My Next Big Thing

Last Wednesday I had the honor of being tagged by the wonderful poet A.D. Joyce, author of Like. Love. Hate. and 30 Poems, 30 Days, Inside a Poet's Mind in her "My Next Big 'Thing" blog post. Please visit her website SweepyJean Explores the (Webby) World .

Today, it's my turn to answer ten questions about my book and then "tag" four or five of my favorite writers who may do the same next week.

What is the title of your current or next book? 
Mirror Talk

Where did you get the idea for that book? 
I read a lot of creative non-fiction and when I looked over essays of mine that had been published and ones that I was working on, I realized I was putting together a memoir. I just needed to add more essays and sew them all together. 
 
What's the genre of the book? 
Memoir

If you could pick actors to play the lead in your story, who would you pick?
Amy Adams for the young version of me and Jessica Lange for the older me. Any attractive Hispanic actor could portray my husband Victor.

How do you describe your book in one sentence (ten words or less)? 
 A memoir about a Catholic girlhood and working in theatre.

(a) How will your book be published, submitted to a traditional publisher or will you be handling it yourself through indie publishing methods? (b) If you're an indie author, will you be publishing through your own indie publishing company or in a collective with other indie authors? 
I self-published a paperback edition of Mirror Talk with CreateSpace and a Kindle edition through Amazon.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of this book? 
Two years.

What other books within your genre are similar to yours? 
I can't think of any. I'm not a celebrity, I'm not a recovered alcoholic or drug addict, I've never had a weight problem, and I can't afford a ghost writer. I'm simply someone who loves theatre and writing.

Who or what inspired you to write this book? 
The late Irish journalist Nuala O'Faolain. Her memoirs Are You Somebody and Almost There are filled with unflinching truthfulness and resilient humor. 

What about your book will pique the reader's interest? 
Many readers have said they laughed out loud when reading certain sections of my book, usually the parts about my being a young actress in New York. I've never met anyone who doesn't enjoy laughter (I hope I never do). I totally agree with H.L. Mencken's "One horse laugh is worth ten thousand syllogisms," especially since I'm not exactly sure what a syllogism is! There is sadness too in my book as it wouldn't be an honest memoir if it were only one thing. But again, if someone likes to laugh out loud, my book has a good chance of getting those laughs. Also, Mirror Talk received the 2012 IndieReader Discovery Award for Best Memoir.

Other fab authors who might like to tell the world about their next big thing?
Here are five of my favorite authors. Please click on their names to visit their websites

Mary Yuhas
Sunny Lockwood
Suzanne McLain Rosenwasser
Carla Sarett
Steve Ullom