the title also suggests something metaphorical about what can and can’t be seen/understood.


Where did the idea come from for the book?
 /Who or What inspired you to write this book?
  

There is no deep answer to this. I would love to be able to say that I believed it was a story which needed to be told, or that I had a hunch that writing it would be a cathartic experience, leading me to a place of ongoing inner serenity, or that the reader would be a better person for having read it. None of these would be true….  But hopefully it will provoke thoughts about family relationships, especially sibling ones.

I am a travelphile and tend to base my novels in other countries, which means I can spend an afternoon somewhere sunny and vibrant, while those around me are enduring yet another rainy, blustery Edinburgh day. After I finished my second novel, based in the south of France, I thought about writing one located by a lake in Switzerland - probably inspired by Anita Brookner’s Hotel du Lac, although I wasn't aware of this initially.  I love this film, as much for the scenery (Lake Lucerne), as for the story (although there wasn't the depth that there is in the book, as is so often the case with films based on novels). 

I liked the idea of a family reunion where all is not as it seems, and the idea developed from there. Interpersonal relationships are fascinating, particularly family ones: the superficial interactions and what's simmering away underneath.  There’s so much scope for minefields: some of the mines detonate, others are a constant danger.  I should apologise for juxtapositioning of metaphors, but I won't....

What genre does your book fall under?
 

No snappy answer to this question.  I’d describe it as quiet, contemporary fiction, targeted at a mid market female audience. Reconstructed men might enjoy it too.  Readers looking for adventures in spaceships, gruesome murders, political thrillers or large, blobby, tentacled creatures will be sadly disappointed.


Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
  

Water’s Edge is relayed by four viewpoints: the mother’s and her three daughters. I would consider Celia Imrie for the mother. As for the sisters: Radha Mitchell and Emily Blunt are possibilities (although Emily Blunt is a bit too young at the moment!). Michelle Dockery and Jessica Brown Findlay would be ideal as the oldest and youngest sisters, although as they played the part of sisters in Downton Abbey, reappearing again as family members might be frowned upon. Also they’re both currently too young.

A brilliant choice for the son would be Damien Lewis, who is as equally talented at playing 'good' roles as he is 'rogue' ones.  Actually, just thinking about this makes me want to rush out and start some serious fundraising, prior to approaching a film maker.  As usual, I'm getting ahead of myself....


What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?


Madalena invites her four adult children to Brunnen, Switzerland, to celebrate her hotel’s 40th anniversary, unaware that they harbour guilty secrets and anxieties that will play out during their visit.


Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?


If I can find an agency/publisher that would be great.  At the moment, E-publishing looks more hopeful than the conventional route. If I get nowhere with any of these, I will publish online and be damned.  There's nothing to lose, especially as self-publishing is becoming more acceptable, less stigmatised. What I won’t do is pay an organisation to publish my novel. This would feel like paying someone to date me - something I haven’t needed to resort to…. yet.


How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? 

Three months: I just couldn’t stop writing it and it often felt like a haemorrhage of words.  But if this sounds effortless, I should add that further drafts, followed by a major rewrite - which involved axing characters, cutting down the number of viewpoint characters, and changing other aspects of structure - took eighteen months. Much of the final editing was tedious and tiring, but worth it in the end.


What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
 

Friday Nights by Joanna Trollope, Trespass by Rose Tremaine, Family Album by Penelope Lively.


What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?  

Escapism, if you’re like me. Spending some time surrounded by mountains and lakes in Switzerland. More seriously, if you are interested in sibling relationships (which, according to my mentor, hasn't been addressed much in novels) and what can go wrong, Water’s Edge might well appeal. The novel explores guilt, regret, deception and insecurity.

A big 'thank you' to Silvia Baarlam who will post about The Next Big Thing on her blog on Wednesday, 17th October:  http://deadmachinery.wordpress.com


(I'm still looking for other writers to tag. But finding those who are writing a novel, have a blog and haven't already been 'tagged'  isn't as easy as I'd thought.)