I was recently tagged by Catherine Cavendish to participate in The Next Big Thing, where authors answer ten questions about their current works in progress. If you haven’t read Cat’s post about what she’s working on now, jump over to her blog to take a look. I love her stories: http://www.catherinecavendish.com/2012/11/the-second-wife-is-my-next-big-thing.html
In turn, I tagged dark fiction writer extraordinaire, Julia Kavan. Julia’s post will go up on her blog on 12th December, so be sure to go over and read it: http://www.juliakavan.com/
So thanks, Cat, for asking me what I’m up to with my writing. Here it is:
What is the working title of your book?
I Love You To Bits
Where did the idea come from for the book?
Like all ideas, from my head 😉 I kid you not. I don’t want to risk being sectioned or labelled as a psychopath, but…every day and week and month that goes by I fall more in love with my partner. Sometimes it hurts and makes me realise how close pain and pleasure are, that a very fine line separates them. The book explores seeking the ultimate act of love to achieve the most intense feelings possible.
What genre does your book fall under?
Horror. Of the psychological kind. (Maybe that should be unkind?)
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I’m afraid my top choices are all dead: James Mason, Vincent Price and Donald Pleasence. If that rules them out and I have to choose from the living…Sam Worthington, Christian Bale and Javier Bardem.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
I hate writing synopses. Pass!
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
That’s an odd question because it presumes there are only those two options – and that’s not true. Just because an author doesn’t have an agent doesn’t mean his/her books have to be self-published. Many authors are published by legitimate publishers without having an agent. I am one of those authors. I’ll be honest, I would like to have a good agent and am always on the look for someone who likes my work enough to want to work with me, but if I can’t find that partner then I will continue to work with publishers directly. I have no plans to self-publish the book.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I’ll let you know when it’s finished. A novel in general takes me about a year; I don’t believe a novel of any real value can be rushed out in a few days and am always astonished when I see writers claiming they have done so.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
None. I’m sure there is one but I haven’t found it yet. If anyone knows, please tell me so I can look it up.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
My partner of fifteen years.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Anyone fed up with ‘horror lite’ should enjoy the challenge and the pushing of the boundaries of acceptability. The human mind can be far more worrying than any monster.
Humanist Funerals 
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