Carla Luna Cullen tagged me in The Next Big Thing Bloghop! I am to tell you all about the latest book I am querying for representation and share the love by tagging other bloggers.

1. What is the working title of your book? IMAGINE

2. Where did you get the idea for your book? Several years ago, I was a short story writer and pub’d several shorts in a series of anthologies (you may find them on Amazon). One of my short stories, IMAGINE, was my absolute favorite. The hero, Scott Tupple, was based on The 10th Kingdom’s “Wolf” played by Scott Cohen. His ticks and quirks seemed to me as if he’d burst into cartoon character antics at any time, hence, he became the ‘imaginary friend’ who could do anything in my story. I’ve since set IMAGINE to a screen play, and the final morph of the story became my Upper MG Fantasy/Adventure book, IMAGINE.  So, despite its many adaptations, the title and the main character have always stuck with me.

3. What is the genre of your book? Oops, already answered that! Upper MG Fantasy/Adventure.

4. Which actors would you choose to play the characters in your book? Well, that’s easy, Scott Cohen would be Scott Tupple, but since he’s long past teen years, I guess I’m out of luck! Some young actor who’s wild and dark haired. Janie Mulaney, the human girl Scott falls for, would have to be sweet, young and blonde. I guess I’d prefer unknowns for the roles!

5. My one sentence elevator pitch? Toy Story meets Pinocchio – an imaginary friend who wants to become a real boy. Humans only think they’re in charge of their imagination…

6. Will your book be represented by a publisher or self-published? I am currently querying agents for representation and ultimate sale of my book to a publisher.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft? Far too long than it should have….

8. What other books compare in your genre? That’s hard to answer, because I’m hoping to be the new ‘twist’ <G>  IMAGINE is like Toy Story and Narnia, in that by opening a simple door, a whole new wonderous world is revealed.

9. Who or what inspired your book? See #2 above – Scott Cohen playing “Wolf” in The 10th Kingdom. Who could ask for a better imaginary friend?

10. What else about the book might pique a reader’s interest? IMAGINE is a ‘boy’ book, told in Scott’s POV. His sidekicks, Mort (that’s Mortalis Evolutious to you!) a scroll of knowledge, and Qui, the adorable feather quill who is more dog than pen, help him navigate the wilds of Conscientia – a world created by the collective imaginings of children. It’s like walking into a cartoon or video game – everything is animated and constantly morphing based on whim. Scott must survive The Trials – a set of grueling tests of his abilities – to win his humanity AND Janie, the human girl he loves.

For this bloghop, I’m supposed to carry on the chain by tagging up to five other writer/bloggers. Here are three awesome and inspiring fellow writers from WisRWA:

Linda Schmalz
Barb Britton
Anne Parent