The Next Big Thing

Damn tagging. Not happy about this but thanks to Viv tagging Valerie, etc, here's my post. And I'm coming for you both...

1. What is the working title of your next book? 
The Noh Mask

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
I wrote a short story called The Noh Mask, which was a fairytale combined with modern life. It was published by a Million Stories and I received lots of queries as to why it just ended. People wanted to know more. It was quite nice to see it had reached a lot of readers.

3. What genre does your book fall under? 
It's kinda literary fiction/psychological thriller/horror. I don't like to pigeon-hole myself. I'll leave that to the marketing department. 

4. What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Erm, I'm not sure who the protagonist who be. She'd have to be tall with a solid body (like a swimmer) with red curly hair. Certainly not a skinny minny. Any ideas? Emma Watson as the sister, Lambert Wilson for the lead male, for sure :) though I'd definitely have Aaron Taylor-Johnson as the supporting male (he'd have to sport an American accent). Brenda Song could play Emi, and Alejandro González Iñárritu or Tom Hooper would be the director due to their amazing visual storytelling techniques. A lot of the story is in the surroundings of the characters and they do this brilliantly. If anyone knows them, please mention my book to them. 

I'm going to stop now before I get too carried away.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
I'm still working on that. 

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I've actually got an agent, can you believe it? I couldn't either but I have the contract pinned to my wall. HA!

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
Five months, about 12 hours a day. It was hell. Don't write a complicated book is my advice. 

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
It's been compared to Jenny Diski's Nothing Natural before. 

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Being on a MA in Creative Writing at the Uni of Manchester and being pushed by Jenn Ashworth to get on and write the thing. Blame her for making me write sex scenes. 

10. What else about the book might pique the reader’s interest? 
You can learn how mad it is to live in Tokyo and how to break out of a train. 

Right then, I'm passing the buck onto:
Sue Luddem
Dave Barton
Jessica Patient
Joanna Quinn
Laura Ellen Joyce

Post your answers by 12th December on your blog and nominate five writers to pass the baton to!