The Next Big Thing – Lydia Sharp

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I’m cross-posting the on-line interview from my first ‘taggee’ : young adult author Lydia Sharp.

My NEXT Next Big Thing

1. What is the title of your book?

MEANT TO LIVE

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

As with all my projects, the idea for Novel #6 was a combination of different seeds all germinating simultaneously and progressively. The basic “time distortion” concept is similar to that found in the movie Frequency. But that is where the similarities between that movie and my novel end. (If you have never seen Frequency, by the way, I’m sorry but we can’t be friends until you remedy that malfunction.)

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Like Seven Deaths, Novel #6 is contemporary YA with a fantastical twist. I love writing stories about real teens in the real world that are suddenly faced with something other-worldly that only they can solve. Some call this magical realism. I’ve yet to see anyone agree on the definition of magical realsim, though, so I just call it contemporary YA and let the fantastical elements speak for themselves.

4. What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

God, I really hate this question, because I get too analytic about it. Not that I’m overly picky about who would play my characters (to a point), but I tend to think about the timeline of it all. When your main characters are teenagers and it takes years to publish a book, and then another few years to make a movie (if it even sells as a movie), by the time that happens there are new young actors and actresses to choose from and…

I just hate to commit to saying I would select a certain person who could very well have crow’s feet by the time my book is a movie, and not remain open to the idea of someone who is in sixth grade right now, but would be perfect by the time anyone is making a decision about it.

Sorry, I can’t do it. This question always kills me.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

MEANT TO LIVE is about a boy who receives a message from the future that he is only weeks away from killing himself, but he isn’t suicidal, and now he must reverse his own death before it happens.

6. How long did it take you to write the first draft?

It isn’t finished yet. I’ve been working on it since November.

7. Who or what inspired you to write the book?

I’ve been wanting to write something that involved time travel, or time distortion, for years. Which is odd because I’m not generally a fan of those types of stories. When they’re good, they’re really good. But when they’re bad, they’re really bad. There is no in-between. And I seem to find mostly the bad ones so it’s left a sour taste in my mouth.

But still, something about the concept keeps drawing me back. I’ve had other story ideas in the time travel arena but they never developed properly. This one feels like it’s on the right track.

The first specific inspiration for this specific story, however (aside from the movieFrequency), came quite clearly to me while reading this book. If you haven’t read the book, then I don’t want to spoil it for you by saying how it inspired my idea forMeant to Live. Just read it, it’s brilliant.

Also, this song:

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via YouTube

8. Is your book published, upcoming, and/or represented by an agency?

None of the above. It’s still very much a work-in-progress.

 

The Seventh Pleiade sold to Bold Strokes Books

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Good news sometimes comes in rushes. Although, truthfully, I’ve been holding onto this item until the publisher’s official press release came out.

My young adult fantasy The Seventh Pleiade has been picked up by Bold Strokes Books!!

The Seventh Pleiade is the story of a gay teen who becomes a hero during the last days of Atlantis. There’s a back cover blurb and my author bio up on Bold Strokes’ website. Bold Strokes Books is the premier publisher of LGBT fiction. I am absolutely, positively over the moon about this!!

There’s a long production schedule ahead, but as things move along, I’ll be proudly sharing the cover art here and information about advance sales and promotional events. The book is scheduled for release on November 18, 2013.

Yes, there will be a RELEASE PARTY! More details on that later.

My On-Line Interview – The Next Big Thing Project

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Here’s the skinny, my “next big thing,” as prompted by author John Copenhaver last week:

What is the title of the book?

Werecat: The Rearing

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Where did the idea come from for the book?

It started as an experimental piece. I got turned on to shapeshifter and vampire stories only recently, and, as with most everything I read, those stories made me think: how could I write a great story in that vein from a totally queer point-of-view? Not just with gay or lesbian sidekick characters – I wanted to create a gritty, sexy love story between two men that was central to the plot, and really central to a fantasy world. I’m also fascinated by cats, so writing the fantasy aspect came pretty naturally to me.

What genre does your book fall under?

