The Next Big Thing

           For this entry I decided to borrow a page from my friend Brad Covey, his blog is worth checking out, not only is he a longtime friend of mine, he’s also an aspiring writer, web designer and all around talented guy, who designed the cover for my upcoming book. So if you can please check him out here. http://designer.bradcovey.com/

Moving ever forward into that place where all dreams begin in a world where things go wrong and we never know why.

For this post I'm accepting a challenge from Brad’s page, about the "The Next Big Thing,"  (I invite you to take this challenge with me"

“The Next Big Thing blog entry, Is a bit long in the making! I mean, I started this two weeks ago, wrote a bit on it last week, now I’m finally going through and finishing it. So if you’re an author please take the time and try this challenge, it’s not as easy as it seems.

What is the working title of your book?

The working title of my manuscript is Losers. The title I chose because at some point almost everyone's been called this, or heard someone being called it before, if not worse. The story, is something I feel very strongly about, being that I myself, was a victim of child abuse and bullying. So for this book, I've spoken with a lot of people who went through similar ordeals, and hope this story will help shine a little light on some of the private battles we fight. 

Where did the idea come from for the book?

Honestly, it came to me in a dream. I had started out working on a romantic love story, (So I can make Nichols’s Sparks eat his heart out) but every night I kept having the same dream. So it didn't take me long to realize that these characters wanted their story to be told, needed it be told.

What genre does your book fall under?
Present day.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Losers would need a very strong cast to pull off emotional driven story. I’m thinking either Dane Dehaan or Andrew Garfield as Kyle Rees.  Mathew Fox as Robert Reese and Sandra Bullock As Miranda Reese, which would be rounding out Kyle's parents.  Then Paul Rudd As the Mr. Remley, Brad Pitt as Sheriff Williams, Alex Russle As Zach Greeks, Thomas Mann as Derek Grober, Tiffany Williams will probably be the hardest to cast, just because she’s half native American and I'm sorry I haven't seen very many female actresses that would quite fit her description.

        Other than the cast I mentioned, I would probability fill out the cast with mostly unknowns. But I would like to have actors who actually look to be the age their playing, so it won't be like almost every teen movie out there where everyone in High School looks like they’d have no problem going to a bar and buying a beer. On that note, I would like a cast that look like normal, every day people. I always get annoyed when I watch a movie about a school, where the entire cast look as if they could be models, which always takes me out of the movie, because it wasn’t how I remember high school. If "Losers" is made into a movie, I want it to be an experience, something that reminds everyone of their old school days.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

(This is going to be hard, and most likely a very long run on sentence.) Losers follows Kyle Reese a fifteen year old kid who moves to a new now and who’s already struggling to deal with and survive his abusive parents when he starts a new school where he has problems fitting in,until he finds solace in 16 year old Tiffany Williams who Kyle sees as a kindred spirit and who also struggles with troubles both at home and school alike, so with the aid of her and her two friends, they find a certain strength in each other, together they stand against the perils that would otherwise destroy them.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I will probably be going the self-publishing rout because the ease of which I can do so, plus the freedom in being able to get my story out there and with a little luck it could bring the attention of a few agencies. Then again if a big agency took interest now, I doubt I would turn them down.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
My manuscript is still a work in progress, and I have been working on and off on it for about a year now, I hope to have it done by mid-spring. I was hoping to have it finished by late December but with working a full-time job and going to school, as well as keeping fit hadn’t left me with a lot of free time.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
I would think that my story is fairly original, or a original take on what I’m tackling as well the way I’m focusing the story to be very character driven with a explosive climax and the shocking resolution.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
What inspired me? I would say this was a multifaceted story. Not only can I relate with my characters and their circumstances, I also dreamed about this story for days. Then I started talking to people about bullying and child abuse, reading about it, watching anything on t.v that spoke on the subject. I also know from experience how easy it is to be in a situation where you're afraid to go home and high-school feels more like survival. All too often  I felt completely alone and my only saving grace was the small group of friends I managed to find, or who found me. If it wasn’t for them I doubt I would have made it to where I am today.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Losers deals with very real life situations of the darker side of life. Abuse, discrimination, school bullying and those who turn a blind eye to it, many believing the problem will solve itself. While others are simply afraid of getting involved, afraid that if they do, that they may find themselves being targeted just the same. Losers tells a very different story, which is you never know what struggles someone else is going through, or how hard it is for them to face simple and everyday challenges, such as just getting up in the morning. 

    And it doesn’t take a lot to really be a hero. All you have to do is just stand up for what’s right and show someone a small kindness, you’ll never know how far that kindness can go for someone, especially for someone who feels completely alone. That said, Losers is also a story of hope, of acceptance, how even in great darkness, there’s always a glimmer of light and in that light, one can find both hope and friendship.

Thank you for checking out The Next Big Thing and hope to have more details soon for you about Losers.