Anywho, let's just get into the tag. Technically, you're s'posed to fill it out for a more developed story, but I have a soft spot in my heart for my Kianna story, so I'm doing that one.
1. What is the working title of your book? Kianna. Real original, eh? I have a feeling I'm going to change it, but that's what it is right now.
2. Where did the idea come from for the book? Seriously? A weird dream I had about myself in an old manor with secret passageways, overlooking a dreary beach with a killer whale in the background. And it was like most dreams: something happened, although I cannot recall what, and I had to go somewhere, a place I didn't know, and I had to go with someone I despised, a person I don't know or truly despise. From that, I drafted the beginning of the story in my mind, taking myself out, of course, and inserting a girl with dark hair and a terrible habit of holding grudges.
3. What genre does your book come under? Again... not an easy question. Fantasy, to be generic, because it is part of my big fantasy world and what I would define as fantasy (and I'm talking REAL fantasy, not some modern excuse for the celebrated genre). Adventure would be a big tag for this book, because it does involve ships, fights, and treasure. Can't think of anything else I'd put it under.
4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I don't know all the characters yet, so.... hmm... well, I can try to cast some of them.
And Nathen Penser, Kianna's sworn enemy, played by Gaspard Ulliel.
Those are the two main characters in the book. Other main characters I haven't named yet, so it's difficult to get pictures of them. I know next-to-nothing about these two actors, though, so I'm really only going by looks here and what I imagined my characters to look like. Kianna is moody, argumentative, and fiesty, while Nathen is, in his own right, ready to get things done and not sit around moping yet at the same time he isn't afraid to stop and think about things, although he's rather oblivious at times... if that helps you at all with their personalities.
5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? After the capture of her family, Kianna is forced to team up with a childhood enemy and find the location of a legendary treasure... before it's too late.
6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? Most likely self-published.
7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? Still writing!! I've only been working on this for a month or two, and the manuscript only boasts just under 3,000 words. I know this should be a project I push aside and stew over for a while because I don't have all the details fleshed out yet (it's really a story muddled from a bunch of pictures in my mind), but I got too excited about it and had to start it.
8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Hmm... the more I'm thinking about it, I think Robert Louis Stevenson's Kidnapped might be a good comparison, only it's about a girl, not a boy, and she goes willing on an adventure, while he's kidnapped, and she works with an enemy, while he has a good friend helping him, and her destination is somewhere over the sea and rocks, and he was doomed to wander over highlands and moores. Or maybe not so comparable... The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, maybe? But my fantasy world of Pennin is not quite the same as Narnia.
9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? The aforementioned weird dream (please, please, please tell me I'm not the only one to get random book inspirations in nonsensical dreams!!), and the following picture. No idea who this is (actually, I think it's someone who plays the violin, because I've seen another picture with her holding a fiddle), but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was the perfect Kianna. The dark hair, the dark eyes, the dark expression, the ocean in the background... perfect.
10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I'm going to fall back on what I answered this question with last time: a snippet. Get ready; this is rather lengthy. ;)
Athlia
and the duchess had exchanged several phrases on the topic of their
recent lives, as well as plenty of the sorrowful lamentations
relating to not being able to keep in contact more, as they should
have liked. Kianna wondered at their conversation, knowing both
women, while busy with the livelihoods of their respective families
and unable to visit more than twice in one month, to write lengthy
correspondence each week, and in each epistle to convey to the other
such things that it would have made it impossible in the girl's mind
to hold any type of conversation anytime afterwards, considering all
things that could have been said face to face had already been said
in the numerous missives. Still, neither woman suffered from a lack
of words, each uttering something just as soon as the other had
almost finished her last thought.
“And
where is our dear Nathen?” Athlia asked, tossing a pointed glance
at Kianna as she spoke the words. “He did accompany you here, I
hope?”
“Oh,
yes, indeed.” Duchess Wilaroth waved a plump hand in the direction
of the door. “He paused on the step to share a few words with your
man, Sorhd, I believe his name is. My darling boy has always
considered him a great friend, so he would see that he paid his
respects. He's always so thoughtful that way, you know. I do not like
to be one to boast, but it is the opinion of myself and of his father
that Père blessed us with an angel rather than a normal boy.
He was at the head of his classes at the university, and was quite
the favorite among both masters and students, although he would not
deem it proper for himself to magnify such praises. He always was
such a modest boy, and his father and I are extremely proud of him.”
“As
any parents should be.” Athlia responded.
Kianna's
jaw only grew tighter as she watched her mother's face beam with joy.
It was as if she enjoyed hearing about all of his
accomplishments, thinking him
to be the grand son the mother made him
out to be, forgetting, or perhaps worse, feeling ashamed of the
daughter who was nothing compared to this angel. A dash of jealously
nibbled at Kianna's heart, and she maliciously let it take root. Why
not? He
already
held the honor of being equal with dirt in her mind; a simple
smattering of jealously wouldn't do much harm to that opinion.
Indeed, it might better it in the respect of turning the honor to
mud.
“Ah,
there he is now!” The duchess exclaimed cheerily as though she had
just announced the discovery of a blue bird on the windowsill.
Kianna,
who hadn't taken her burning eyes off the doorway for a moment,
stiffened at the proclamation. A bit of dark cuff appeared first,
followed slowly by the rest of the sleeve, up to the elbow, and then several more inches where
it leveled out to accommodate shoulders. After the entire arm was in
view, a booted foot materialized on the floorboards running
lengthwise under the door frame, connected to a leg covered in
breeches made of the finest cloth in Pennin. Another moment, and
Nathen stood whole in the door, surveying the company in the room
with his hands on his hips and his eyes bright with anticipation.
Athlia
immediately surrendered her place by the duchess's side and moved to
give her hands to the boy. “Nathen! How you've grown! And such a
fine young man, too. Your mother was just telling us all about your
achievements at school. Oh, we have missed you greatly in these last
few years.”
Nathen
took the hands she offered him and bowed. “Not nearly as much as I
have missed you all, I'm sure.” He said, standing straight again.
His gaze traveled briefly from Athlia's face to that of her eldest
daughter. Kianna met the look squarely for a moment, allowing the ire
to emanate from her own eyes without caring how Nathen interpreted
it, then turned her head sharply to look out the window as if she
hadn't seen him at all.
God bless!
This sounds so cool! Can't wait till it's finished!
ReplyDelete-Belle
Don't worry: I'm 45,000 words into a story that I literally dreamed up...so you're not the only one :)
ReplyDeleteThis was sounds really interesting! :)
You are definitely not the only one to get book ideas in dreams! I do it alll the time. In fact, I did it last night when I dreamed about a Texan from modern times finding his way into the 1800s and getting cell phones to work there and...ahem. Yes, definitely nonsensical.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, this story sounds so fun! And your writing...agh! It's so goooood! Loved the snippet!
I once dreamed that I discovered that my mom was a mermaid queen ... which turned into my book Cayra, and let's not even begin to list all of my sister's books which began as dreams ...
ReplyDeleteKianna sounds more intriguing every time you talk about it!