- What is the working title of your book? Where Madness Dwells, which I’m co-writing with a friend.
- Where did the idea come from for the book? It’s an Alice in Wonderland retelling. My friend and I were talking about the Tim Burton film and the Wonderland musical and had so many ideas that we just said, “Why don’t we write an Alice story?”
- What genre does your book fall under? Contemporary (real world)/Urban Fantasy (Wonderland).
- Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition? I know these people are a little older, but probably Kate Bosworth as Alice and Alexandra Daddario as Hatter.
- What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? When Alice King is sent to The Damon Academy for the Gifted, she meets many other troubled teens including the infamous acid-addicted Hatter.
- Is your book self-published, published by an independent publisher, or represented by an agency? It was on the back burner when I was working on another project, and due to collaboration scheduling issues, my friend and I have had little time to work on it since October 2012.
- How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript? It was on the back burner when I was working on another project, so the actual timeline has been about a year, but condensed: probably around 6 months.
- What other books would you compare this story to within your genre? Hm… that’s a tough one. By virtue of the fact that it’s an ”Alice in Wonderland” adaptation, I’d say Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter, but story-wise or stylistically, probably The Austere Academy (Series of Unfortunate Events) by Lemony Snicket and some of the adventure qualities of The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke. There’s not a single story that is similar to Where Madness Dwells as a whole, which is sort of a plus for me. The closest thing isn’t a novel (it’s a TV miniseries: Syfy’s Alice).
- Who or what inspired you to write this book?: My friend and I are obsessed with all things Alice in Wonderland (and Helena Bonham Carter, but that’s
besides the point), so that is the main inspiration. We also love fantasy (Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, etc) and reading novels about false realities (think any YA dystopian novel and you’ll know what I’m talking about). - What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?: It’s a much darker take on the Lewis Carroll story. First and foremost, it involves drugs (and lots of them) Like I said earlier, Syfy’s Alice is a great example. Here’s the whole blurb:
Alice King has been spiraling ever since her father’s death two years ago. Her mother has finally had enough and decides to send her to a correctional boarding school: The Damon Academy for the Gifted. Once there, Alice meets many other troubled teens; among them are Mina and the infamous acid-addicted Hatter.
Everyone has a secret at the Damon Academy, but once Alice falls down the rabbit hole and enters Wonderland, she begins to see clearly for the first time in years and goes on a journey leading her to a terrifying revelation.
Will the old Alice be lost forever? Or will she finally emerge through the looking glass?