Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing

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My friend and colleague, J.H. Bográn tagged me with these interview questions last week.  Who am I to pass up a blog hop?  But don’t think he can just tag me from out of the blue and get away with it–keep an eye out for a J.H. Bográn guest post right here later in November.

Okay, I have fulfilled my civic duty and exercised my informed right to VOTE on this fine Election Day. I have my coffee.  My computer’s fully charged. Now, let’s have some fun with these questions…

What is the working title of your book?

My suspense thriller is The Sculptor, where the hunt is on for the serial killer who sculpts and plasters female grad students in Rome.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

In college, I studied in Rome, Italy just as the US was entering the first Persian Gulf War.  Tensions ran high for Americans in a foreign country, and many of the scenes I wrote depicted the peril–bomb scares, abductions, armed guards on every street corner, etc.  This tension formed the backdrop to the romance element in the book, a close interpretation of how I met my husband, also a student in Rome at the time.  The villain is a mix of Hannibal Lector and American Psycho, and my Art in Rome professor.

What genre does your book fall under?
I’d call it a suspense thriller–a mystery, with elements of action, suspense, romance, and peril that keeps you reading into the wee hours to find out what happens next.

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

If Bradley Cooper agrees to play the male lead, I’d speed-read Acting for Dummies a few times and then cast myself as the protagonist.  Won’t cast the villain now, that would reveal too much.  The genius, Kevin Spacey, needs to play some role.  And, Jimmy Fallon.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Graduate student Mara Silvestri, targeted by Rome’s serial killer, The Sculptor, must uncover the family secret that draws him to her before she winds up the prized masterpiece in his collection.

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

I’m currently seeking a literary agent, but I’m open to both avenues of publishing.

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

I outlined it in a couple weeks, produced the first draft in about three or four months, revised and polished it in another three or four months.

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

The story is comparable to Thomas Harris’ Silence of the Lambs, or maybe The Relic by Preston and Child, and somewhat akin to a Lisa Gardner novel or a Harlan Coben mystery.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Real life experiences inspired the book, but then again, what book isn’t inspired by life?

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

Rome, Venice, the Alps, and Tuscany. (Location, location, location, right?)  Romance, bro-mance, terror, wine, art, plot twists, characters you want to hang with, and a dog.

The new tags are:

Steven M. Moore

C.J. West

August McLaughlin

Steve Ulfelder

Thomas Rydder

And here are the rules:

* Give credit to the person / blog that tagged you
* Post the rules for the blog hop
*Answer these ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog
*Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.