The Next Big Thing: A Blog Hop

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop celebrates what writers are working on or what they have coming up next. Welcome to my stop!

I was tagged by picture book author extraordinaire, Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, author of many favorites, such as Chicks Run Wild, Hampire and Pirate Princess.  See what her next big thing is HERE.

Obviously my post will be a little different from Sudipta’s as my journey is in a different place.  You see, I am pre-published and have just recently started to “put myself out there” in hopes of finding an agent.  That being said, I have one submission-ready manuscript that I am currently shopping around.  I suppose that is what I will talk about here.

1: What is the working title of your book?  LYLE AND THE PENGUINAUTS

2: Where did the idea come from for the book? Never underestimate the creative energy that can be found on Facebook.  LYLE AND THE PENGUINAUTS was inspired by a bad pick-up line that a friend of mine had posted.  Truly.  A picture book inspired by a bad bar pick-up line.  Who’d thunk it?

3: What genre does your book come under?  Picture Book.

A Lego creation inspired by Lyle
by BKNY Bricks

4: Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I have always thought of Lyle as I kind of Buster Keaton-like character.  In fact, in the very early drafts of this story, I did not have Lyle saying anything for that very reason.  He just putters around getting things done.  But even now, I sort of think of his dialogue in thought bubbles.  He is a very internal character.  As for the other penguins, no one in particular stands out.  But I would love to hear the line “Where’s the fish, Lyle?” spoken by John Ratzenberger or Brad Garret (although he would be a little tall for a penguin).

5: What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?   I think I am going to pass on this question, not because I can’t write it.  But because the book is not under contract and I don’t want to give up the plot.  Guess you’ll just have to wait for this one.  J

6: Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? None of the above.  But I’m gonna  keep on keeping on. 

7: How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? I wrote the first draft of my manuscript back in January 2012 for the 12x12 Online Picture Book Challenge.  I sat on the couch in my fiance’s art studio and wrote it in about 2 hours.  Fast forward 13 months, countless critiques and revisions and it is finally done!

8: What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? LYLE AND THE PENGUINAUTS has been called FLIGHT OF THE DODO by Peter Brown meets Kevin Henkes’ KITTEN’S FIRST FULL MOON.

9: Who or what inspired you to write this book? As I said earlier, I initially got inspired by the bad pick-up my friend posted on Facebook.  That little line sparked so many visuals in my head. That’s how it always works with me.  I can have a zillion ideas in a day, but when one sparks an entire movie of visuals to play out, I just have to get it down on paper.

10: What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest? It’s a silly fantasy.  As a writing teacher of mine said of an early draft, “this has the Marcie stamp of humor and absurd joy.” That is what I hope to bring to all of my stories:  A sense of wonder.  A sense of adventure.  A sense of humor.  All packaged in a book to be shared at the most tender of moments…those between an adult and a child.

Thanks for checking out what I’m working on! Next week be sure to stop by the blog of author Nancy Viau who has an amazing Spring ahead with the release of TWO picture books!  You won’t want to miss that!