I've been tagged by Judith Starkston and Taryn Tyler for The Next
Big Thing blog hop. (Thanks, ladies!) As this is a great excuse to
procrastinate writing the last scenes of my WIP, I've happily agreed to play
along.
What
is your working title of your book?
My WIP is called THE TIGER
QUEENS.
Where
did the idea come from for the book?
I was almost done writing THE SECRET
HISTORY when browsing through Costco. Jack Weatherford's book THE SECRET
HISTORY OF THE MONGOL QUEENS caught my eye, and I picked it up on impulse.
Later that month, a teacher left a pile of free books at work. One of them was
Weatherford's GENGHIS KHAN AND THE MAKING OF THE MODERN WORLD. Sometimes the
stars just align--I knew I had to write a novel about the Great Khan's women.
(Not to mention it's totally random that the primary sources for both
Theodora's life and Genghis' women are called "The Secret History.")
What
genre does your book fall under?
Historical fiction
Which
actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Khulan Chuluun played Borte in the
movie "Mongol," but I think she'd make a great Alaqai Beki.
Lyndsey
Marshal played Cleopatra in HBO's "Rome" and could easily become
Fatima, the Persian slave who eventually rises to power.
What
is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
The death of Genghis Khan will launch
four women--seer, warrior, slave, and mother--into a battle for the ultimate
prize: control of the greatest empire the world has ever known.
Will your book be self-published or
represented by an agency?
TIGER
QUEENS is represented by Stringer Literary Agency and has been purchased by
NAL/Penguin. It will hit the shelves sometime after next winter's release of
DAUGHTER OF THE GODS.
How long did it take to write the first draft of the manuscript?
The first draft should wrap up by the end of this month. That puts me at six months.
What other books would you compare this to in your genre?
Surprisingly, there's not many books out there about Genghis Khan. Format-wise, it will likely be similar to Alice Hoffman's THE DOVEKEEPERS.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I'm always on the look-out for forgotten or maligned women in history. Sadly, the amazing women in this book fit both of those categories.
What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
Wrestling contests, horse races, fermented mare's milk, torture, prophesies of doom and redemption... and the Mongols bent on world domination. Life in the Mongol Empire was never dull!
Now I'm supposed to nominate five other authors, but as most writers I know are currently immersed in the NaNo writing marathon, I'm going to say anyone who wants to play can consider themselves tagged.
What about you? What's the scoop on your WIP? Got anything to rival fermented mare's milk? (Blecch!)
How long did it take to write the first draft of the manuscript?
The first draft should wrap up by the end of this month. That puts me at six months.
What other books would you compare this to in your genre?
Surprisingly, there's not many books out there about Genghis Khan. Format-wise, it will likely be similar to Alice Hoffman's THE DOVEKEEPERS.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I'm always on the look-out for forgotten or maligned women in history. Sadly, the amazing women in this book fit both of those categories.
What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
Wrestling contests, horse races, fermented mare's milk, torture, prophesies of doom and redemption... and the Mongols bent on world domination. Life in the Mongol Empire was never dull!
Now I'm supposed to nominate five other authors, but as most writers I know are currently immersed in the NaNo writing marathon, I'm going to say anyone who wants to play can consider themselves tagged.
What about you? What's the scoop on your WIP? Got anything to rival fermented mare's milk? (Blecch!)
