The next big thing in my life turned out to be a dose of flu which attacked me and zonked me out. In my delirious state I thought of brilliant plots for novels and stories. But didn’t have my notebook handy and have forgotten them now!
The historical novelist Maria McCann has tagged me as part of the expanding blog ‘The Next Big Thing’. Thanks, Maria, for including me in this exciting project.
If you haven’t come across ‘The Next Big Thing’, it works as follows: each participant answers questions about their current or forthcoming work before tagging others to do the same thing on their own sites/blogs the following week.
Maria’s invitation was well-timed since I completed my first novel, ‘Talk to Me’, at the end of 2012.
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The idea originally came because I was working as a counsellor and asked the ‘What if?’ question. What if a dedicated counsellor bends the ‘rules’? What if a client comes back to make demands on her?After that, the story rolled into place. There is, I hope, much more to it than I’ve just summarised.
What genre does your book fall under?It’s a psychological novel with mystery. It’s probably on the literary/commercial boundary.
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?I’d like a feisty, intelligent actress to play the lead role of Gina. There are so many wonderful female actors to choose from … someone who can do the domestic role but with an undercurrent of potential violence. I’d like someone with auburn hair. Julianne Moore would be good – I hope she’ll consider the role! Not sure about the guys – could Leonardo di Caprio do one role? Is he a bit too young? How old is he, actually? I think he could grey his hair, add one or two wrinkles, and do well.
What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?I’m hopeless with one-sentence synopses.
Let’s just say: A female counsellor with a past tries to help a client, but gets into deep water.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript? Too long! But other serious events intervened after I’d started it. I’ve already begun my second novel and I will definitely get it finished in a quarter of the time.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?My life-long love of story-telling.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?You might find out something about the murkier aspects of the counselling world.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?I’d love to find an agent to help me on the way to publication.
My ‘tagee’ is Janet Olearski.
I met Janet last summer when we were doing a coaching course together in London. Janet is a London-born writer, coach and teacher based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
She blogs at http://allwriteinabudhabi.wordpress.com and http://lassenoras.wordpress.com
Sarah Barr 