Next Big Thing Chain Post

Tagged by Alison Summers

What is the working title of your book?

Arlene’s Atoms.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Hard to pinpoint. I started with the surreal conceit of the protagonist birthing a series of unusual objects—a car, a cow, etc. I tend to use strange images as a springboard for fiction.

What genre does your book fall under?

Magic realism. Surreal comedy.

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

Shirley Henderson as Arlene, Stellan Skarsgård as Magnus.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A hairdresser falls pregnant with a universe in an appalling Scottish town.

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

The element of choice implied in this question is misleading! I believe my book is as entertaining and worthwhile as any other work of contemporary fiction being produced by writers my age (i.e. barely out of nappies). The only impediment between me and an agency is an overwhelming nation-wide indifference to my writing and ideas. In that case, self-publishing is our friend.

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

Approx? Six months. 

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

Gertrude Wilmot’s Children of the Brown Things. Frank Dervish’s Crank.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to write something that both celebrated and reined in my tendency for extreme imaginative digression over cohesive plots or satisfying emotional encounters with “well-rounded” characters. To transform the horribleness of reality with the power of the surreal and comic is my mission.  

Other people doing this today:
Gill Hoffs
Chris Allen
Jane Riddell