The Next Big Thing Blog Hop

I was tagged by fellow artist, author and Cuban, Narcisse Navarre, to participate in "The Next Big Thing Blog Hop". One of my previous blog posts, The Lady Navarre, talks about Narcisse and her first two novels. Be sure to check it out!

Once upon a time, there was a wicked witch who wasn't. One could say that was simply because her green just wasn't exactly the same shade as all the others in her family. It seemed to be just a little bolder, and a little brighter. She decided one day, for whatever the reason, to change her story and rewrite its ending to her own liking. Her world, however, would never ever be quite the same again when the full telling of it was done...

1. What is the title of your work in progress?
Book One of The Mhandrake Chronicles:
The Perfectly Mundane Life of Mhagdhalia Mhandrake (facebook page)

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
I have always been an enormous fan of the fantasy and gothic horror genres, so I really wanted to write a story from the other side of the looking glass, where princesses aren't always cookie-cutter pretty damsels dressed in pink with sparkling tiaras adorning their heads. I love the idea of taking familiar fairy tales and completely turning them upside down.

3. What genre does your book fall under?
Dark Urban Fantasy

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Initially, I had envisioned Miranda Cosgrove playing the role of Mhagdhalia, but Chloë Grace Moretz would be able to channel the main character's slightly roughened edge to perfection. Michelle Forbes must be Maeve, the divalicious villainous matron of the family, and Sofia Vergara as the fairy godmother, Carmen would be nothing short of divine. The perfect choice to fill the role of Michael, however, Mhag's gay best friend and comrade-in-arms has, as of yet, eluded me.

5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?
The Perfectly Mundane Life of Mhagdhalia Mhandrake is a journey of self-discovery for a young and magical green-skinned girl whose truth has been twisted up and locked away by a family desperate to keep her in the dark.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-publishing is an option. In fact, I have just recently (re)self-published Starlight Starbright, a full-color horoscope book showcasing my original Zodiac designs, but I would like to try a more traditional route for The Mhandrake Chronicles.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I'm not sure how to answer that. The full manuscript is still in my head. I have a point A and a point Z, but I write as I go, allowing the story to remain organic. The characters tell me what they need where and when to have their stories told properly. I'm about two chapters and another round of editing away from the end of the first book, though. It's taken me about three years to get to this point, mostly due to a full time job in the way and quite a bit of miscellaneous personal chaos.

8. What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
The Child Thief by Brom, The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, the Harry Potter book series by J.K. Rowling, and Wicked by Gregory Maguire

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
A little bit of this. A little bit of that. The Brother's Grimm. Poe. Anne Rice. Rice & Beans. Harry Potter. The Wizard of Oz. And Vodka. Definitely Vodka.

10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest?
The Mhandrake Chronicles is the fairytale survival guidebook for misfits. Despite being full of heart, and a fair dose of my sarcasm, it's a dark world and the perils faced by the main characters both physically and emotionally are very real.

Be sure to check out Narcisse Navarre's The Next Big Thing Blop Hop over at Khajj.com, and Rick Gualtieri over at the Poptart Manifesto. Also be sure to hit S. Conde's Idols of the Tribe and pick up The Red Speck!