Wednesday, January 23, 2013

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop



THE NEXT BIG THING BLOG HOP



I was asked by Judith Arnold to participate in this blog hop, and I decided it would be fun to talk about LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE since the book will be released soon. 





1: What is the working title of your book?


LUCY THE WONDER WEENIE!


2: Where did the idea come from for the book?


One morning I was making breakfast for the kids, and I got this idea for a funny story about Lucy, our dachshund. She has an obsessive licking habit, and I thought it would be amusing if her licking problem turned out to be a super-heroic power.




3: What genre does your book come under?

Children's Fiction


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

Julia Roberts would be Lucy, Vanessa Hudgens would be Natty, Tommy Tinkerknuckle would be played by Justin Bieber, and "Mommy" would be played by Kate Beckinsale. Of course.





5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

What happens when an ordinary weenie dog consumes a pile of magic beans? She turns into a super hero! 


6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency?

Self-pubbed.


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


It took me twenty minutes to write the first draft. Then I had to find an illustrator! You all know I am a huge Etsy fan, so I went to Etsy and researched artists who did fun, quirky artwork with animal subjects. Luckily for me, I discovered Sara Pulver at 3Crows. She is a brilliant artist with a quirky sensibility and a fabulous sense of humor. I sent her an email and asked if she was interested in writing a book with me, and she said yes! We had a great time working on this book together. Sometimes Sara would come up with an adorable painting, and I would adjust the text to reflect her vision of the story. We worked on the book for months. Sara's artwork blows me away. She is an awesome collaborator with amazing creativity. I feel very lucky and blessed to have found such a perfect partner-in-crime for my first children's book.



Sara's painting Cat Road Trip, available at Etsy.
Her paintings are full of fun, color and humor!


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

I'm not sure exactly, but I do see some similarities with Richard Scarry books. Sara adds a lot of fun detail into the background of her paintings, so it creates a really entertaining vision for the reader, examining all the characters and unexpected treasures that add so much to the story.


9: Who or what inspired you to write this book?

Lucy, my dachshund. She's a nine pound long-haired, black-and-tan miniature doxie who is a total sweetheart, but lazy as anything. She hates going for walks! Seriously. Who has ever heard of a dog who hates walks? Diva!





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


This is going to be a series! We are already brainstorming additional stories for Lucy. I have a fun one for Christmas that involves Lucy stealing a stocking and wrecking Christmas. Then she has to use her super hero powers to fix it! 


Another cool thing about this book is that we're releasing it in hard cover, paperback and digital formats. There's something for everyone. 

Thanks so much to all of my readers, colleagues and friends who have supported me on this crazy adventure. I can't wait to release this book. Should be soon. I will make a big announcement when it's release day!




Please stop by Heather Rigney's blog Mermaids Love Sushi to check out her post for this blog hop. I adored the story idea she's working on now. Really fun and funky!


Stop by Judith Arnold's blog to see what she's working on next--a women's fiction novel called The April Tree. It sounds wonderful.

Thanks for stopping by!
Penny