The Next Big Thing

[la_marquise]

I've been tagged to do this at least 3 times -- by Kat Richardson over on Google+, by Jaine Fenn on Facebook and by kateelliott here. And I've procrastinated, because I'm not really sure what to write about. However....

1) What is the working title of your next book?
Death and the Madwoman
2) Where did the idea come from for the book?
It's the sequel to The Grass King's Concubine, concerned with what happens when Aude and Jehan return to the Brass City.
3) What genre does your book fall under?
Fantasy (with socialism)
4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Aude -- Indian actress Vidya Balan.
Liyan -- the great Yuen Biao c.1989, with the long hair from his film The Iceman Cometh, but with red and orange streaks.
Qiaqia -- Brigitte Lin Qin-Hsia c.1982 (think Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain)
Madame de Faumont -- probably Farida Jalal
Remi de Faumont -- this is a tricky one. Maybe Sharman Joshi, but less handsome than usual!
Monsieur des Roces -- Jean-Hugues Anglade
Jehan -- argh. I can never cast Jehan, though I'd know him if I met him. He's one of those pleasant faced ordinary people; a plain Saif Ali Khan, maybe, or Atul Kulkarni (without the usual moustache).
5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Umm, the title, with added revolution
6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
It's under contract to DAW, and was sold by my agency (Zeno)
7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
A year.
8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
Oh, help. The Anubis Gates, maybe, or The Labyrinth Gate but with more revolution than those to.
9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Dumas! (As ever.)
10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
No ferrets, this time, but a lot of it is about Liyan and Qiaqia and their story. And about revolutionary politics, workers' rights, and the awakening of the dead.

Comments

[pennski.livejournal.com]

Fantasy with socialism as written by you is my new favourite genre!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Thank you :-)

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Or even Socialism with fantasy! :o)

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I find it hard to keep the politics out.

[cmcmck.livejournal.com]

Writing the sort of nonfic I do, it would be impossible and undesirable!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

History *must* be political: otherwise it denies its own context.

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Sounds terrific!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I can hope so. It needs revising...

[trinuviel.livejournal.com]

This sounds great! Just finished Grass-King, which was refereshingly different from a lot of genre. I especially loved the divided city and am really looking forward to reading more about it.

It seems that a lot of recent fantasy incorporate modernity into the world-building, which I love, and in a way that isn't regressive nostalgia (there's a good subject for a study...)

Anyways, loved your books and am very happy that another is on the way.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Thank you: I'm very happy you enjoyed it. (I worry about that book because it is different, and some people aren't so keen on that.)

[history-monk.livejournal.com]

Being different is necessary for fantasy to accomplish much, simply because it's burdened with expectations of a standard form. I'm really glad that you do it differently.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

How to convince the number crunchers of that, though....

[history-monk.livejournal.com]

If I knew, other than "have a huge sales success", I'd tell you.

[miintikwa.livejournal.com]

I am already looking forward to this! :D

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I'm looking forward to seeing your books out there!

[mevennen.livejournal.com]

It's a stunner! Go and read it!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Thank you. It's kind of a mess right now, but I think I can get it in shape.

[athenais.livejournal.com]

Now I will always picture Liyan as Yuen Biao!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

:-)

[puddleshark.livejournal.com]

Hurrah for fantasy with socialism! And hurrah for the further adventures of Jehan and Aude!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Thank you.

[aliettedb.livejournal.com]

Ooooh.... This sounds awesome. I heartily agree with your cast; I'd watch that movie in a heartbeat :)

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

I find it very frustrating that so far the closest thing to a Mumbai-Hong-Kong co-production is Chandni Chowk to China, which is stereotyping and predictable (and stars the wooden Akshay Kumar), and the small and rather pointless role played by Malika Sherawat in Jackie Chan's The Myth. I want a film directed by Tsui Hark or Fok Yiu Leung, and starring Yuen Biao, Jackie Shroff, Aamir Khan, Michael Tse Tin-Wah, Vidya Balan, Fan Bingbing, Dimple Kapadia and Carina Lau Kar-Ling. With sword fights choreographed by YB and his 'brother' Yuen Wah (who also gets to be in the film), and music by A. R. Rahman. And scripted by Louis Cha (Jin Yong) and Vikram Chandra.
(Even if I win the lottery, I won't get this. YB won't work with Tsui Hark -- they fell out over Once Upon A Time in China, Aamir Khan famously drives everyone he works with crazy with his perfectionism -- and YB does too but in a different way, Michael Tse is tied up tightly in his TVB contract, Fan Bingbing is concentrating on her singing and charity work and Chandra is a novelist, not a scriptwriter.... But I can dream.)
It occurs to me, though, that when we do the next retreat (and I will be there -- glares at cats) I should bring some Chinese and Indian movies along, though.

[aliettedb.livejournal.com]

Pity it won't ever happen, because that sounds like such a gorgeous cast...
Definitely yes on the Chinese and Indian movies!

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Well, famously I will happily watch YB paint a white wall white (he does this in his films Those Merry Souls...
I will start thinking of which films to bring. So many good ones to choose from!

[much-of-a.livejournal.com]

Oh good - I would like to know what happens next (I don't *need* to, but would like to).

And it occurs to me that doing socialist fantasy puts you in the small-but-select company of SF/fantasy writes who do politics as an integral part of the story (I ignore polemics of US libertarianism with a story loosely wrapped around them, although there's at least one of those in my comfort books list). Specifically, I'm thinking of China Miéville and Ken MacLeod. All three of you doing interestingly different things.

[http://users.livejournal.com/la_marquise_de_/]

Goodness, that's prestigious company: thank you!