So, I was tagged to do this “The Next Big Thing” meme, by one of my favorite author people, J.M. Frey. The way it works, I tag five other authors in turn to participate by answering the questions below.

Naturally, I tagged the following authors:

Anthology J.M. Frey and I are in together. Check it out!

R.B. Wood

Steve Umstead

Roni Loren

Angela Ackerman

Peter Salomon

Now, not all of them could participate, but you should check them out anyway because they’re talented writers, great people, and they all work really hard to give back to the writing community as well.

So, there were questions, right? Here they are with my answers. And check out writers all over the web participating in The Next Big Thing!

What is the working title of your book?

Cascade Effect

 Where did the idea come from for the book?

This one’s the sequel to Fighting Gravity, my debut novel that came out this past spring.

 What genre does your book fall under?

Science fiction with a bit of a gay love story on the side.

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

I haven’t the foggiest. I’m not a very visual person, so even if I knew the names of more than the top five or six actors right now, I’ve never been able to picture any of them as my guys.

 What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Jacob thought marrying the emperor would make him safe; but he’s in more danger than ever, and this time, his worst enemy knows the one secret Jacob’s desperate to keep from the emperor.

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

Neither. I signed with a small publisher without an agent.

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

It took shape over the course of about four months, but if I’m honest, the actual writing time was about three weeks worth of eight hour writing days sprinkled out over those four months.

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

If anything, I think my brand of scifi most resembles Anne McCaffrey’s style of light but plausible sci-fi that’s very character centric.

 Who or What inspired you to write this book?

The writing fairies? I’m not sure “inspired” is the right word, but my husband was the one who convinced me to actually put it down on paper instead of just storing these stories in my head.

 What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

One thing people really seem to like about the series so far is that it addresses prejudice and social injustice in a story centering on a same sex relationship—where the sexuality of the people involved is a complete non-issue. It’s not only not what you’d expect, but really refreshing to me to get to read about a same-sex couple without their sexual preferences being The Issue.

OK, now that you know what I’ve got going on, check in with J.M. Frey and the other great authors on the tour. And Have Fun!