The Next Big Thing (Week 26)

My awesome friend, DB Graves, has tagged me with this meme where I get to go on an on and on about my WIP (uhm, sorry?) BUT! Then I get to tag some other awesome peeps and you get to go read about their WIPS! (much better, right?) And if you click on the link above, you get to read what she posted about her (believe me, awesome) paranormal WIP last week.

Ready?

1. What is the working title of your book?

• You and I ... it used to go by Mini Sock Boy (or MSB) on this blog, but while working on a Bollywood flash mob scene, I pulled up some of my favorite music, including tracks from Hum Tum ("You and I.") The name just seemed to fit so well and the movie's theme of true love never quite remaining unrequited really resonated with some plot points. Now I have a little in-joke with the title :)

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

• Anyone remember The Tale of the Mini Socks? Well, I was telling this story to someone and she said it might make a fun book. I had a problem, though- I was a paranormal/fantasy writer through and through... and I couldn't see how I could translate that little piece of life into an entire book-length story. But the idea rattled around in my brain, mixed with every awkward moment I ever had in high school, and out came book- and knitting- obsessed Phoebe, whose entire world is a giant YA novel waiting to happen.

3. What Genre does your book fall under?

• Contemporary (GASP!!!)

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

• This one is hard. I tend to keep my descriptions fairly ambiguous for most of my characters because I want the reader to insert her/his own casting. Grace, for example, is described as having "strawberry blonde hair" and while I've seen caucasian actresses who would fit her character, I also saw a picture the other day of a Korean actress with bleached hair who would fit her as well. Em might have a Greek name (Ephemie) but her dark curls and dark eyes can fit into any number of cultures. But... let's try casting the two MCs:
• Phoebe Martins: In my head, Phoebe is at least half Brazilian and part Portuguese, with grey eyes and a complexion that tans easily. Martins is a common last name in both Portugal and Brazil and her extended family lives in Massachusetts, which has a strong Portuguese and Brazillian community. (hi, background info that never makes it into the story :) !!!)
• So, I actually chose a Portuguese actress who, in a perfect world, would play Phoebe: Mafalda Tavares, back when she was on Morangos com Açucar: 



Her hair is that perfect wurly-ness for Feebs!
Image credit: http://fasmafaldatavares.blogspot.com/






And this is totally Phoebe post-Grace makeover. She wears her hair curled most of the last 2/3rds of the story
Image credit: The actress' facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=180912171970128

 Phoebe also has an older sister, so who better to play Trixie than the other talented Tavares sibling, Cátia:






Their age difference is so perfect and Cátia is also adorable. Who better to play her college-aged fashion-fairy godmother sister?
Image credit: Fas da Catia e da Mafalda Tavares 

• Dev Andrews (last name still in flux): Dev's parents hail from Mumbai, so I'm thinking:
 A younger Shahid Kapoor *swoon*:

C'mon. Wouldn't you want him to serenade you?
Image Credit: Bollywood Pictures Online: http://www.bollywoodpicturesonline.com/shahid_kapoor_01.htm

 And he's just so adorable ("That's All I Really Wanna Do", from Teri Meri Kahaani):

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

• When book-geek Phoebe finds out the hottest guy in the clarinet section is crushing on her, she turns to her fictional idols for advice.

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

• I'm still on the traditional publishing bandwagon *crosses fingers* and I'll just keep writing in hopes that someday I get picked up. Nothing against self-pub, it's just not for me right now.

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

• I'm usually a fast first-drafter. This one has been slower than usual because of a lot of things that went on in my life (and lots of buisness lunch meetings, which cut into my lunch writing time.) I was already playing around with the two main characters back in February, was outlining March for a plot, voice and pacing came in late April thanks to the SCBWI Poconos retreat, and I really started around July. It will be finished either the end of this month or early December. I miss my 3 month draft binges!

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

• Probably Anna and the French Kiss, Smart Girls Get What They Want, and Anne of Green Gables (yup, rocking it old-school with contemporary)

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

• I'd like to thank mini sock boy, who gave me the catalyst for Phoebe's absolutely miserable situation. Mwahaha. Other inspirations: Every single YA author on the planet, 6th grade camp, Concert band/Wind Ensemble, and the Pine Barrens.

10. What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

• This is the book for any girl who has had book boyfriends, who can read and walk at the same time, who dresses like the fictional character du jour, and wishes she was the MC with the hot love interest. Translation: This is an ode to book geeks everywhere.

 Now for the tags. I want to tag each and every one of you because I'm dying to hear more about your WIPs, but since the list would go on forever, I'm only tagging two people based on theme:

In keeping with the Portuguese/Brazilian theme, I'm tagging Rebecca Carvalho
And
In keeping with the New Jersey theme, I'd like to tag Jaybird over at The Bird's Nest

Can't wait to see what you two ladies post next week!

