I’ve been tagged by Time to Write for ‘The Next Big Thing Blog Hop’.  This is a very harrowing and . . . wow-level of an honor.  I talk about my books all of the time, but this makes it feel like it’s at an entirely different level.  Here we go:

For those of you not familiar with this Blog Hop started on She Writes and it has spread like a wildfire all over the blogosphere. It’s an opportunity to post about your latest WIP. Here’s how it works: If I tag you, use this format for your post
. Include an introduction to your interview post and a link to the person who tagged you for participation.
 Answer the ten questions about your current WIP (Work In Progress). Include some pictures if possible. Tag five other writers/bloggers by sending them an email or commenting on their blogs and then add their links to the end of your interview post. The original posts stated their answers should go up the week after. Take your time. Post when you are ready. The blog post should be labelled:
 The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. Easy enough. Post and have fun.

Time for the questions!

1. What is the working title of your book? Legends of Windemere: Beginning of a Hero

2. Where did the idea come from for the book? I’ve wanted to be a fantasy author since high school.  When I started college, I joined a Dungeons & Dragons game where I played half-elven ranger, Luke Callindor.  The idea of a young hero starting on a quest of destiny felt like a natural start for my writing career and a way to introduce readers to the world I’ve spent 14 years creating.

3. What genre does your book fall under? Fantasy

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I’ve been asked this before and I really don’t know for a lot of them.  I’d love for Peter Dinklage to play Fritz Warrenberg and Kristen Stewart (much to my wife’s annoyance) is physically a dead-ringer for Nyx.  As for Luke Callindor, I truly do not have any idea.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? The first step to being a hero is always the most dangerous.

6. Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency? I will be self-publishing through Amazon Kindle, Pub It! (Nook), Createspace, and Smashwords.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? This book took me about 3 years to finish while graduating from college.  I couldn’t put my full energy into it for a while.

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? With a severe amount of humility, I’d compare it to Lord of the Rings and Narnia.  I’m saying this because of the vast world that I’m trying to pull readers into.  Though, I’m reading Ranger’s Apprentice, which I would compare myself to (again humbly) in terms of characters that you can relate to.

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book? This specific book was inspired by the game that I was in.  It was a great, basic story with all of us having fun and the other players were behind the idea of me using their characters.  The characters and stories have changed since then, but the game was the initial inspiration.

10. What else about your book might piqué the reader’s interest? It’s the first step into a grand adventure in a world of grand adventures.  I strive to make my characters believable and interesting even if they are minor characters.  So, I focus more of my attention on their lives than the overall quest that they are on.

Here are the writers I’m tagging. Check out their blogs, and look for their posts coming to a computer screen or smart phone near you soon!

1. The Commonzense of Saint James
2. Candace Knoebel
3. My Side of the Story
4. Katie Bieker
5. The Gaia Chronicles

Again, thank you to Time for Write for including me in this great Blog Hop.