The Next Big Thing

I received an email from my publisher with the headline: You’re The Next Big Thing! 

What?!? Me?  The next big thing?  I’m not sure that is possible.  (Of course, anything that God ordains is possible and probable. I’d just have to believe it could happen to ME.)

I started thinking about the possibility of being a “Big Thing.”  I wondered if it would get me a better table at restaurants.  I wondered if I could finally get mail delivery.  I sat and fantasized about being Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman; the part where she was able to go shopping and buy whatever she wanted, and told the sales woman she had make a big mistake when she had refused to help her. 

Then the kids started yelling something about me having to feed them every day and homework needed to be checked and laundry needed to be done … and I realized it would be a while before I was ever that big of a thing.

I was tagged by the wonderfully talented Lenore Skomal.  If you haven’t checked her out, head on over to http://www.lenoreskomal.com/ —you won’t be disappointed.  Thank you for the confidence you have showed in me, Lenore. I am humbled and inspired to hopefully prove you right.

So without further ado, here we go:

1. What is the working title of your book?

God Has Better Things to Do than My Laundry (and other observations from an overly dramatic mom)

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I have been writing it for about three years, not knowing at the time that it would one day become a book, yet secretly fantasizing of one day having it published into a book.  I just recorded life stories and lessons learned. 

3. What genre does your book fall under?

Nonfiction: Christian/Humor

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

I have given this some thought, actually; it’s fun to think about. We are huge movie buffs in our family (hence, the Pretty Woman reference above), and my children and I like to talk about this sort of thing.  Sometimes life is too silly not to think about the movie version. 

I would be played by Lauren Graham. “Vaughn” would be played by Paul Rudd. “Daphne” would be played by Madeline Carroll. “Megan” would be played by Elle Fanning. “Scotty” would be played by John Paul Ruttan. My best friend: Melissa Peterman.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Married mom of three tries to navigate the teenage years while keeping her faith intact; chaos ensues.  (You did want a fragmented sentence, yes?)

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

Published with PublishSavvy, headed up by the lovely and talented Shannon Janeczek.  You can find her here: http://www.publishsavvy.com/

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

Three years and two weeks.

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

I guess other momblogger-type books... except this one has a lot about my faith in it as well.

9. Who or what inspired you to write this book?

My family inspires the stories, and God set it all in motion.

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

I think it helps to know we aren’t alone in our journeys as moms/women of faith. I also think it might boost a reader’s ego to know none of us is really doing any of it “right.”

To pay it forward, I am excited to tag some very talented people.  Get ready ladies, to repost these questions with your answers (on a Wednesday in the next few weeks), because now you are The Next Big Thing!

Autumn Rosen (https://www.facebook.com/AutumnRosenauthorpage)

A E Rought (http://aerought.blogspot.com/)

Jeanette Levellie (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5784219.Jeanette_Levellie)

Jackie Papandrew (https://www.facebook.com/LaughsnLaundry)

Deborah Hutto Bateman (https://www.facebook.com/deborah.huttobateman)