G’day from Brisbane, Australia! I’m
here for ten days visiting my mum, and been tagged by my friend (and
fantastic writer!) April Prince for the Next Big Thing blog hop. No clue what
that is? Never fear, here’s how it works: I answer a set of ten questions about my Next Big Thing/Book, and tag one or more writers to keep the blog
hop going.
Do visit April’s blog and read about her two new board books DIG IN! and DIVE IN!
2. Where did the idea come from for the book?
A real hurricane wedding that we had in the family. I've blogged about it here.
3. What genre does your book fall under?
Contemporary YA.
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
It's hard to think of actors of the right age and ethnicity, but for the
leads I'd pick the lovely Naomi Scott (Lemonade Mouth, Terra Nova) and singer
Zayn Malik of One Direction--though I honestly have no clue if he can act.
5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your
book?
When seventeen year old Mini decides to plan her sister’s Big Fat Indian
Wedding--just like their late mom would have wanted—she doesn't count on
Hurricane Irene getting in the way!
For a longer synopsis click here!
6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
It will be published by Scholastic India’s new YA imprint Scholastic Nova.
I don’t have an agent right now, though I have had in the past.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Ten months
8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
There isn't much like it in YA, either here or in India.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired both by wonderful experiences like the wedding I mentioned
before, which turned out extremely well in spite of everything, and also tragic circumstances like close friends dealing with cancer. While the book is
a fun read it does deal with grief, and
coming to terms with the loss of a parent. Unadulterated happiness is hard to
find in life, and the book reflects that.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It’s about a wedding and a hurricane, but it's also about first cars, first
love, and fashion—I really had a blast writing about that!
Writers you’ve tagged for the NEXT BIG THING Blog Hop.
Yat-Yee Chong and Heather Kelly are both talented writers I’ve known
for many years. Can’t wait to hear about their Next Big Thing!!





