The Next BIG Thing!

Welcome to The Next Big Thing, this is sort of a unique take on a blog hop. Every week, a blogger posts, then tags 4 other authors who will post the following week, and they will tag four. I was tagged by Lex Valentine at Sunlight Sucks, so go check out her post too!

For me, the Next Big Thing is actually a 3 book project I'm developing. Its called The Aphrodite Project, the premise is that the goddess Aphrodite runs a security/investigation firm. The primary mission of the Aphrodite Project is to hide the existence of the gods and goddesses from humanity. If a nymph runs amok or a minor god goes rogue, Aphrodite sends out an agent to resolve the situation. In the case of this trilogy, the cases are all very close to her heart. :)

What is the Working Title of Your Book?

Its called The Tenth Muse. It is the first of the trilogy and I wanted all the titles to reflect the nature of the protagonists. For example, book 2 is called Dirty Deeds, and the final book is Mayhem, Maybe. This title describes what happens when the God of Lust (Eros) meets the son of one of the Nine Muses. Inspiration meets lust and the end result...Love. :)

Where Did Your Idea Come From For This Book?

I was working on a novella called Mayhem, Maybe, about a Greek god hunting down a rogue trickster. The more I thought about the story, the more potential the overall concept had for a series. What if the God of Effeminate Men (Hermaphroditus) falls in love with the rugged son of Hephestion and Athena? Or Chaos and Logos...I drew heavily on my background in classic mythology for this.Anyhow, I remember reading that the androgynous fashion model Andrej Pijac wanted to someday be the first male Victoria's Secret Angel. (I believe David Chiang expressed the same sentiment at some point.) Then I imagined a scenario where a rapscallion of a Greek god did just that. Who could it possibly be? Eros, of course, as he has his own set of wings. After being photographed and plastered all over the internet, Aphrodite discovers what her darling son has done and sends someone to rein him in. Since Eros is of the body, I needed a character who was cerebral, and chose a man who is from the dynasty of the muses. His name is Rees and I don't want to say much more about him. :)

What Genre Does Your Book Fall Under?

It's a m/m fantasy. It's set in modern time but there are plenty of sidetrips into other worlds.

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

Wow...I've been thinking of this for awhile.  Since I don't watch much TV and don't really go to the movies, I'm not familiar with many celebrities. But for this story, there's a real emphasis on the worlds of fashion and theatre. Alexander Skarsgard would be perfect for Eros, aside from being runway ready, he could convey the broad spectrum of emotion the out-of-control god experiences. And I have the feeling he'd have no problems putting on a corset and wings for a women's fashion show! Or kissing another man, for that matter. :)

 And for Rees, well, I need someone beautiful, geeky and brilliant. So Matthew Grey Gubler fits the bill for that character. Rees comes off as an unworldly innocent, but he's a hunter and is manipulating Eros into a corner. He also has that family history, from the lines of muses and Memory. People tend to love having him around, particularly the artsy sorts. Which can lead to problems...can an artist become addicted to their muse? If so, what will they do to keep the source of their inspiration?

There are a couple other very important characters in this book, both female. One is Aphrodite, aka 'Dita.' She's the Greek goddess of love, sex and fertility. And I can't think of many actresses that I can see playing her. She's lush, abundant and eminantly fuckable. Think old school: Raquel Welch, Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot. She's the woman men want to see naked. In their bed.

The other character is Rosalinda. She's a runway model about to topple into obscurity, and her role in the book is vital. She's thin, elegant and  remote. Rosa is brilliant, but an addict and and at 26 years old, world weary. On the surface, she's the woman most women would like to be. I can see Anne Hathaway in the role.

What is a one sentence synopsis of your book?

 When Eros goes rogue, a cool-headed young scholar must capture him, body and mind.


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

The series will be represented by Saritza Hernandez of the Corvisiero Agency. 


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

I did the first draft as my NaNoWriMo project, so it took a month. 


Who or What inspired you to write this book?

It sprung out of another project, I was matching up ideas for pairings out of the Greek pantheon. Anyhow, I remembered Andrej Pijac stating that he'd like to be the first boy Victoria's Secret Angel, and immediately visualized the first scene of the book.

What else about your book might interest the reader?

It's turning out surprisingly emotional and sticks to a theme I use a lot, which is being true to yourself. Both Eros and Rees make a journey that leads to an unexpected conclusion. Surprised me, too! You'll also get some cross-dressing, matchmaking and will meet the most divinely beautiful man in the entire Greek pantheon.


Person who tagged me: Lex Valentine (go check out her Next Big Thing!)

Suckers…erm…people I tagged:  

Christopher Koehler
Amy Lane
ZA Maxfield

E.M. Lynely 

Three

I've decided to undertake the great adventure that comes around every November: NaNoWriMo.
It's that writing marathon where we aim for a word count of 50K by the end of the month.

I love NaNo, 50K is a short novel or in my case this year, two novellas that I really need to get finished. This year, I took the entire month of October off new writing and focused on getting my mental sh*t together. Autumn is always like that for me, I go just a little blue this time of year. So October is my mental health month, November is the return to insanity.

