In Which I Answer Questions You Didn't Ask

I don’t talk about my WIP too often, and when I do I don’t go into many specifics. And yet I love when other writers do that. So I’m glad the lovely Caroline Richmond tagged me with this fun survey.

So let’s get to it:

What is the working title of your book?

Alive

What genre does your book fall under?

It’s a young adult science fiction novel.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Curse you, questionnaire! I’m terrible at this, and since mine is a work in progress I haven’t given this a ton of thought. But here it goes: When she discovers Eli’s healing ability, Alex plans to bring her sister back to life but never expects to uncover lies about her childhood.

Yeah. Um, moving on...

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I’ve mentioned before that I have a rare chronic pain condition called erythromelalgia, which causes my feet to burn. Like, literally. Anyhow, one day when I was in excruciating pain, The Man said he wished there was something he could do. I joked that he’d be my favorite person in the world if with a touch he could heal me. That was the original spark.

Of course, I was in such pain that I would have taken any side effect of being healed. Which is why I told him that I’d still let him heal me even if he first had to kill me. Anyhow, that’s how I imagined the sci-fi element. Even now, as I (hopefully) near the end of revisions, that’s a huge part of the book: Eli can heal, but the first touch kills.

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

I’d been thinking of Alive for months, so when I finally opened the blank Word document it sort of poured out. I can’t remember exactly, but I believe it took me a few weeks to write the first draft.

I haven’t been so quick with the revisions. Which is to say, the revisions are taking me forever and a millennia.

May we see an intro?

How about the first three lines, and only because you asked so very nicely:

The alcohol was always cold. Henry swabbed my arm, raising goosebumps with each swipe. My teeth chattered.

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

I’m having a hard time with this one because one Eli has a shaved head. And while it’s very easy for any actor to shave his head, not many do. (I know this because I’ve searched high and low for a decent photo representation of him.)

Going only off looks and not acting ability (because, really, anyone can dye their hair red or shave theirs off), here’s who I see for my characters:

Alex, the protagonist, has red hair and a scar split that her chest in half, which I clearly cannot illustrate with real, live actresses who are typically unblemished. Here’s why I chose Lily Cole: The only other redheaded teen actress I can think of is Lily Collins, and I see Alex as having more delicate features. I have no idea if Lily Cole is a decent actress, but I do know she’s acted, which makes her fair game for this question.

Eli, the love interest, has a shaved head and a beauty mark above his lips. If someone finds a teen actor with both of those things, you get a virtual high-five. Mostly I see Eli as what I imagine a teen Wentworth Miller would look like.

Will, the best friend, has an all-American look. I cannot think of an actor who looks more squeaky clean than Logan Lerman. CANNOT!

Violet, the new friend, has thick black hair, porcelain skin, and freckles over her nose. I pictured Violet as gorgeous Korean singer/actress Sulli but with freckles à la Lucy Lui.

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

I haven’t given a ton of thought to this—it’s cataloged under “query stuffs” in my brain—but I’d say the sci-fi is much like The Adoration of Jenna Fox: it’s a similar world to our own but there’s medical advances that make it sci-fi.   

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

I’m hoping it will be represented by an agency and then traditionally published, but I haven’t queried agents with it yet, so that remains to be seen.

I really like learning more about writers’ projects, so I’ll be greedy and tag all of you. And because I’m also impatient, I’ll ask you something here:

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