It has been a while since I posted this elsewhere, so I apologize for not including it here earlier. It is posted in its entirety, and I am you can still visit the other authors I have listed (those that participated) and see their posts.

Mandy DeGeit tagged me a week ago to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop, where writers can tell others what is going on with their current work in progress by answering 10 questions about the work. Then 5 other authors that I tag will do the same the following week. Unfortunately, I could find only 4 writers to participate and they are tagged below. They will post on December 5th. You can find Mandy’s blog post here.

So, without further delay…


1. What is the working title of your book?

My current WIP is a novel tentatively entitled, Fall of an Empire.


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

This novel came about through three ideas.

I am originally from the twin cities of Lewiston/Auburn, Maine. The original idea came about when I discovered that the aging and extremely historic Empire Theatre, in Lewiston was being destroyed to make room for a parking lot with apparently no resistance from anyone. So much history of this iconic opera house built in 1906 and later transformed into a movie theater…gone. I was aghast. Like it wasn’t even there in the first place, erased even from memory.

The second idea came with everyone’s reliance on technology, especially with the younger generations and the propensity to text (to a person only a few feet away), forego eating (okay, an exaggeration) for completed levels of video games, surf the limitless Internet…everything…to the point that people are forgetting how to communicate with one another, instead preferring the anonymity behind emoticons and avatars. No one seems to be talking anymore.

The third idea sprang with my interest in Native American culture and the art of storytelling and verbal communication.

Combine the three together and voila!


3. What genre does your book fall under?

This novel will be more of a supernatural novel with more of a Young Adult focus.


4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?

One of the main characters is a Native American Elder. If Danny Trejo were Native American, he would definitely be the guy…but hey, it’s Hollywood! The other protagonist is a 14-15 year old girl that is much of a tomboy, but very insecure with herself. I’d have to say an actor that might fit her bill would be a young Lori Petty. And I know they can make her look 15 


5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Empire Falls starts to slowly disappear as people are enraptured by technology, huddled inside their homes with technological gadgets, and failing to verbally communicate with each other.


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

I’d really like to find a Young Adult agent that can share this same vision.


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

I am currently about a third complete with the novel, with plans to have the initial draft complete early next year.


8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

Really no idea. Maybe a reverse of The Village movie and The Town That Forgot How to Breathe…all squished together….or something :-D

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

Storytelling as a means of teaching, learning, and communication used by the Native American culture.


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

This book takes place near Oneida, New York and I am also including pieces of legends and tales from the Oneida Indian Nation.


TAG…you are it, to post on December 5th:

Mark LaFlamme

Chuck Grossart

Tony Tremblay

Brian Knight

Andrew Wolter