My Next Big Thing

I was asked about “My Next Big Thing” by April Taylor. It’s a cool Internet meme that is going around. Authors agree to answer a few questions about their WIP (work in progress) and they pass on the question to other authors. So here are my answers and at the end, I pass the torch on to a couple other writers!

1. What is the working title of your book?

The Asset

2. Where did the idea for your book come from?

It’s an idea that I’ve been mulling around in my head for years. My book takes place in Caracas, Venezuela. I lived there for nine years when I was a kid, so I’ve always had a soft spot for Venezuela. Their president, Hugo Chavez has been a bit of a nuisance for the United States, especially with the company he kept, including the now deceases Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. I saw them together on the television and it got my mind going. What would the United States do if Chavez would allow Gaddafi to build a terrorist training camp on Venezuelan soil. Similar to what the Taliban-led Afgansitan allowed Al-Queda to do when they were in power. From there I started to write.

3. What genre does your book fall under?

It’s an action espionage/spy thriller.

4. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?

This is my first book. It took me about 10 months to write the first draft. Then several more months in rewrites, working with an editor and proofreader to get it ready for publishing.

5. What other books would you compare your book to within your genre?

Vince Flynn was the first name that popped in my head after reading this question. I enjoy his books. He’s from Minnesota as is my wife, and I lived in Minnesota for 20 years, so there is that comparison too. 🙂

6. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

My father was an avid reader and a terrific writer. He always wanted to write a book. Aside from his masters dissertation that was published decades ago, he died in 2005 without having written his book. That inspired me to get the “write a book” off my bucket list.

7. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

The events in the book are based on true events. The action takes place during the 2002 Hugo Chavez coup d’état, which actually happened. So although fiction, I use actual historical events to tell the story.

8. Which other writers will take over from you next week and tell us about their Next Big Thing?

I’m tagging the following authors to answer these same questions about their next big thing… C.E. Martin, Kathryn O’Halloran