The Next Big Thing
A week ago, I was tagged by writer Charlotte Nash to take part in The Next Big Thing, a ‘chain blog’. To avoid bad luck for breaking the chain, I am delighted to take part and answer some questions about my book. You’ll see at the end that I’ve tagged some other writers I’ve met along the way who will do the same next week.
1. What is the working title of your next book?
My first novel is called Fractured
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
In my day job as a psychiatrist, I’ve spent years learning about mental illness and working with families affected by it. I have to stress that this book is complete fiction and not at all based on any real clinical cases, but I have always wondered what happens to families once they leave my office. When I had my first child, some of my experiences as a new mother inspired me to be brave enough to start writing Fractured and combine the themes of parenting, mental illness and relationships.
3. What genre does your book fall under?
I would say it’s contemporary fiction. It has elements of literary fiction, but it has a plot structure that is more dramatic. I wrote the book in the best way I could without thinking of the conventions of genre – not everything fits into a neat box.
4. What actors would you choose to play the parts of your characters in a movie rendition?
I’ll go with an Aussie theme and say that I think Melissa George would make an excellent Anna, and Sam Worthington would be great as Tony.
5. What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?
Tony and Anna are thrilled when their first baby, Jack, is born, but when Anna begins to act oddly, then disappears with the baby, Tony realises that something is really wrong…
I’m struggling to fit the synopsis into one sentence so here’s a link to the back cover blurb too!
6. Will your book be self published or represented by an agency?
I’m represented by Benython Oldfield of Zeitgeist Media Group and the book will be published by Hachette Australia in March 2013.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
The first draft took me about six months – with the support of the Queensland Writers Centre’s Year of the Novel online course. I set myself a goal of 500 words per day, 5 days a week, and kept going until the first draft was finished.
8. What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
I think Fractured would appeal to readers who liked Caroline Overington’s I Came To Say Goodbye, We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver, and perhaps some of Jodi Picoult’s books.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
As I mentioned above. I’d had the idea for quite a while, but being a full time new mother after working in medicine for many years gave me the push I needed to start writing seriously. When working as a doctor, I was emotionally worn out by the time I got home from work and didn’t have the head space to tackle a project like Fractured. I was exhausted in other ways with a newborn, but used my baby’s nap times to sit down and write.
10. What else about the book might pique the readers’ interest?
I hope that my experiences as both a psychiatrist and as a mother add authenticity to this book.
So that’s it! Look out next week for the following writers’ answers to the same ten questions:
