Judith Ridgley tagged me for a blog hop called THE NEXT BIG THING. The idea is to talk about my WIP or a recent book I’ve written, answering 10 questions, and then tagging another group of authors to do the same the following week. I’ve chosen to answer questions about UNRAVELLED, a recently completed novel.

What is the working title of your book? Unravelled is the current working title, although at one time I called the book While the Secret Sits.

Where did the idea come from for the book? I’ve been working on this book since 2006, a time when I was living in Hong Kong with my husband but unable to work full time. Originally, the book followed the lives of my grandparents with particular focus on WWI, a war in which my grandfather fought, trenches and all. After many revisions, the story bears little resemblance to my grandparents’ lives other than two world wars and one spy training organization.

What genre does your book fall under? Historical fiction. Isn’t that what everyone wants to read?

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I’m not a particularly dedicated movie fan, however, Kevin Costner or Colin Firth might be great leads, not too pretty, capable of being the strong, silent type who endured two world wars, operating wireless machines in WWI and training spies in WWII. Perhaps Cate Blanchett or Anne Hathaway for the female lead.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? Two wars, two affairs, one marriage. I came up with this tag line a month ago and really like it.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I’m debating that point at this very moment and leaning towards self-publishing because the 100th anniversary of WWI is less than two years away and I believe my novel should be part of commemorating the sacrifice that occurred.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? About eighteen months since I was teaching myself about writing fiction at the same time. Now, if you were to ask about the time until this latest draft is ready – the answer would be another five years. In the meantime, I’ve written two more books.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? I like to think it’s similar to Fallen Skies by Philippa Gregory, or The Postmistress by Sarah Blake, or Deafening by Frances Itani. I’ve read many books set in WWI and WWII and these come to mind because of style and subject matter.

Who or What inspired you to write this book? As mentioned, I began with my grandparents’ lives but then research took over. The more I discovered about WWI, the more I wanted to write a story to explore the affects of war on ordinary people.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? I have written a companion novel called Lies Told in Silence that explores a portion of the story from another character’s point of view. The second novel is set in France during WWI.

And now to tag some other awesome authors …

Sophie Schiller is a writer of historical fiction and spy thrillers. She’s been on my blog talking about her book called Transfer Day. Her own blog is at  http://sophieschiller.blogspot.com

Richard Sutton has written two novels, The Red Gate and Gatekeepers about the O’Deirg family and the ancient secret they are charged to protect. He blogs at  http://www.sailletales.com

Kirstie Olley lives in Australia and calls herself a speculative fiction writer. Give her a round of applause for just completing NaNoWriMo!! She blogs at http://www.storybookperfect.com/.

Geoffrey Fox is American born but lives in Spain. He has earned a living as a writer – kudos for that, Geoffrey – and has several works of non-fiction as well as a book of short stories to his credit. You can find him at www.geoffreyfox.com .