If you visit a lot of author blogs, you might have noticed this "Next Big Thing" thing. Some people are calling it a meme, but it's really just the self-marketing equivalent of a chain letter. A writer answers questions about his or her next project, then "tags" (i.e., suckers and/or browbeats) a small group of fellow authors who are supposed to answer the same questions. A week later, these new writers tag/sucker/browbeat more writers in turn, presumably perpetuating the cycle until everyone who's ever jotted down a limerick or a grocery list has taken part.
I was assimilated into the NBT collective (resistance was futile) by my writer-pal Scott Browne. Unfortunately, I said "yes" to Scott before I said to myself, "What the heck am I gonna write?" Though I've got not one but two exciting projects in the works, it's too early to discuss what's going to become of them. Why? Because I don't know.
Still, a promise is a promise. I agreed to answer questions about my Next Big Things, so I will. But no one said my answers had to be helpful.
The Next Big Thing(s): Project X & Project Y
Where did the ideas come from for the books?
An editor, a friend and my brain.
What genre do your books fall under?
I'd rather not say yet.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in movie renditions?
Lindsay Lohan, Nipsey Russell and Deep Roy.
Just kidding. I'd rather not say yet.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your books?
I'd rather not say yet.
Will your books be self-published or represented by an agency?
I'd rather not say yet.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscripts?
Ah! That I can say! Four months and two months, respectively.
What other books would you compare these stories to within your genre?
I'd rather not say yet.
Who or what inspired you to write these books?
I'd rather not say yet.
No, actually I can answer that one.
Who: Chase Home Lending.
What: my mortgage.
What else about your books might pique the reader’s interest?
I wrote them -- and I'm me! 'Nuff said, right?
BTW, I wasn't Scott's only victim this week. He also tapped Mario Acevedo, Scott Kenemore and John Hornor Jacobs for Next Big Thing reports. You should check 'em out.
And now it's my turn to do the tapping. I've decided to recruit writers who'd be every bit as forthcoming as me.
So tell us, Arthur Conan Doyle, Raymond Chandler and Kurt Vonnegut -- what are your Next Big Things?
Hi Steve, I just now finished Holmes on the Range, a superb read! the plot was convoluted, but it all came together at the end. I hope you have more future books about Gustav and Otto coming up.
Posted by: John Cunningham | December 21, 2012 at 10:53 PM
Hi, John! Thanks for dropping by! I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Holmes on the Range. The series is on hiatus at the moment, but if you haven't read books 2-6 yet you can learn more about them here:
http://www.stevehockensmith.com/steves-books.html
I agree that I might have been juggling a little too much in the first book, plot-wise. That's the challenge of writing mysteries like these. The plot has to be at least a *little* convoluted so the heroes have a tangled web to unravel. But you never want the reader to feel like they need a score card and a flow chart to keep track of everything. Looking back, I'd say Holmes on the Range is probably the most complicated of all the books, and after that I tried to deliver the same array of clues, red herrings, suspects and motives while keeping the plots a little more streamlined.
Posted by: Steve | December 22, 2012 at 10:03 AM