Wednesday 26 September 2012

The Next Big Thing


Fellow author, Joanna Lambert, tagged me to write about my work in progress so here it is! I’ve only managed to find one author to tag to follow on from me with a Next Big Thing blog – thank you Serena Fairfax! Serena’s blog address is shown below. And now on to my version of The Next Big Thing - I hope you will find it interesting.

What is the working title of your book?

Given that it’s another Carter Jefferson story, following on from Rough Cut, which was a murder mystery thriller about synthetic diamonds being fed into the natural diamond distribution chain, the working title is, fairly appropriately I think, CUTTING EDGE. This will probably also the final title.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

When I was thinking about what my next book would be about, I again started digging into what was happening in the diamond industry currently and came across a little nugget, which I thought I could use as the core of my new story.

What genre does your book fall under?

Cutting Edge will again be a murder mystery thriller but will again delve a little into the lives of the main characters.

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

Denzel Washington would make an ideal CarterJefferson but so would Idris Elba. Amongst the other characters, I’d love the film of Cutting Edge to include Ellen Page (of Juno fame), probably playing Lucy – but of course you don’t know who Lucy is yet, do you? Patience, patience!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Now that would be giving away the storyline too soon, wouldn’t it? So, it’s a no comment on this question.

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

It will be self-published again but this time I won’t make the mistakes I made with publishing my first book, Rough Cut. This time, I’ll make a whole load of new mistakes! Hopefully not.

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

It took about two months. I was doing a few other things in amongst although it was a relatively quiet couple of months, day job wise.

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

Oh, none! It’s unique! The thing is, it will again probably be a bit cross-genre, a thriller primarily but with a romantic sub-plot!

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

I love writing books and screenplays, I enjoy the whole process, so I don’t really need to be inspired to write a story but I do find the whole diamond industry scene quite interesting.

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

I try to locate my stories in places I know reasonably well, places where I have spent some time and places which I think will be of interest to readers. Cutting Edge is set mainly in Oxford and Santa Monica.

Well, that's it! Below are some links including a link to Serena Fairfax's blog where you will find The Next Big Thing a week from now.

http://www.serenafairfax.com/serena_fairfax_author_blog/ - I’ve tagged Serena Fairfax to write a Next Big Thing blog

http://www.famousfiveplus.com  – Famous Five Plus – a meeting place for indie authors.

http://www.roughcut-thenovel.com  – website for my first novel, Rough Cut, with some information about me and my film making activities as well

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B006RBGJ88 - Rough Cut on Amazon.co.uk

http://amzn.com/B006RBGJ88 - Rough Cut on Amazon.com



10 comments:

  1. Sounds great, Owen! I LOVE Denzel Washington, he's such an amazing actor so I'm sure you'd have a hit on your hands (because of the awesome writing, of course, not just because of Denzel!!)
    ;)

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  2. I like Denzel Washington as well, but I also like Idris Elba - decisions, decisions. Apart from that I enjoyed reading your post, Owen.

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  3. Thanks, Suzy & Chris, for your kind comments. I actually envisaged Morgan Freeman as Carter when I first wrote Rough Cut but I think he is too old now!!

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  4. Sounds great - sounds like a thrilling romance to me, Owen!

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  5. An interesting subject - diamonds, mm. Do you think my geologist husband would like this? No harm in encouraging him to be interested in diamonds, methinks! It is great fun to imagine actors as your characters isn't it?

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  6. Probably more thrilling than romantic, Janice. And I'm sure your geologist husband would love Rough Cut as well, Miriam - after all, the lead character is a geologist! As for imagining actors as your characters, that's sort of fairly automatic for me now after making three feature films. :-)

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  7. "I’ll make a whole load of new mistakes!" he says. LOL!

    You and me both, mate! Hopefully you'll avoid the pitfalls - and this sounds like a lively read to boot!

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  8. Cutting Edge - what a great follow-up title. and all the best thrillers have romantic sub-plots IMO!
    By the way, I have also been tagged in this game - rather looking forward to joining in.
    Ali B

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  9. Thanks for taking the time to comment, Kimberley & Ali.

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