The Next Big Thing is a blog chain/self-interview that has been meandering through the internet lately. A friend asked me to participate and I readily agreed.

A big thanks to a lovely writer and a wonderful friend, Bonnie Zobell, for passing the baton to me. Keep your eyes open for The Whack-Job Girls, her fabulous fiction chapbook, forthcoming in March 2013 from Monkey Puzzle Press.

And now, onto my interview:

Q: What is your working title of your book (or story)?

My forthcoming collection of stories is called I AM HOLDING YOUR HAND.

Q: Where did the idea come from for the book?

Several years ago I collected several of my short stories and, separately from that, I collected several of my flash fiction pieces. I submitted each collection separately to [PANK] Books and on one beautiful day they asked me if they could publish them both as one collection.  Of course, I was delighted and said, “Yes!” I then worked on merging the two manuscripts into one. I ended up cutting from each of the original manuscripts in order to make a single collection that made sense.

I’m quite proud of it.

Q: What genre does your book fall under?

It is literary fiction and is, as I said above, a collection of short stories, flash fiction, and some flash fiction hybrids.

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

Well, as there are many stories throughout, it’s hard to say, but I would love for Catherine Keener to play the main character, Maggie, in my story HAVE YOU SEEN US?

Q: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A collection of stories in which the characters seek a glimmer of hope within their darkest hearts.

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

My book will be published by [PANK] Books in January 2013.

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

10+ years. Many drafts of each of the pieces collected within.

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

This is a question I would rather ask those who read the book. Readers, what say you, please?

Q: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My own dark heart. My own glimmer of hope.

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

The book is lovely to look at. The folks at [PANK] Books did a beautiful job with the layout and design. I am so grateful to them for their care and their faith in my words. Thank you, Matt. Thank you, Roxane. Thank you, Abby. Thank you, Alban.

And now it is my pleasure to pick a few more writers to interview and next week they will post their interviews. Tag!  You’re it:

Ellen Meister whose forthcoming novel is the fabulously-witty and beautifully-written, Farewell, Dorothy Parker

Pia Ehrhardt author of the breathtaking, FAMOUS FATHERS & OTHER STORIES

Courtney Elizabeth Mauk whose wonderful, page-turner of a debut novel is SPARK

Nan Cuba, whose forthcoming novel, Body and Bread (Engine Books, May 2013), is one I simply cannot wait to read. Nan’s interview will be posted on this very blog next week.

My thanks to them all for taking part and my thanks again to the lovely Bonnie Zobell for including me.