On Slacker-dom and the Things I Will Soon be Reading

Hello, readers! It's me, Marie, here once more, writing a blog post when I really ought to be doing other things. I won't make any promises, because I tend to be a mildly irresponsible person, but I hope to post at least once a week. Most likely, it will be on the weekends, but I like to shake things up, so, I may still post on the weekdays once in a while. I like to keep things interesting.
I feel very ashamed to say this, but I'm not actually reading anything right now (and I call myself Marie the Reader?), but I will soon be correcting this situation. I'm going to pick up the first book in a young adult fantasy series called The Gateway Chronicles, The author of these books is a woman named K. B. Hoyle, and in fact, it was she who approached me about participating in the Work-In-Progress blog hop. I just so happen to have rare, autographed first edition copies of her first two books lying around somewhere in my house...
I also, despite having enjoyed the Hunger Games, have not even touched Catching Fire. Call me a disloyal fan if you will! I may not read it in the immediate future, but I'm sure I'll have it read by the time the movie comes out. As a rule, I don't prefer to watch any kind of novel-based film without having first read the book. Of course, there are always a few exceptions, like Fried Green Tomatoes. However, I try to keep to that rule, which means that I have to read Les Miserables by Christmas. (In case you didn't know, there will be an amazing movie adaptation of Les Mis, based off of the musical, in which the actors are singing directly to the camera, rather than pre-recording and lip-synching, and includes Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and many other talented actors. Squee!) I also need to read Great Expectations, since there is an upcoming film adaptation featuring my all-time favorite actress, Helena Bonham Carter, as Miss Havisham. (She's also Madame Thenardier in Les Mis. Yay!)

If you want more information about either of the movies above, go to moviepilot.com. They have a large chunk of their website dedicated to upcoming movies-to-film, and they're quite reliable.
Also, please show some love to Ms. Hoyle, the author of The Gateway Chronicles. Her blog is at nightnark.blogspot.com, and she updates regularly.
Also find her on Twitter and Facebook:
@kbhoyle_author
http://www.facebook.com/pages/K-B-Hoyle/155377154576880

Until next time! Love, Marie

Week 9: The Next Big Thing

So I was recruited to take part in this Work In Progress blog hop, by Ms. K. B. Hoyle, author of the young adult fantasy series, The Gateway Chronicles. You should read her books, because I said so. 

However, you came to this page to learn about my little writing escapades, so here are my answers to these ten thought-provoking questions. Enjoy!

What is the working title of your book?

Well, because I am terribly undisciplined, I’m working on two novels at once…Don’t be like me, young writers! I’m a terrible example!

The first one is called Princess Layla, and the second is called Jonah’s Story right now. I realize they’re both silly titles, but they’re called working titles for a reason. If you’ll excuse a bad pun, I’m “working” on it.

Since I’ll be talking about both of them at once, I’ll abbreviate the first PL from here on out, and the second JS.

Where did the idea for your book come from?

Well, PL was inspired by fairy tales, particularly ones by The Brothers Grimm, but I don’t have a specific story that I’m drawing it from. The film Tangled, also, was a big inspiration to me- although there’s not quite so much humor in my story, and not to mention, my novel is more of a current day fairytale, since the story starts in March 2011.

I’m not even really sure how I got the idea for JS. It’s just a little story about a boy who meets a girl in high school, and they become best friends, and when they’re in college, they fall in love and get married, with a bit of a suspenseful twist toward the end, but ultimately a happy  ending.  I guess years of listening to sappy love songs from Journey and Reo Speedwagon finally came to fruition.

What genre does your book fall under?

Probably, both would be considered young adult romance. I would like to think that the political setup in PL is far-out enough for it to be considered at least part-fantasy, and I would also like to think that my books have potential to appeal to adults as well as lovesick teenage girls, but I don’t know.

Which actors would you choose to play the characters in your book?

Hmmm…that’s a difficult one. Anybody that knows me knows that I love Johnny Depp- he’s my favorite actor of all time.

As far as PL goes, the two male leads (yes, I, too, have fallen into the trap of the love triangle), are radical opposites. One of them, Alec, is tall, svelte, and charismatic. He could easily be played by Johnny, as well as perhaps Tom Hardy, though he has a lighter complexion than I pictured Alec having.

The other, Joey, is kind of a nerd. He’s spindly, skinny, and yet still very attractive. It’s a shame, really, but Macaulay Caulkin is the only fellow I can think of who could really suit the role- if he’d shave off that scruffy beard.

Layla, the female lead, is blonde and has a tiny stature. Emily Browning is my top choice for the role. I’m unsure of her height, but Evan Rachel Wood, also, could fit the bill pretty well, that is, if she’s under 5”4.

