Many thanks to New York Times best-selling author, L.J Smith for tagging me in The Next Big Thing meme last week. Burn Bright will soon have an interview with L.J. and you can read reviews of some of her many books here and here and here.

Thanks also to Cheryse Durant for the intro!

So here it is …

1) What is the working title of your next book?

Actually, the story is an embryo at this stage and doesn’t have a title yet but it’s a contemporary crime novel with a 40 plus protagonist.

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

It’s a combination of suggestions from my editor and my own ideas. She (Ed!) steered me in a direction and now I’m off and running with characters and ideas.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

Humorous crime slash chick-lit slash romance slash mystery!

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

I’m still building the characters up in my mind, so it’s a bit early to say. Plus I’m a big fan of the unknown actor. I like the lack of wider context they bring to movies. So, I’d definitely be hoping a casting agent could discover THE NEXT BIG THING!

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

An unusual ladies book-club finds themselves caught in a murder investigation that will change their lives forever.

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

I’m always represented by the amazing Tara Wynne of Curtis Brown, Australia.

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

Just starting to write it now but a novel usually take 6-9 months for a first draft.

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

Hmmm, not sure actually. This one might be in a class of its own 🙂

I love mysteries and crime in stories, regardless of the genre and I’ve been hankering to write a story with a middle-aged protagonist for a while. Following on from the Tara Sharp series it seemed a natural progression to write from the POV of a character closer to my own age.

9) Who or what inspires you?

Music, books, people, visual imagery. I love the photography site 500 pix – I look at it every single night. But mostly,mysteries intrigue me – any kind. I have an insatiable curiosity.

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

The story pivots around the vagaries and foibles of a book-club. A lot of readers have either thought about joining one, are in one currently, or have been in one. Also the main character is a single mum. Been wanting to do that for a while too. But as is always the case with me, the characters will be very quirky.

Now, I’m tagging a bunch of writers who are names for you to look out for, now and in the future. Thye are already doing great things that will only get … greater! They will be posting next Wednesday, so be sure to stop by…

Mandy Wrangles:

Ms Scarlet Stiletto herself!

Kylie Fox:

The lady who can do everything!

Graham Storrs:

The real deal in SF!

Paula Weston:

Definitely The Next Big Thing!

For your chance to win a copy of Burn Bright by Marianne de Pierres tune in to Friday Ketchup on the ParaQuest Radio Network (www.pqrn.net) Head into the Studio/Chat area Saturday 7am Brisbane AEST For those on daylight saving on the East coast it’ll be 8am AEDST  And for our listeners in the US Friday 4pm eastern 1pm pacific.

**tip** To get the show to play once you’re in the room right click on the icons to the side of the chat window, choose open link in new tab and pick a platform to listen to the show with from there.

We think this is pretty cool! Hi to all our German readers … hope you like your own edition of the first book!

We’re excited to share some new reviews for SHINE LIGHT.

ReadPlus say ... “Marianne de Pierres has created an unforgettable world with characters fans love.”

Bug in a Book are in agreement … “de Pierres has woven a darkly intriguing story that has gone from strength to strength. This is a fitting conclusion to this trilogy. I loved it and wanted to go with Naif all the way.”

Book’d Out also enjoyed the final book … “The Night Creatures has proved to be an exciting and creative series blending fantasy and science fiction. I am sure fans of the series will be satisfied with the climax and will no doubt hope de Pierres shines on.”

Tsana Reads says … I recommend this series to fans of speculative YA who might be looking for something a bit different.

Booky Monster gives it the thumbs up … A unique and spellbinding conclusion to one of the  freshest Australian YA series I have had the delight of reading.”

Also the winners of out CODE BREAKER competition are April Mary Hobson and Elyse Robens – CONGRATS!

For those of you who were following the competition, below is the meaning of each strip of code (and I apologise for some of my typos in creating the code!):

“I WATCH THE YOUNG FEED THEIR LIVES TO THE DARK AND KNOW ITS HUNGER WILL NEVER BE SATED” – RUZALIA

“THE ANSWER IS IN THESE BOOKS. EVERYTHING I WOULD EVER WANT TO KNOW” – C(H)ARLONGE.

“COME. COME. NEED YOU. TASTE YOU. NEED YOU.” LEYSTE TO RETRA

“YOU UNDERSTAND THE BOND OF FAMILY, NAIF. EM AND JARROLD ARE MY FAMILY. I MUST LOOK OUT FOR THEM.” MARKES

“I WILL WATCH FOR ALWAYS.” LIAM TO SUKI

“WHY ARE YOU SO FROSSING ANGRY, NAIF?”  JARROLD

“I WILL PROTECT YOU ALWAYS.” SUKI TO LI(A)M.

“YOU HAVE GROWN INTO A WOMAN, LITTLE SISTER. AND I HAD NOT NOTICED.” CLASH TO NAIF

“FIGHT OR DIE.” EVE TO THE CURSED LEAGUE.

“OUR SPECIES MUST SURVIVE.” VARONESSA

“OUR RULES ARE FEW BUT ABSOLUTE.”

“NAIF, NAIF … COME TO ME …’ LENOIR

And seemingly, as soon as it starts, it’s over!

Yesterday I talked about Lenoir at The RestIsStillUnwritten and today of course it is Naif is the final part over at BadAssBookie. I hope you enjoyed reading my personal thoughts on the characters, and that it gave you even deeper insight into what I was trying to achieve.

I’ve loved every minute of writing this series, and have so many people to thank for helping me make it a success;  including my agent, Tara, all the WONDERFUL Random House Australia staff, with special shout outs to Zoe, Kimberley, Dot, Sarana, Peri and Adiba. What a pleasure working with you all!

I also want to thank my own team. We started working on this site before Burn Bright was published and have written endlessly to bring you good, current content. To my team, this is definitely as much your series as it is mine. Love you!

Finally, to all the amazing YA bloggers (too numerous to name) out there, in Australia and overseas. You’ve been so supportive and interested, I hope that the series is its own reward – but thank you from the bottom of my heart anyway.

So what next??? Well we still have plans for wider release of the series (German edition next), so the site will continue as is, and in time when I have more YA/Children’s books published, they will be connected to this site. Burn Bright is forever … or at least for the duration of this writer’s career.

I have some other plans for the site further down the track, which I will tell you about in time. In the mean time, sit back and continue to enjoy our reviews and blogs that celebrate the wonders of YA literature.

Marianne xx