So, why did I give this blog the title "Three"? Well, because for the first time in nearly a year, I'm writing a menage. If you're familiar with my writing, you know that a lot of my early books were menage stories, and nearly always featuring bisexual characters. (I know, you don't want icky girl cooties all over your hot men. Sorry.) Of the 4 new manuscripts I did this year, 3 were m/m, 1 was m/f. I find myself having to get back into the threesome frame of mind.

This novella has a few extra requirements. First, it has to be a het menage. The problem is that I don't really believe in heterosexual menage. Ya know, when three people are all in bed together, all the bits get to bouncing and parts start touching. You notice that in the sole m/f/m menage that I've written, (Soul Keeper) which featured twins with one women, they didn't actually all get it on at the same time. Twincest might do it for some, but for others...its a therapy issue in the real world. So...no more brothers/cousins, etc. (Except for Somians, but I can break my rules when I feel like it... and they're just pervs anyway!) Anyhow, I'm struggling with keeping it straight when one of my characters was clearly described as bisexual in a previous book.

Sigh...restrained homoerotica...here I come.

Next, its BDSM, which poses a really touchy problem. The heroine and one hero come from really tortured backgrounds. How can I take this poor damaged heroine, throw her with two men and then have them tie her up and flog her? How can the damaged hero trust himself to do that?

Hmmm....

Did I mention they're all werewolves? And the men don't really like each other?

Ah, back to the werewolf book of game plays for my Truckee Wolves. If I make her a dominant, non-alpha female with dominant, non-alpha males, that levels the playing field a bit. And if I have the game launch at her instigation...better...

Even better, make the top male of the pair very healthy, very secure in his masculinity, and very compassionate.

OK, I think I'm there. So stay tuned. This one is shaping up to be a wild ride!

Belinda
www.belindamcbride.com

Gettin' Insightful...

I write because I must.

I write because I have something to say.

I write to release the music in my soul.

I write because I’m sure it’s an easy way to make money.

I write because I have a book inside of me somewhere.

We’ve all heard these comments at some point, and perhaps they are truths to some, myths to others. (Especially the part about the money!) With the start of NaNo, there are people all over the world setting their writing goals and starting their journey. We’re beginning day 3, and already you see writers at 12K per day, and others who haven’t yet begun. The complaints are beginning as well, as are the comments that indicate that many writers are discourage and ready to drop already.

I signed up for NaNo this year simply because I’ve never done it. This past summer, I participated in 2 week Fast Draft challenges with a small group of authors, and felt that experience prepared me for NaNo. And in a way, it has.

In order for me to complete the 50K word count, I calculated the words per day that I need to write. I gave myself several days off, (after all, November is a busy month!) and that still came to less than 2K per day. Easy, right? Well, maybe not, considering that my grand total word count for October was about 7K! LOL! But that was intentional; I built a break into my schedule this year. There were some edits, and some serious plotting going on, and I did some uncounted words on several WIPs, but my focus was on taking some time to refresh my mind. NaNo seemed like a good way to get back into the habit of writing, and also to narrow my focus to one project.

Why do I write? All of the above comments have applied to me at some time, but the main reason I write is that my brain has some chemical issues. I’m a bit clumsy with communication; it’s difficult for me to verbally express what I wish to say to someone. I am capable of expressing myself in writing.

I have racing thoughts, and those of you who have experienced this know how distressing it can be. From childhood, stories and scenarios have flooded my brain non-stop. Many writers say they are full of stories, but this is a bit different. It’s an obsessive/compulsive issue that is nearly crippling. When the racing thoughts kick in, I babble non-stop, and sleep is nearly impossible. It slowed me down at school and sometimes interferes with my job.

When I purchased my first laptop and began writing compulsively for hours on end, it wasn’t for creative expression. It was for survival…for sanity. That first year, I probably wrote 400K or more. Of that, two novels and a novella emerged and made it to publication.

Thankfully, the discipline that it takes to write constructively was drilled into me in college, so after the first few months of simply pouring myself out onto my hard drive, I was able to slow down, to take the time to polish my words and sentences, and to consider actually selling what I’d written. Because even if my stories don’t sell, they’re going to be written.

The wonderful thing is that I’ve discovered that this outlet I have has the potential to be fun. Note that I said that it has the potential…it also have the potential to be nightmarish and stressful. Anyone who’s written on a deadline or found themselves blocked will discover that this craft is not always fun, nor is it easy.

Like all things in life, there must be balance and moderation. So yes, there are spikes in my creativity where I can write a 30K novella in days. Other times it takes months to grind out a short story. But over all, slow and steady is what it takes. Setting a daily goal. For some, it is a word count goal. As a general rule, I don’t keep track of my daily word count unless I’m on a challenge. My rule is to never let a day go by without doing something constructive, whether it’s writing, plotting, doing a book video, or seeking inspiration. (AKA research)

So if you’re doing NaNo…good for you! Just realize that if you don’t meet word count at the end of the month, you have not failed. Look at what you have done and realize that those are words that you wouldn’t have written otherwise.

If you do meet the 50K goal, excellent! Now is the hard part. Don’t leave that manuscript languishing on your hard drive. You’ve given it life, now start polishing and editing. Look at the market and see where your book fits. Expand on it, tighten it, and make those words into a living, breathing document.

It might be the only book you have in you, but I’m willing to bet that if you’ve written that much, there is more inside.

I’d like to hear why you write, and if you’re participating in the Challenge, what your feelings are about it.