There are two maids, also, who play large roles in the story. One of the two maids is named Saige, and I could picture Amandla Stenberg from the Hunger Games playing her.

The other, Tabby, is a bit goth/punk/scene/whatever you want to call it, but is one of the most interesting characters in the novel, and my favorite-other than Alec , that is. She’s said a million times, on Twitter and on her blog, that she won’t go back into acting, but Mara Wilson is all grown up, and totally beautiful, and has more than enough wit to pull off the part. Not to mention, I would love to see her with blue highlights in her hair, like Tabby. Too bad she doesn’t love me. (Kidding. She doesn’t know me. It would be weird if she loved me.)

JS would be difficult to cast, because it shows the characters in high school, and later in adulthood. Jonah is the male lead, Kate is the female lead, and they have a mutual friend who plays a huge role in the story named Mary Anne. All these actors would have to be young, like mid-twenties or so, who can easily by virtue of makeup and different styles of dress, can be made to look young, and then older. Jonah could be played by Channing Tatum, but I’m a little prejudiced, because I find him wildly attractive. I don’t know of an actor that really looks like Jonah, so I’ll just stick with the hotties. Kate also is very unique-looking. I could picture her being played by Emily Browning (if she had brown eyes), Emma Watson maybe, or some other pretty actress. I would want Mary Anne to be played by Jennifer Lawrence, as cliché as that might sound considering her jump to fame via The Hunger Games, but I really like her. She’s talented, she’s cute, and she is so capable of depicting all the subtle nuances of Mary Anne’s character.

(In case you can’t tell, I really liked this question.) 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Hmm, that’s a difficult one. I don’t even know what to say about PL, but JS would go something like this, “Jonah and Kate have been meant for one another all along, but will they be torn apart by one unfortunate incident?”

I know it’s vague, but I don’t want to divulge too many plot details.

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

Right now, there is no plan to publish either of my books. I would love to, but I’m not a full-time writer, I’m a student. I hope to publish them later on, but the emphasis there is on “later.”

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

I finished the first draft of PL in about six months, but, the thing is, I didn’t even finish it. There were so many problems with the plot that after starting the fifth chapter, I dropped it, and since then, have been refining my ideas for the story. I have not yet finished the first draft of JS, but it’s coming along swimmingly.

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

…That’s a good question, really. Hmm. I don’t read many young adult romance novels, because they’re all very risqué.  So, I have no idea.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

As I said in an earlier question, PL is heavily influenced by fairy tales, particularly Rapunzel, the “beautiful princess locked in a tower” thing.

JS, however, as corny and artsy-fartsy as it may sound, just came to me one day. It just showed up in my mind, and there it was, and there it stayed, and there it still is.

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

Well, neither of my books contain the kinds of graphic sex scenes that are found in most romance novels, for one thing. I despise Twilight, I refuse to even mess with 50 Shades of Gray, and all this “paranormal romance” stuff in the young adult section makes me sick. I’m trying to redeem the romance genre. My goal is to write stories that show women being treated with respect, and valued for more than just shallow sex appeal.  I also want to show men stepping up to the plate and being willing to fight for their  families, wanting to be the hero for their wives and children- particularly though Jonah’s Story.

 I’ve seen and known many young girls who have grown up without fathers, and it’s taken quite a toll on all of them, in different ways. My generation (in case I hadn’t said so earlier, I’m a teenager myself) has been referred to as a fatherless generation.  I am more fortunate than many, since my father has consistently been a part of my life, but I know the pain of hearing him say, “I love you,” and not proving it. Also, PL deals with how divorce and infidelity in marriage wound all involved parties, though that’s only a side note, really.

The bottom line is that I want to write books that parents will approve of their teenagers reading. That’s that. Wish me luck! - Marie

I'm Back (Finally)!!!

Hello there, guys... and girls.... and any ultra-intelligent talking animals that may be reading this post.

Well, life got busy in a number of ways, but here I am, picking up the blogger's pen after a long hiatus. I really ought to be writing a paper right now, but here I am, writing my first post in several months, listening to Billy Joel, and wondering what I should eat for dinner.

I've been on a writing spree lately, working like crazy on one story in particular, and then all of a sudden, poof, writer's block. When I get writer's block, though, I keep writing. It's just that everything I write from that point on becomes worthless garbage that I will have to rip apart, strangle, torture, and otherwise maim when I finally finish what I'm writing and start the editing process.

I'm taking part in this peculiar little Work-in-Progress blog hop thing, and so, guess what? I'll be answering ten questions about the two novels I'm working on on August 22nd! Yay! I'm not sure what purpose that serves right now, since I have zero followers, but I'm narcisstic and like talking about myself. :)

Hopefully, I'll see somebody then!

Much love, Marie