My Next Big Thing
Thanks to my friend and award-winning writer, Geraldine Mills, I have been invited to participate in an online literary blog chain called The Next Big Thing. It is a series of questions about my work-in-progress. Many national and international writers have participated in this. It gives readers a glimpse into the working life of a writer. Part of the fun is tagging someone else. It is with great delight that I will be tagging three other writers at the end of this post. My next big thing is twofold. I have a brand new collection of poetry coming out on February 15, 2013. I’m also working on a novel.
What is the working title of your book?
Necessary Silence is the title of my collection of poetry. Scarab is the working title of my novel-in-progress.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I was in line at the Associated Writing Program (AWP) Conference some years ago. A Vietnamese man in front of me checked in, and I overheard him give the hotel clerk a distinctly Irish name. I started thinking about this. He gave me the idea for my main character.
What genre does your book fall under?
My collection of poetry is…..poetry. My novel will be literary, character-driven fiction.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I love this question. Since I can’t cast poetry, I will imagine my novel as a movie. I’m fond of the idea of Meryl Streep as my female character’s mother. Natalie Portman can be the female character. I think her combination of sharp intelligence and intuition would be perfect. The male character is harder since he is half Vietnamese and half Irish. I’ll leave that up to Hollywood!
What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?
We all have both internal and external wounds.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
My collection of poetry was eight years in process before publication. I’ve been working on the fiction manuscript in some form for about two and a half years.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
My literary heroes include Colum McCann, Barbara Kingsolver, Russell Banks, Ursula Hegi, and many others. I strive to learn from them but really can’t think of a book that is of a similar style.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I’m always inspired by friends who have written fiction, including Kimberly Newton Fusco, Morgan Callan Rogers, and Geraldine Mills. I also wanted to write something that would raise awareness about mental illness and our justice system.
What else about your book might pique a reader’s interest?
I hope my poetry resonates with my readers. I am striving to have that same level of intensity with my fiction–the idea of seeing the world in all of its beauty and ugliness and not looking away, even for a minute.
When and how will it be published?
I am thrilled that my collection of poetry has been published by a wonderful Irish literary press, Arlen House. It will be released in the United States through Syracuse University Press. I do not have a publisher for my novel since it is not yet finished. I aspire to finish the first draft by the end of the summer.
It is my honor to tag and introduce you to three writers, Kimberly Newton Fusco, Jane Katch, and Jennifer Hauf.
Kimberly Newton Fusco is the author of three young adult books, including a new one to be released in February by Knopf. Her previous books are Tending Grace and The Wonder of Charlie Ann. She’s won a Parent’s Choice Silver Medal and one of her books was chosen as a Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year. She is a current Nutmeg Book Award nominee in Connecticut. http://www.kimberlynewtonfusco.blogspot.com
Jane Katch is the author of three nonfiction books, Under Deadman’s Skin, They Don’t Like Me and her newest book, Far Away from the Tigers. She is a veteran teacher at a school in Massachusetts and has presented lectures and workshops at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, Tufts University, Wheelock, and Lesley College. Her latest book is about foreign adoption. http://www.farawayfromthetigers.wordpress.com
Jennifer Hauf is a young new writer. Her blog http://www.spokesandpetals.wordpress.com caught the attention of a publisher who will be publishing her first book, a work of nonfiction about the relationship between the natural world and the urban environment. A “transplant from the upper midwest”, she is curious about the wild things that exist in urban spaces.
Literary Imaginings by Lisa C. Taylor 
I really enjoyed reading this, Lisa! Meryl Streep and Natalie Portman sound like a dream team. I can’t wait to read your new work!
I also want to thank you for profiling me. I look forward to writing my own little entry next week.
[…] I have been reluctant to write about it here, due to equal parts shyness and a desire to commit myself to blogging rather than advertising. However, my friend Lisa Taylor, a poet and the mother of naturalist Kira Taylor, asked if I would participate in a Q & A for authors who have either just published a book or on the cusp of doing so. I don’t want to disappoint an old friend, and I would like to start sharing this project with those outside of my family and Facebook feed. So, here we go! Lisa, by the way, also wrote of her up-and-coming collection of poetry, Necessary Silence, as well as a novel that’s in the works. You can read her words here. […]