Okay…so this is like playing tag. Thank you, Amy Dunne, for tagging me. I’ll pay you back in June at the BSB UK Author Festival in Nottingham.
The basic idea is to hop from blog to blog to discover exciting new books and authors. Every week an author answers the same ten questions, and then names the victim…sorry, author who will answer the questions on their blogs the following week.
This week…you’ve got me!
In October my first novel, Ladyfish, was published by Bold Strokes Books. So shall we get on with it? Okay…
What is the working title of your book?
Ladyfish. Is there an echo in here?
Where did the idea come from for the book?
The initial idea of writing a romance story and setting it around scuba diving came about while I was on holiday, scuba diving…funnily enough. I was diving on the ship wreck of the RMS Rhone in the British Virgin Islands—amazing wreck, by the way, if you ever get chance to…do it—and I just started imagining what it would be like to live that life. Scuba diving is something I love to do. Writing is something I need to do. Combining them together…well that was a no-brainer really.
What genre does your book fall under?
Romance…but there’s a (fingers crossed) compelling intrigue plot to the story too.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Okay, I have got to tell you now; I never pictured Oz as any actress that I’ve seen. However, if Carolina Kluft ever feels like giving up athletics and taking to the screen, the Scandinavian athlete is soooo my first choice.
The beautiful Anna Friel would be my choice for Finn. An incredibly talented actress, who has been a favourite amongst British Lesbians since the famous Brookside incident; the first Lesbian kiss ever televised in the UK. 1994. It was a revelation!
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Fiin’s escape to the Florida Keys leads her straight into the arms of scuba diving instructor Oz as she fights for her freedom, their blossoming love…and her life!
What is the longer synopsis of your book?
Can love blossom beneath the waves of the Florida Keys? Or will the shadows that haunt two strangers prove too much to survive?
Scuba diving instructor Oz loves guiding tourists under the water, almost as much as she loves guiding women to her bed. Coerced into picking up a new trainee from the airport, Oz has no idea that her life is about to change in every imaginable way.
Finn is trying to break away from an overbearing father, and escapes to Florida to train as a diving instructor. She knows it won’t be easy. She knows her father will do anything he can to force her back into line. Unfortunately, she has no idea exactly what anything will be!
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Three weeks.
Yep, you heard me.
Three weeks. 120,000 words. No sleep, lots of coffee, and what you may, perhaps, call a teeny tiny obsession. Another week of editing…then I tortured…I mean treated other people to looking at it. Then it got edited some more. And some more. And some more. Who would have guessed I repeat myself?
Who or What inspired you to write this book?
This book truly was born from my love of the sea. Being on it, in it, under it…I never feel more connected to the world, yet at peace, as I do when I’m under the water. It truly is a haven for me. To share that experience in even a small way is truly inspiring for me. Writing is something I have always done, and will always do. Published or not. I think my DNA is made up of the whole alphabet not just four letters! To be able to find words to describe a fraction of what I see down there…is incredible.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Ladyfish is in essence a romance, with a hefty chunk of intrigue, and some pretty cool scuba diving in there.
Next Wednesday I have chosen someone awesome, for the next big thing:
My nomination for next week’s blog hop is the very talented L.T. Marie, author of Three Days, One touch, and her upcoming novel Secrets and Shadows. She will be reading from her work at the Bold Strokes Books LGBT Palm Springs Book Festival from Feb 28th to March 3rd 2013. You can check out her blog here.
Andrea Bramhall 
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First, your tag for nest week is one of my favorite L.t.Marie. Wonderful choice. I read Ladyfish several weeks ago and immediately told all my friend on facebook and Authors,etc. Romance Intrigue is the right category. Loved the smart, strong characters. Trying to tell you one thing I really, really liked and just could not pick just one, Every page held my attention. Yes, I felt with you in the diving scenes. These blogs answer questions a reader would ask if we could be with you in person at a book signing/reading. Anxiously waiting for another novel. Thank you.
That’s wonderful to hear. Thank you so much, Sheri. I’m really glad that you enjoyed it. And L.t is a wonderful writer and a very good friend of mine. Have you read her blog? If not, go take a look…steamy stuff, my dear! *fanning myself…
I completely enjoyed Ladyfish! But I am WAY jealous it only took 3 weeks for the rough draft – LOL. I’m looking forward to your next book Andrea.
Thanks, Yvonne. Editing took months though! Lol!