Urban fantasy

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I actually blogged about that subject before my book got picked up by a publisher. What writer doesn’t daydream about casting her/his work? For Werecat, it’s extra fun because I think feline shapeshifters would have to be sexy and dark. I imagine an underground world populated  by hot, scruffy men, high-shouldered and lean, sort of a throw-back to the grunge or heroin-chic model trend of the 90’s. They would have to have great eyes too.

My main character Jacks is a lost, rebellious college drop-out, and I’d be delighted to cast François Arnaud from the Showtime series The Borgias in that role. Jacks’ love interest Benoit would have to be smoking hot with a dangerous vibe. My first pick is Michael Fassbender. Then there’s a supporting character Farzan who may or may not get in between Jacks and Benoit. Farzan is tightly-wound and kind of goofy. He makes me think of Kal Penn from Howard and Kumar.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Werecat: The Rearing is about a young man who goes to Montréal for Spring Break, gets picked up by a handsome drifter, and ends up on a terrifying and erotic journey into the world of feline shapeshifters.

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

Werecat: The Rearing is the first book in a series of novellas, which are 20-40K words apiece. I wrote the first draft in about three weeks.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Allison Moon’s lesbian werewolf novel Lunatic Fringe was a major departure point. Beyond her excellent re-imagining of werewolf mythology, her book made me think about the similarities between the shapeshifter trope and the experience of being queer, both in obvious ways like having to hide and being misunderstood, and in ways that are important to me politically and spiritually.

I think there’s something liberating about being able to inhabit two worlds. Queer people learn how to fit in, and sometimes pass within a heterosexual world, and we also cross “genders” at least in our private lives if not publicly. The Native American idea of two-spirit intrigues me – possessing both a female and a male aspect – and I could go on about that subject extensively. Suffice it to say, when I started writing about gay, feline shapeshifters, I found opportunities to explore the different facets of having a dual nature — socially, sexually, and politically.

I also worked a good bit of cat mythology – ancient world and native – into the story. Retold myth and legend is a fairly steady thread in everything I write.

Is your book out in print, upcoming from a publisher and/or represented by an agency?

NewVPBlogo72dpiWerecat: The Rearing will be published by Vagabondage Press and is upcoming in May.

Authors I am tagging next for The Next Big Thing Project:

Lydia Sharp – YA contemporary, fantasy, and romance author and blogger extraordinaire

Charlie Vazquez – Avant-garde author, poet, and master-of-ceremonies for New York City’s underground literati

Christopher Keelty – Fantasy/sci-fi author and civil rights activist

C.A. Clemmings – Author of literary novels and short fiction

 

 

The Next Big Thing Project!!

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My friend and fellow author John Copenhaver recently tagged me in The Next Big Thing Project.

TNBT is basically an author chain-mail where you’re tagged to answer a questionnaire about you book — whether out in print or in development. The chain-mail rules are:

1. You have to answer nine questions about your book (or project).

2. You have to tag at least five other authors to complete the questionnaire on their website/blog, and put up their links.

I’ll be cross-posting my taggees’ questionnaires here as well. I think it’s a cool way to get to know the work of up-and-coming authors, and–of course–to enhance our profile.

So, meet the talented (and handsome) John Copenhaver who hooked me into this chain…

Author John Copenhaver

 

What is the title of the book?

Dodging and Burning.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

My inspiration came from two separate but connected events: My reading of Walter Benjamin’s analysis of photography, and my decision to come out of the closet as a gay man. Benjamin argues that photographs distort reality and only can be given value if paired with the right caption. Being in the closet is like being a photo without a caption. The only way to correct that distortion is to tell the story behind the façade. Dodging and Burning is the mystery behind a crime scene photograph, but more accurately it’s an exploration of the way photos can twist our understanding of others and ourselves if their captions remain unwritten, their stories untold.

What genre does your book fall under?

Literary Mystery.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I love this question, because I think about it a lot. Sadly, most of the actors I’d cast are dead. One of my main characters, Bunny Prescott, is based on Gene Tierney; in fact, other characters tell her that she resembles Tierney. But, to play fair, I’d cast Elle Fanning as Ceola (my earnest teenager), who has both gravitas and levity, Saoirse Ronan as Bunny (my love-confused debutant), who can be chilly and vulnerable, and Andrew Garfield (my wounded gay war photographer), who is wonderful at playing pained but not self-indulgent characters. I loved him in Never Let Me Go.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Two young women attempt to solve the mystery of the photograph of beautiful corpse only to discover that the true mystery lies in the heart of the photographer.

