So the amazing Cathering Lundoff (author of Silver Moon) tagged me for the Next Big Thing, where authors and editors share what they’re doing next. Here’s my entry:

What is the working title of your next book?

Okay, right now I’m in the revising stage for a book called The Seeker Star, which is the second book in a trilogy about the Grayline sisters, meddlesome aliens, conspiracies, other planets, and the effect of heavy gravity on bra elastic (hint: it isn’t good). The first book, The Daughter Star is being put through the wringer by my editors right now, and will be out sometime in 2013.

So I guess Daughter Star is the next big thing, and Seeker Star is the thing after that.

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I had fiddled with the idea of this particular universe for a while, and I wanted to write a story set there. I also wanted to write a novel that wasn’t an Extrahumans book! I created the character of Marta Grayline and had her running around trying to figure out some of the big questions of her universe. Her sister, Violet, is the star of the second book, and the youngest Grayline sister, Beth, will be featured in the third one (tentative title: The Fallen Star).

I wanted to write about family, and relationships, and also weirdo aliens. This trilogy has let me do all of that.

What genre does your book fall under?

Science fiction.

What is the synopsis or blurb for this book?

For The Daughter Star the official blurb is: Marta Grayline has problems: her stable, fulfilling life as a freighter pilot has been yanked out from under her, she’s stuck on her miserable home planet with her obnoxious family, her beautiful girlfriend’s now on the opposite side of an interstellar war, and, worst of all, she’s bored to tears. When her enigmatic sister Beth offers her a way out – enlisting in the Novan Emergency Fleet – she jumps at it.

Now Marta has questions: Why was her ship attacked and destroyed? Who are the strange people who rescued her, and what’s their connection to the mysterious alien Abrax? What’s the seven-note song looping endlessly through her head supposed to mean? And, strangest of all, why is there a door to a dead planet in the science lab of a hidden space station?

Marta’s quest for answers will take her to the frozen dark side of a faraway planet, into the tense politics of an armed rebellion, through vast subterranean caves, and into the heart of the enemy’s defenses. She’ll have to face ancient forces, her own doubts, and the inside of an alien mind if she wants to save her sister, find answers to the questions burning in her mind, and unlock her own potential. The Daughter Star, the red beacon in the night sky, could either see the genesis of a startling new future for humans and Abrax, or Marta and Beth Grayline’s annihilation…

For The Seeker Star there is no official blurb yet. Basically Violet Grayline loses everything, finds her missing sisters, and changes the world.

What actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

Dye Amanda Tapping’s hair deep brown and she’d be Marta. Violet is more a Claudia Christian.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Small press. I have no agent.

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

Way longer than it should have. Daughter Star was done in about three months, Seeker Star in something like six months.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I sort of talked about this? I really have no clue other than what I already said…

UPDATE: Oh, I know what I could mention! I started this book as a “pace book” for The Spark, which came out in August. I wanted it to be a silly thing that I wrote alongside that book, so I could take a break from time to time and focus on something else (writing The Spark was amazing but draining). The original working title of the book was Novan Ladies in Terrible Peril, which gives you an idea of how serious it was. It actually got far more serious and intricate with each rewrite, so if you’re expecting a silly book this isn’t it! That’s how it started, though.

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

Did I mention the interstellar war?

…And oh no, I forgot to tag people! AUGH. I will try to remember to do that right away!

Thank you for reading!