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

[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!