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

Three-years. Keep in mind of course I was working full time as an English teacher. It took several more years to whip it into shape.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?


It began at Bread Loaf English of English when I took a course called “Photography and Modernity.” It changed the way I looked at photography and, eventually, all visual media. Also, I read Margaret Atwood’s The Blind Assassin, a genre-bending novel, a masterpiece that skillfully weaves together low and high forms. And of course, my own personal journey out of the closet. My theme, as I see it, is the need for narrative. Images without narrative (or worse images with a false narrative) can twist our understanding of reality, pushing us further from empathy and deeper into darkness.

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

I’m represented by the fabulous Annie Bomke of ABLiteary and currently in search of a publisher.

For more about John Copenhaver, check out here.

Were there gay people in Atlantis?

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If you have browsed my blog a little bit, you know one of my inspirations is the legend of Atlantis. I’ve done a lot of research on the topic, from ancient Greek sources to the work of early twentieth century pseudo-anthropologists to the websites of Atlantis conspiracists.

But so far, I haven’t found an answer to the most important question: Were there gay people in Atlantis?

Here, I will attempt to answer that question. I firstly will lay out some general considerations.

You could probably say the world is divided into people who believe Atlantis existed, and people who don’t.

On the believing side, we have Plato, Jules Verne, Edgar Cacy, and a lot more people than you might expect, as I discovered when the topic came up at a recent dinner party.

On the disbelieving side, we have just about every modern day archaeologist, anthropologist and ancient world historian.

But let’s forget about those authorities because it’s fun to believe.

There are many theories about what Atlantis was and how it came and went. To simplify things, I’ll group the theories into two, overarching themes.

The first theme involves alien intervention. Here we have the theories that aliens came to earth during prehistoric times and created, or taught humans how to create, an amazing city. The “proof” of an ancient world Atlantis is linked to other “unexplainable” achievements in the ancient world like the pyramids of Egypt, and the mountain top city of Machu Pichu, and the monoliths of Easter Island.

A variation on this theme is that Atlanteans were aliens themselves, and their return to a distant world explains the mystery of the disappearance of Atlantis. Another variation is that Atlantis disappeared because the aliens took the human inhabitants away with them.

All of that relies on quite a bit of speculation. The second theme looks to scientific evidence.

The end of earth’s last ice age was roughly around the time when Plato said Atlantis existed: 10,000 B.C.E.. This was a period of climactic change, thus it’s possible that a prehistoric civilization was buried beneath the flood waters of a rising ocean.

In fact, archaeologists are currently working on an excavation on the southern coast of Spain that appears to be a buried city, dated from around 10,000 B.C.E..

At this point, you may very legitimately be asking yourself: what does this have to do with whether or not there were gay people in Atlantis? Now I have to admit, I’ve rather lost my train of thought on that matter.

I guess what I do have to say is that wherever and whenever people (or aliens) existed, I believe that some of them were gay. I think that kind of diversity is an innate part of humankind, and that homosexuality plays a role in our species ability to thrive.

Maybe scientists will find a genetic rationale for my deeply held belief. For instance, having a gay child might enhance the survival of his siblings. That could be a function of biology. It could be social. Gay children often grow up to help with the caretaking of their nephews and nieces. In some cultures, they are the ones who stay home to take care of their aging parents.

Or, it could be that the cultural and spiritual contributions of gay people nurture our collective human soul. At the risk of validating what some might call a stereotype, I think that many gay people live on the social periphery as artists, and performers, and healers of one sort of another. As such, gay people enhance the quality of life in their communities while not (as frequently) participating directly in the core of those communities — family and politics, for example.

Gay people in Atlantis may have fit in similarly. In many native world cultures,  there is a spiritual role for non-heteronormative men, e.g. the “two spirit” tradition of Native Americans, the hijra of India. These traditions could have existed in a lost, ancient world civilization.

I guess my fascination with the question: “how could Atlantis have existed?” takes inspiration from my pondering on why gays exist.