"The Next Big Thing"

Future collaborator and all round lovely bloke Stewart K. Moore kindly tagged me to take part in “The Next Big Thing” Blog Meme, so thought I’d take the opportunity to shamelessly push Babble...

(Oh, and be sure and go and check out Stewart's NBT entry, which has some gorgeous looking art from his upcoming graphic novel)

What is your working title of your book?

Babble (it's not "Bay-bel", before anyone asks).

Where did the idea come from for the book?

After reading Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson , I became fascinated with the Tower of Babel - specifically the idea of a universal language that everyone spoke before God took offense and created the languages of the world and made sure no one could understand each other. From there, it kind of grew into a horror story with an element of kitchen sink drama.

What genre does your book fall under?

Horror, or maybe horror/thriller

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

Not a clue, to be honest. Jon Hamm as Alan, maybe...?

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

Carrie Hartnoll is a girl lost in her own life until a chance meeting sets her on a path that will change the world as we know it forever.

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

The book is being published by Com.X and should be available to buy on December 19th. You can find out how and where to pre-order it here: http://www.babblecomic.com/where-to-buy/

And here's the cover for you:

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

Longer than it should have...

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

Snow Crash , maybe...? I've been told it shares some similarities with Pontypool Changes Everything by Tony Burgess, but I have to confess, I've never read it.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

The idea's been kicking around my head for years, but it wasn't until I started writing comics that it floated back to the front of my mind, and then it wasn't until I started working with Bryan Coyle, and realised he was the perfect collaborator to do this, that we started to break ground on it as a long form narrative.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?

Babble is an original graphic novel, meaning it's not a collection of previously published works. It's a complete story told in 100+ pages with no superheroes, and what some people are calling an interesting twist on the zombie genre (even though there's no zombies in it) and it's been picking up some great reviews.

What? That's not enough? How about a teaser panel, then (with the old logo)...

And now it's time to pass the baton.... I'm told I'm supposed to tag five writers I like to do this, but trying to pin down five to do this is a bit tricky because, y'know, they're all writing. So, with that in mind, I'd like to tag Dan Hill and Richmond Clements. Whether either of them will remember to post their NBT entries is another matter entirely...