The Next Big Thing - "Kiss Me Kate" Revisited

I was recently tagged by Sapphire Phelan to participate in The Next Big Thing where authors answer ten questions about their current works in progress. If you haven’t read Sapphire's post about what she’s working on now, jump over to her blog to take a look.

http://sapphirephelanspassioncorner.blogspot.com/2012/12/next-big-thing.html?zx=edd34bef3aa49221

I love Fantasy/Paranormal Romances, and five dragon dynasties having to put aside their differences to fight a common darkness sounds intriguing.  Blend a little magical love into the mix and you have a winner.

Below are my ten Interview Questions for The Next Big Thing for me,

1, What is the working title of your book?  Currently it's "Kate and Peter," but I know that will change.  A few other titles I'm considering are: "Whatever it Takes," and "Winning Back Kate."

2. Where did the idea come from for the book?  It's a modern retelling of the Broadway musical "Kiss Me Kate" with a slight twist.

3. What genre does your book fall under?  A spanking romance (domestic discipline).  I try to write the type of story I enjoy reading where the hero will take extraordinary measures to keep and protect the woman he loves.

4. Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?  Like many authors, I have trouble with this question since I see the characters as their own person.  However, let me get on my casting couch and think about it for a moment.  Okay, for Kate, I'd like someone like Stana Katic from "Castle" for the role, and for Peter I'd like Henry Cavill of "The Tudors" and "Superman" fame.

5. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?  An award-winning Broadway director is prepared to do whatever it takes to get his famous actress wife back in his bed and his life, even if it means administering a few painful reminders as to why she promised to obey him in her wedding vows.

6. Where do you plan to submit your book, or will you self published it?  As with my other spanking books, I plan to submit it to Blushing Books.

7. How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?  It was a NaNoWriMo project, so I did it in 30 days.  You are asking about my first rough draft of the manuscript, right?

8. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  I normally don't like to compare my books to others, but I have to say that it's similar to "Acting Out" by Sullivan Clarke, which I purchased because of the similarity I noticed in her blurb.  She has actors putting on "Kiss Me Kate" in her novel, but her characters don't know each other at the beginning of the book, while mine have been separated for six months after a five-year marriage.  So, they think they have the full measure of each other.

9. Who or What inspired you to write this book?  "Kiss Me Kate" is one of my favorite musicals, so it started with a "what if" question.  What if the show about a divorced couple coming together to put on a musical version of "The Taming of the Shrew" was actually being done by a recently separated couple who  incorporated spanking in their marriage?

10. What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?  For the climax, I added a scene near the end of the story where my heroine, Kate, decides to go totally off script for their opening night.  Good thing Peter knows how to ad lib.

Unfortunately, due to the holidays, I couldn't find anyone willing to be tagged at this time despite my calls.  So, looks like I'm it.