The Next Big Thing – Writers Discuss New Work

The Next Big Thing – A Blog Hop Post
As part of ‘The Next Big Thing Blog Hop,’ I was tagged by the talented Barrett http://wordsofbarrett.wordpress.com/ in her post last week. The purpose of this hop is to expose you to writers and their work that perhaps you haven’t heard of, whether a new release or a Work in Progress (WIP). This is week 24.

According to the rules of the hop, I will be answering some questions (the same ones for every other blog hopper) about either my newest release or my WIP and then at the bottom of the post I’ve listed authors who will do the same thing in their blogs next Wednesday Dec 12th.
Alright then – let’s get started!

What is the working title of your book?  

“Fishwives” is a novel about two elderly working –poor lesbians who have been together for sixty years.

“The Girls Club” my debut novel is available from Bywater Books http://www.bywaterbooks.com/shop/the-girls-club  or  your independent book store or http://amzn.to/apVqj1 .

Where did the idea come from for the book?I wanted to write a short story about elderly working class lesbians.  While writing the story, which I also titled “Fishwives,” I fell in love with the main characters.  “Fishwives” won The Saints and Sinners Fiction Contest.  So, I had a lot of incentive to keep writing about the lives and times of these two women, and the triumphs and woes of their sixty plus years together.

What genre does your book fall under?  “The Domestic Sublime,” which is a category my friend Susan Stinson and I have been seriously teasing each other about for years.  Lesbian Drama.  Elderly Romance.  Quirky Humor.  Social Commentary.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? Judi Dench and Olympia Dukakis
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
The saga of life and times of two old women who have loved and fought with each other and their culture(s) – from 1958 to present day.
What is the longer synopsis of your book?
Two young women meet in late 1950’s New York City, fall in love, and despite hardship and societal pressures preserve that love for over sixty years.  The story relates the adventures of living an “out” relationship pre- Stonewall to (partial) Marriage Equity.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I hope Bywater Books will be publishing “Fishwives.”
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
About a year.  So far.
Who or What inspired you to write this book?I am an aging, working class lesbian.  I know many aging working class queers.  I wanted to see us in print.  Also, as I said, while writing a short story, I fell in love with my protagonists as well as several of the other characters.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Sex.  Yes, old women and sex.  Younger women and sex.  Young men and sex.  So far no old men and sex, but the book is not finished.      All of my characters are, of course, flawed, some more than others, so also, betrayal and redemption.  And, what is piquing my interest at the moment – “our” shared history as queer people, as citizens, as folks trying to be decent human beings.
Next Wednesday check out these author’s blogs to find out about their Next Big Thing.
Sacchi Green http://sacchi-green.blogspot.com   

Sandra Lambert http://sandralambert.typepad.com

Marianne K Martin http://redroom.com/member/marianne-k-martin

If you’re a fellow writer and would like to participate in this Blog Hop, please reach out to them and let them know! The more the merrier 🙂

Happy reading and writing.  Happylife – sallyb