My Next Big Thing

My friend Jeff Hargett from Strands of Pattern tagged me for the "Next Big Thing" blog hop. Now, whether or npt it's the next big thing I leave up to you, but it's certainly my next big thing. So without further ado, here is my next big thing in ten questions and answers.

1. What is the working title of your book?

The Crystal Tree. Originally it was called Song of Healing, Song of Hope and was part of a trilogy. However, for the second draft, I changed the name to something that now fits a bit better. Though I'm sure that it will change to something more exciting when I have a better idea of the story.

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I've always been interested in music and, being a lover of fantasy, I also love magic. So what could be better than to combine them? I wanted to write a book where songs were magic for a long time before I wrote this. And then I got the idea of a tree made of crystal that is magic. Combining the two gave me the idea for this story.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

YA Fantasy. YA Fantasy is my favourite genre, and it just made sense that I write in the same genre that I read. All that magic and invented stuff. So much easier to write than the real world.

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

I...have no clue. I don't know that many actors to tell the truth, and I never thought about casting my characters before.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

As luck would have it I spent a while working this out in preparation for the second draft of this book. And it's hard work boiling down an entire novel into one sentence, but here it is:

A young girl saves her country from a vengeful, exiled magician by sacrificing her magic.

6. If you plan to publish, will your book be self-published or published traditionally?

I would love to have it traditionally published, and certainly, that would be where I would look first for publishing. But first that means finishing the book...

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

I wrote the first draft for Camp NaNoWriMo, and from memory writing the draft took me around ten days, though I don't remember the exact amount.

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

I'm having a hard time thinking of this now. There are probably plenty of books I could compare it to, but I can't think of them...

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

After getting the initial idea, it was the discovery of Camp NaNoWriMo that inspired me to write this book. I had the idea and the Camp, and it seemed like the right time to write it. So I did.

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

Well, readers are interested in synopses right? So I'll share my freshly written one here.

Briar’s future is simple. She will graduate from the Academy of Song Magic as a song healer and spend the rest of her life working in a small country town.

However everything is changed when an exiled magician returns to the country of Kerr with an army, a thirst for revenge, and more dark magic than any magician has ever seen before, starting his war with an unexpected attack on the Academy of Song and taking Briar prisoner

With the help of some unlikely friends, including a griffin hunter who hates Song Magic, and a palm sized dragon, Briar must escape from Sachio’s camp, and then find the legendary Crystal Tree, the source of light magic and possibly the only thing that can stop Sachio's revenge.

As Sachio and his army move closer and closer to completely conquering the country, Briar must find the strength to wield the full magic of the Crystal Tree. But doing this will mean sacrificing her own magic... for good.

So, that's my next big thing. I'm supposed to tag people for this, but sadly I'm not sure who to tag. So, what's your next big thing? What fantasy books would you compare this to? What would you like to know more about with this book?