You've found the home on the net for romance writer, LaVerne Clark. Thanks for visiting! :)

I write suspense and light fantasy/paranormal set in the beautiful country of New Zealand. A land of myths and magic, Aotearoa (Maori for Long White Cloud) has always been a storytelling nation and it is my pleasure to share mine with you.

Make yourself your drink of choice, stay a while and feel free to leave comments. I love to meet new friends.



Heartpounding suspense and fantasy Downunder



Thursday, October 4, 2012

The Next Big Thing - Blog Hop


Blog Hop!! What fun J

Thank you to the incomparable Vonnie Davis for tagging me. Check out her answers to the ten questions – I guarantee you will be entertained. And while you’re there – check out her books. I’ve ADORED every one and I know you will too J


The rules for the blog hop are as follows:


****Give credit to the person/blog that tagged you

**** Post the rules for the blog hop

****Answer these ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress) on your blog

****Tag five other writers/bloggers and add their links so we can hop over and meet them.


Ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing:

What is the working title of your book?  The Talisman

Where did the idea come from for the book?  In 1886, in the early morning of a cold winter’s day, one of New Zealand’s dormant volcanoes woke with catastrophic effect. Mt. Tarawera exploded in a fiery display, burying the township of Te Wairoa under a mountain of mud and ash. After visiting this area as a teenager, I was haunted by it and my imagination all too easily painted a picture of how it must have been for the people trapped by such an event. It would have been like hell on earth. Not long after my visit, I came across the images of victims from Pompeii and the beginning of a story started to form in my mind of a body discovered over a century later, an object clutched in his hand.

What genre does your book fall under?  Paranormal with touches of suspense.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?  Ooo – that is a toughie! My heroine is half-Maori and I’ve only ever visualised her in my head. Okay - here is my attempt at Aroha and Jake:
 
 
 

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  You're joking right?! You're not? *groan* - can I get back to you on that one? :)

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?  I like working with a publishing house too much to go the self-publishing route just yet, but I admire anyone who does. An agent? How cool would that be?! Maybe one day...

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?  I'm still writing it. This poor story was rudely interrupted after I received a great initial rejection from my dream publisher on another story. They wanted me to extend that submission and resend to their suspense line - so I've been working hard on that over the past four months. I'm crossing my toes (my fingers are busy) while I wait to hear about its fate J

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  I'd never dream of comparing my story to others. I think I'll let my readers do that J

Who or What inspired you to write this book? Being of Maori descent (I know! I'm as far from Maori looking as you can get!), the culture has always fascinated me. They are a story-telling race and relied on word-of-mouth to keep those stories alive from generation to generation. They are also a very spiritual people and I wanted to keep the essence of both of those aspects at the heart of my story. 

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?  This story is set in New Zealand's thermal heart - the central North Island. The land is tempestuous, rugged and strangely beautiful and my characters match the landscape, their relationship as explosive as the slumbering giant of Tarawera. I hope readers find themselves as fascinated by this magical part of the world as I am.

Thank you Vonnie for tagging me! That was fun! 

I tag --
Cherie Le Clare - http://cherieleclare.com/
Catherine Mede - http://catherinemede.com/
 

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for tagging me, LaVerne!

    I've had a peak at The Talisman and can tell you all it's going to be incredible!

    I love the actors you chose :D

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  2. Ohhh, I'm intrigued by your WIP already. Sounds great LaVerne.

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  3. Thank you very much for tagging me, LaVerne:) Unfortunately, I have picked up another virus so not feeling well enough to blog at the moment. Going back to bed soon, same story as yesterday!

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