The Next Big Thing

I was tagged in this weekly bloghop by Annie McMahon and Beth Fred, so here goes....

What is the working title of your work-in-progress?
The Sidewalk's Regrets

Where did the idea come from? 
The initial spark came from a documentary I saw about a musician friend of mine.  Something one of his ex-girlfriends said about him really struck a chord, and by the next day, the whole book had already kind of coalesced in my mind.  Oddly, when I finished writing the book, I watched the film again and couldn't figure out what it was that had meant so much to me on that first viewing.

What actors would you choose to play your characters in a film version?
I really couldn't say.  Because this is a book about rock music, most of the characters were inspired by musicians I know.


Write a one-paragraph summary
Seventeen year old Sacha McLeod has never had time for rock music.  She's far too busy practicing her violin, focused on the next competition or workshop on the horizon.  But when she hears Dylan play the guitar, the energy, violence and unpredictability of the music thrills her and she falls hard for him and his wild, inventive sound.  When her plans for the summer - and her self confidence -  are shattered, she throws everything she holds dear aside to jump at the chance to spend time with Dylan in the city.  She's expecting an idyllic summer, filled with romance, passion and music.  When she finds herself playing second fiddle to Dylan's newly acquired drug habit, she realizes that despite what all the songs say, sometimes love isn't all you need.

How long did the first draft take to write?
I think around six weeks.  The revisions have taken much longer....


What other books would you compare this to, in your genre?
I really don't know.  There are other rock band books out there, like Five Flavors of Dumb, but most of them don't delve quite so deeply into the darkness as this book does.  And underneath it all, this is actually a love story and there's a ton of those out there.  


Who or what inspired you to write this book?
As I mentioned, the documentary I saw.  But also, I've spent most of my adult life around bands.  I'm a passionate music lover and will follow my favorites to the ends of the earth.  My best friend's a rock star.  My partner's a sound engineer.  I've spent hours at gigs and soundchecks and in studios.  I know this world and wanted to write something set within it.

What else about this story might pique the readers’ interest?
There's a kind of love triangle in there, but the third corner isn't just one person, it's several people, and a thing.  How's that for oblique???

I'm tagging for next week:

Lexa Cain
Natasha Hawkins
Viklit
Natalia Jaster