The Next Big Thing

As far as I can tell, I’ve been tagged three times to do the Next Big Thing meme, by Cathy Russell, Richard Bon and Andrew Reid. So I figured I might as well give it a shot…

What is the working title of your book?
The Necromancer’s Apprentice.

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I’d just watched The Sorceror’s Apprentice with a friend and me being me, I said “Wouldn’t it be cool if that was a necromancer instead of a sorceror?” and the idea ran from there. The male sorceror became a female Necromancer General, and the army of mops became mummies. I’d had a mental image of a place called the House of the Long Dead kicking around in the back of my mind for a while, and now I had a home for it.

What genre does your book fall under?
It straddles the boundary between horror and dark fantasy. The world in which it is set is part fantasy city/part Ancient Egypt, but it’s got bloodthirsty mummies as well.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Charlie Cox would make a good Jyximus, the apprentice, and I’d like Sigourney Weaver for Eufame, the necromancer, but I’m not sure about the rest of the cast. I’d want Tom Hiddleston in there but that’s purely because I think he should be in everything.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
“An over-ambitious apprentice uses illicit knowledge to raise a mummy army of assistants…except this army will settle only for blood.”

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I’ve got an editor who wants to work on it already so I think I’ll be doing the indie press route. I’ve got no problems with self publishing or the traditional route, but I quite like the indie press approach. You have the contact with the publisher, so they handle the formatting, cover etc., but you’re more than just a tiny cog in a huge machine.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
I don’t really know, I didn’t time myself, but it must have been a few months. It’s only a novella though so it’s not like I’ve churned out 80,000 words in four months. I’m currently running edits before I send it out to the beta readers.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
There will no doubt be Harry Potter comparisons due to the fact my apprentice starts off in an academy of magick, but it’s inspired a lot more by Fantasia and The Mummy. I tend to be more inspired by films than books but that’s what happens when you’re a film student.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
The Sorceror’s Apprentice! Actually I’d have to say Disney, since there are elements of both Fantasia and Maleficent from Sleeping Beauty in there. But for encouragement to actually write it, then I have to say it would be Carrie Clevenger and Nerine Dorman. I don’t think I’d have finished writing the first draft without them prodding me along.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
There are mummies in it! Not enough people write mummies these days.

I’m not tagging anyone specifically but if you fancy a go and want to discuss your current work, then feel free – but drop me a link in the comments so I can read your answers!