Wanderlust and Wanderlove

YA Highway posted a Road Trip Wednesday this week that hits a topic near and dear to my heart...

Travel.

If you could wander anywhere in the world, where would it be, and why?

 If you haven't figured it out from this blog, I love to travel and fall in love so easily with places and people and food (oh, the foods!) My dad is still a little bit disappointed that I never tried to break into travel writing beyond my trip blog.  But the fact is... traveling inspires me. Travel writing doesn't.

For this RTW, I ran over to my planner and pulled out two post-it notes that I keep stuck to my front cover. On those post-its are lists that are constantly evolving:

The Top Ten Places that I want to visit*-- in no particular order:
*That I haven't already visited

1. Greece
2. Egypt
3. Morocco
4. China (during dumpling season... I just want to wander in the cold from dumpling house to dumpling house until they have to roll me back onto a plane)
5. Japan
6. Toronto, Canada (specific, eh? But TO and I have a long history of things happening-- like SARS-- that kept me from visiting. I WILL visit the CN tower one of these days!)
7. The Catskills or Adirondack mountains in the fall/winter (visit meaning: stay at least overnight, since I've been to both on day trips.)
8. Luxembourg
9. Austria.  I blame "The Sound of Music" for this choice.
10. Chile

and...

At the Karla caves in Maharashtra State, India

The Top Ten Places I've been to and want to revisit (again, in no particular order):

1.  Portugal (of course): Evora, Sortelha... it's a little country, but I love every bit of it.
2.  Seville, Spain. Oh, Seville... I love, love, love wandering this city at night.
3.  New Orleans, LA: I don't drink and adore wandering this city early in the morning as it wakes up, so I'm probably an oddity when it comes to tourists in NOLA. But, it truly is beautiful, filled with the greatest music and food and atmosphere on the planet.
4.  Quebec, Canada. Duh.  QC is awesome. Even if I don't really like poutine.
5.  India.  Two weeks was just enough to make me dream of more, more, more.

Sunset over Marine Drive in Mumbai, India
(yes, that's a wrist brace. I traveled with a sprained wrist
and sinus infection. Because I'm tough!)

6.  Prince Edward Island, Canada. The "Gentle Island" captured my heart.  Anybody from there want to adopt me?  Technically, I'd qualify as a "skilled immigrant", if that would make the paperwork easier.  And I actually did pick potatoes a few times as a child...
7.  Ottawa, ON, Canada: I want to skate the Rideau Canal again and then I want to go there during the tulip festival. Oh, and if I do go back? I'm SO staying in the same hotel as I did during my last visit.
8.  Nova Scotia... aw, hell, I should just have written Canada, shouldn't I? That would have covered all 4 mentions on this list.  Uhm, I just really, really like it up there and I have the stamps on my passport to prove it.

Maybe I should put this on blog entries that need a CanCon warning?

The rocks at Peggy's Cove, NS. Don't climb on these.

9.  Nashville, TN. I went there for work and got to see so little of the city, but I'm curious to see more.
10.  France. I really miss Bordeaux and CDG airport (for a while there, I had the terminal layout during construction memorized. And the skating schedule at the ice rink in Bordeaux centre memorized, too.)

Now that you've seen my explosion of wanderlust, tell me about yours!  Where do you dream of wandering?

(ETA 16-March: If anyone wants advice on travelling, travel safety, travelling alone, even finding ways to fund travel, I TOTALLY recommend Wanderlust and Lipstick. Beth's advice is great and I've completely worn out my copies of "Wanderlust and Lipstick for Women Travelling Solo" and "...For Women Travelling to India."  A lot of her advice is common travel sense, but we don't always think of everything! The blogs on her site are also a GREAT way to fuel your wanderlust.

Also, my favorite travel guidebooks come from Lonely Planet. I've found their descriptions and recommendations to be the best and love reading their guidebooks as if they were novels.)

Some of My Favorite (non-castle-y) Places

Warning: there may be more images in this post than actual post.  I'm in a travelling mood!

There are places that I've loved from the moment that I set eyes on them:
(click to "biggify")

Agra, India (specifically, the Taj Mahal!):

The Historic Hudson Valley region of New York (Like the legendary Old Dutch Church in Sleepy Hollow!):

Prince Edward Island, Canada (colors like Oz... SERIOUSLY):

Ottawa, Canada (the Rideau Canal might be a big reason why!  Those are skates on my feet):

... and my home skating rink (yes, those ARE the REAL Flyers practicing):

Worlds apart, but all magical in their own ways.  I hope to share some of these with you as I go deeper into this blog!