1. What is the title of your Work in
Progress?
Cayuyé
Cayuyé
2. Where did the idea come from for
the book?
I’m a member of an online fantasy writers group. Some years back, the site held a writing challenge to write a flash fiction piece. I wrote a very short story about a boy who was transported to a pre-Colombian Caribbean island where he falls in love with a girl there and lives an entire lifetime with her among the people of the village. The story was originally rooted in a past-life regression session I had done and I was spiritually motivated to see it all the way through. I ended up writing an entire screenplay for the story, but screenplays are hard to sell for first time writers, let alone get representation. I then decided to write the story as a book. The draft is at novella length at approximately 25,000 words.
I’m a member of an online fantasy writers group. Some years back, the site held a writing challenge to write a flash fiction piece. I wrote a very short story about a boy who was transported to a pre-Colombian Caribbean island where he falls in love with a girl there and lives an entire lifetime with her among the people of the village. The story was originally rooted in a past-life regression session I had done and I was spiritually motivated to see it all the way through. I ended up writing an entire screenplay for the story, but screenplays are hard to sell for first time writers, let alone get representation. I then decided to write the story as a book. The draft is at novella length at approximately 25,000 words.
3. What genre does your book fall under?
I’d call it romantic fantasy since the love between the main person, Bori, and his wife, Cayuyé, is the primary story of the book.
4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
I do like movies, but I don’t like actors. I had considered this when I write the screenplay and planned on casting local Virgin Islanders in the roles, maybe even some family members. If I had to pick actors, then I’d pick somebody like Rosario Dawson for Cayuyé. For Bori, I’m thinking somebody like Mark Indelicato (you might know him as the fashion forward younger brother from Ugly Betty).
5. What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?
Tomas is
a nobody fisher boy in his present life until he wakes up as Bori in a Caribbean,
tribal village where he experiences spiritual growth as the shaman, loss of his
family and friends all around him, and an epic romance that spans across
lifetimes with his wife, Cayuyé.
6. Will your book be self-published
or represented by an agency?
Hoping to
start out with a small publishing house and/or agency representation.
7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
About two and a half weeks. When it comes to writing drafts about something I am really passionate about, I crank them out really fast. The revision process, though, will probably take a year or so.
8. What other books would you compare this story to in your genre?
I’ve never really read anything like this one, although, after I wrote the flash piece and most of the screenplay, I did notice some striking similarities with an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation that I had never seen before at the time called “The Inner Light”. I have no qualms with my writing being compared to Star Trek, and I think my story is distinct enough to overcome the similarities.
9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I had learned about a Camp Nanowrimo project that goes on in the summer, and considering that prospects for the screenplay were looking pretty slim, I asked some friends online who had read the screenplay what they thought of turning it into a book, and they jumped on the idea. I then did it for my Nanowrimo project, even though it is far below the word count goal.
10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It’s an uncommon and interesting setting that has gotten some good reviews from folks who have read some of it. The simplicity of the lifestyle, and the personal development Bori has to go through appeal to many readers, I think. I’d like to think that the book will take a lot of people away to a world they may have a fledgling idea of what it’s about, but not what it’s like to immerse themselves in such a dynamic culture. Also, I think the ending will leave folks feeling really uplifted and probably with a few tears. I sure cried a lot writing this one.
Include the link of who tagged you and this explanation for the people you have tagged.
Erica Wagner tagged me: http://doggedlywriting.blogspot.com/
I tagged Daniel Ausema: http://danielausema.blogspot.com/
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