The following is a list of questions in a Tag Game for Writers sent to me by writer friend, Janie Wilder Bill. At her blog, she tells about her Work in Progress, Under a Full Moon, a young adult mystery centering on a crime committed near a lagoon.
Because Halloween is coming, I am answering about my middle grade Halloween fantasy.
What is the working title of your book?
The House in Windward Leaves
Where did the idea come
from for the book?
The House in Windward Leaves began as a short
story that I wrote for a Halloween storytelling at The Loft literary center in Minneapolis. A block away from where I lived in Minneapolis was a brick house
whose walls and windows were streaming with leaves, stunning in the fall. Apparently, the owners liked looking at the
leaves outside their windows, if anyone lived there. My idea began with the question “What do you
want to be when you grow up?”, a question that is so speculative that it might
be best if kids could somehow try out their ideas. In the book, the children are enchanted to a
star community where costumes make the kids.
Middle grade fantasy.
Which actors would you
choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
If this were to be filmed, I see it as animation first. But it could be filmed with actors and that might make it more amusing. I see Mistral the Enchanter part as an older actor, not very tall, and capable of doing the eccentric character, maybe a Richard Dreyfuss type or possibly a Robin Williams. Ideally, it would be a small man. I’m not sure about the child parts except that I think they should be children. Riff Raff the thief - Jim Carrey? – but he might be too tall for the other characters. Matilda is orange-haired and cat-like.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
If this were to be filmed, I see it as animation first. But it could be filmed with actors and that might make it more amusing. I see Mistral the Enchanter part as an older actor, not very tall, and capable of doing the eccentric character, maybe a Richard Dreyfuss type or possibly a Robin Williams. Ideally, it would be a small man. I’m not sure about the child parts except that I think they should be children. Riff Raff the thief - Jim Carrey? – but he might be too tall for the other characters. Matilda is orange-haired and cat-like.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
The wayward Sadie leads
her friends into an enchantment where their Halloween costumes become real.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
The House inWindward Leaves is my first
published book, the only one self-published so far. At this time, I am considering another
printing with illustrations.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
This took some months,
probably six to eight months. Actually,
I wrote it many years ago and then rewrote it in the last few years.
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Beyond its being a
fantasy, The House in Windward Leaves is a satire or comedy. I would say it came from the inspiration of
Roald Dahl and that it has identity issues that appear in the Narnia books by
C. S. Lewis. The characters feel they
must fulfill a role, and that causes conflict with their sense of identity.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
I always loved
Halloween and especially Halloween parties.
Yet before I ever blocked in writing, I used to block at the choice of a
Halloween costume. I wanted to do
something creative but once in that costume, it seemed to affect the entire
evening, especially at college and adult parties.
I was never much for acting
but I spent time in the orchestra pit, playing flute and piccolo for musical
theatre in high school, college, and in the Twin Cities. It was remarkable to me that actors could
live these roles in their costumes.
What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
As mentioned before,
this book is set up a little like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and
the Narnia books. There are six main
child characters, and because each of them is different, one’s adventures might
be an identification point during the enchantment.
I now tag the following world-great writer pals!
Elizabeth Marcus
John Campbell
Gerry McCullough
John Booth
Catherine Condie