Tag! You're it!

My work-in-progress has been tagged by author Ryder Islington--visit her at http://www.ryderislington.word.press.com. and read about her work in progress--Ultimate Game, a Trey Fontaine Mystery. It's the second book in her series and though she says it's a mystery, it could be a thriller or suspense.
Now it's my turn to answer ten questions about my WIP, so her goes:

What is the title of your book?

You know I'm just not sure. I played with A Puzzle in Many Pieces, Trust No One, and Danger Wears Many Faces. Right now, the working title is Innocents in Danger. I'll welcome opinions--which title would draw you to the book?

Where did the idea for the book come from?

The book actually started out to be totally different--about a recluse in Kelly's neighborhood, but I couldn't figure out where it was going. When a body was found near the railroad tracks in my neighborhood (honest, a perfectly nice neighborhood), I worked that in and suddenly the book took a totally different turn. What they say is true--your characters tell you what's going to happen.

When genre does your book fall under?

My Kelly O'Connell Mysteries are cozies--all violence, murder, and sex is off-stage. They are also women's lit, because Kelly and her life are so prominent, but I've had many men tell me they've read and liked them, so go figure!

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

I so rarely (as in almost never) go to the movies, I have no idea. I'll ask some of my more movie-oriented friends what they think and get back to you on that one.



What is the one-sentence synopsis of the book:

Drug trafficking in Kelly's beloved Fairmount neighborhood is on the increase, and it draws a helpless young girl, classmate of Kelly's daughter Maggie, into danger, along with Theresa, a newly married young woman Kelly is very fond of, into danger--and Theresa's husband, Joe, a good guy but with a bad background.

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

Neither. My Kelly O'Connell Mysteries are published by Turquoise Morning Press and I'm delighted to have found this growing press as a home. I don't have an agent.

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

Months. I'd work, then life would draw me away, then I'd go on a writing spurt. Truth is the first draft is not finished yet. My critique guru suggested I had too many balls in the air and I went through, cutting out distracting side stories and enlarging the major plot lines. But I still lost about 10,000 words and am now back to actively writing forward. I hope to finish by Thanksgiving, maybe sooner.

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

Gosh, it seems presumtuous to compare my books to others but maybe Murder Takes the Cake, by Evelyn David, or some of Susan Schreyer's Thea Campbell Mysteries, such as Bushwhacked, or Claudia Bishop's Dread on Arrival.

Who or What inspired you to write this book?

My central figure, Kelly O'Connell. I really like her and lots of my readers do too, so I want to keep telling the story of Kelly and her family--husband Mike and two daughters Maggie and Em--and the trouble she gets into.

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

I think the setting of Fairmount, an older, inner city neighborhood with lots of Craftsman houses--Kelly specializes in renovating those. But the neighborhood, with its historic buildings and close-knit atmosphere, is a major character in the book. Local readers are usually delighted to come across restaurants and buildings, even streets and houses they know.

So that's the story of my work-in-progress. Stay in touch, please. I want your opinion on the title, and I'll be tagging five other authors to take part. I'll let you know later who they are, and I'll tell you each time one posts.