The Next Big Thing Blog Hop


This is Week #16 of The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.

I want to thank C. Lee McKenzie for inviting me to participate. When you are finished reading, be sure to 'hop' over the her site and see her post from last week. (The inspiration behind her book is awesome!)

For those of you unfamiliar with a blog hop, you get to follow links to other blogs to learn (in this case) about other books, published or works-in-progress. It's like mining diamonds!

Now, my turn to tell you about MY next big thing:

What is the working title of your book?

Published in August, my book’s title is Save the Lemmings

Where did the idea come from for the book?

It formed while I slept. I didn’t dream about it, but I woke before the sun one morning with a fully formed idea. I wasn’t even at home! I was sleeping on the couch of a hotel suite I was sharing with my sisters. I quietly slid my laptop out of my bag and powered it up to capture the idea.

What genre does your book fall under?

Older middle grade or young-young adult contemporary fiction.

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

First, can I just say, this would make a GREAT Disney movie! So finding the ideal cast was really fun. Here's who I'd hire: 

Natalie - Prissy, smart inventor. Always spouting inspirational sayings. Played by Elle Fanning
  
















Tameeka - the no nonsense, takes no crap, techno geek. Played by Cymphonique Miller


Sandra - the grumpy mathlete. Played by Hailee Steinfeld



Jayne - the (not so) fashionista with psoriasis. Played by Abigail Breslin -  She would ROCK this part!


What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

When her Texty-Talky invention makes Natalie an overnight sensation, the media digs until they find a way to smear her goody-goody image.

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

Save the Lemmings was published by Featherweight Press – a publisher of children’s and young adult books.

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

I have no idea!

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

I wish I could think of one. Even an Amazon search under media, volunteering and lemmings didn’t come up with anything that seemed similar. I'd love to hear if readers were reminded of books they've read.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Events such as Princess Diana’s death, the constant Twitter rumors of dead celebrities – who are still very much alive, sensational reporting of couples like Ashton & Demi or Angela & Brad. Just how the media exposes things and the public eats it up.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

There really are lemmings in the book, but they don’t necessarily need saving. The idea that lemmings blindly follow each other over cliffs is exaggerated. A huge movie company even made a documentary about it back in the 50’s, fueling the idea of the lemmings’ thoughtless suicides – even though it wasn’t true! Isn’t it interesting how we believed the documentary because it came from a reputable company? Kind of like a lemming blindly follows…oh wait…they actually don’t, but we’ve been led to believe it so now lemmings represent the thoughtless following of a person or ideas. What a conundrum!

Oh, and lemmings are cute! 

Now I get to tag next week’s authors. Be sure to visit their posts next week to hear about their next big thing.

Jo Ramsey
Kate Ellison
Shel Delisle

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 3, 2012 at 7:27 AM

    I've been hearing great things about this book. CONGRATS, Kai.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beverly Stowe McClureOctober 4, 2012 at 7:03 AM

    Oh, your characters look just right, especially Natalie. Love the info about lemmings, too. I never really thought about them, but they are cute little critters.

    Both of your latest books are wonderful stories and would make great Christmas gifts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorOctober 4, 2012 at 10:21 AM

      I didn't know how much fun it is to 'cast' your book. Could be a new time suck for me. Just what I need.

      Thanks for the sweet words for my books. <3

      Delete
  3. Shel DelisleOctober 10, 2012 at 11:16 AM

    Kai, I love your casting!

    And, have you ever read Frindle by Andrew Clements? It's a wonderful book and a little younger than SAVE THE LEMMINGS, but there are some similarities, especially with the media!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Kai Strand, AuthorOctober 10, 2012 at 1:31 PM

      I haven't read Frindle, but now I'll have to. Thanks!

      Delete

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