Tagged: The Next Big Thing (Shannen made me do it)

I was tagged by author Shannen Crane Camp to discuss my WIP. 

Note: Normally I wouldn't discuss a WIP with anybody (embarrassing), but when Shannen demands...

Wikipedia said I could use this picture, so I did.

What is the working title of your book?

The Sleeping Beauty Gift

Where did the idea come from for the book?

That's quite a long story, so here's the overview: This book is the third in a series (yeah, Shan, technically the one you've got is the fourth). That makes it bizarre to try to explain how it came about, since it's the continuation of a project I've been working on since 2008. It all started with an imagined conversation between Cinderella and her prince at a ball, which eventually turned into a book . . . and then another book . . . and then another book . . . 

What genre does your book fall under?

You can probably guess from the title, but it's young adult fiction with a heavy dose of fairy tale.

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

An impossible question to answer. All of my favorites are far too old. Since I'm supposed to answer, though, I might choose Lily Collins as the main female protagonist. She's exquisite, but I don't know if she could pull off blonde. Emma Roberts? Molly Quinn? For the male protagonist, it'd have to be William Moseley from "The Chronicle of Narnia." He'd be perfect, minus the fact that he's supposed to have dark, curly Josh Groban hair. Curse you, celebrity hair gods.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A prince stuck with the unsavory nickname "Royal Loser" and minus a fairy gift turns out to be more than he appears, and only one person knows about it—a princess who's determined to tell the world.

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

Let's face it—everybody wants an agency. I'm no different, but self-publishing looks more tempting each time I look into it.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? May we see an intro?

It's still a rough, rough, rough work in progress, which means it's unfit for human viewing. Honestly, it's almost too painful for me to read at this point. That's not an excuse, Shan—it's just a cold, hard fact.

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

Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine (one of my favorite books ever), The Ordinary Princess, by M.M. Kaye (THE favorite book ever), and the Dealing with Dragons series by Patricia C. Wrede.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

While I was in the process of writing my Cinderella story back in 2008, I watched a bunch of different Cinderella movies to stay in the proper fairy tale mindset. The Czech, Three Chestnuts for Cinderella, or Three Wishes for Cinderella, (depending on which country you ask), instantly became my favorite. I loved it because the prince and Cinderella interacted prior to the ball. I've always thought the Cinderella story was a little fishy in that respect. She just walks into the ballroom and he falls in love with her? No. That's just ridiculous. Once I wrote the Cinderella story, I thought it might be fun to follow the children of Cinderella and her two stepsisters, which eventually became retellings of Rapunzel and Snow White. Sleeping Beauty will complete the set, even though I should have written it before Rapunzel. Oops.

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

All of the books tie in very closely with different versions of fairy tales from around the world. It's one of the features I’m most proud of. There are myriad versions of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and Snow White, and they're all fascinating and beautiful in their own way. (Or terrifying and scary . . . I'm talking about you, Russia.) I've tried to incorporate as many as possible into the names, traits, and adventures of my characters. While researching Cinderella, I kept reading different versions of the other fairy tales too, and new characters and story lines began to develop almost against my will.

Also, my Sleeping Beauty story might just have hints of The Scarlet Pimpernel in it. Sir Percival Blakeney is just too amazing to resist.

So, I'm supposed to tag five other authors in this post, but since I only know one other author and she's the one who tagged me...