I've Been Nominated for The Next Best Thing Award!

Felicia Wetzig, Queen of the Paranormal, nominated me for The Next Best Thing Award.  Thanks, Fel!  The rules say I must nominate five other websites and answer the questions below.  This award has no badge that I know of.

Here are the nominees.  The last one isn't the usual type of nominee, because it's a group blog for fantasy writers and so the questions can't be answered. However, I think it's a good resource and is well worth being followed.  I just found it myself when it (they?) chose to follow me on Twitter.

Misha Gericke http://sylmion.blogspot.com/
Lisa Kramer http://lisawieldswords.wordpress.com/
Helene Bludman http://booksiswonderful.wordpress.com/
Lisa D. B. Taylor, http://www.neebeep.com/itsownsweetwillneebeepc/
http://mythicscribes.com/

And now to answer the questions:

What is the title of your Work in Progress?

I'm torn -- shall I use my real WIP ("The Man Who Found Birds among the Stars") which may never be flogged into any publishable shape, or shall I use the second volume of the "Labors of  Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head" series, which is all written except for some last minute revisions as I format it for print publication?   I think I'll use the "Labors" volume, since it'srelated to my already-published works.  Its title is "The Storm-Wing."

Where did the idea come from for the book?

I've written at length about that in the post Characters and Elements Found in Myth and Folklore on my other blog.  It talks about how myth can be retold within another context.  This "Storm-Wing" volume bases the title character on the Stymphalian birds combined with the concept of the Furies. The plots come from a couple of the Labors of the "real" Hercules, as well as two medieval epics, which shall be nameless here.

What genre does your book fall under?

It's a hybrid of science fiction and fantasy.  Epic fantasy, extraterrestrial adventure, aliens, whatever. 

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

Well, unless we actually travel to 2 Giotta 17A and meet the Shshi people, it would have to be done with animation of some sort!  I can't think of anybody except James Cameron whom I would trust to do it right!  As for voices, termites don't have vocal mechanisms, but it could be done with voice-overs and I don't have a clue as to what actors would serve. 

What is a one-sentence synopsis of the book?

Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head and its Companions continue their journey and encounter several monsters, which our Champion must fight and defeat even while beset by some troubling psychological conflict.

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

Self-published, unless a miracle occurs.

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

I wrote all this stuff a number of years ago and I would guess two or three months from start to finish.  All the Ki'shto'ba books wrote themselves very rapidly.  Of course, I've revised them since then.

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

I can't think of anything like it right off the bat!  Of course, it compares to the myths of Hercules.  It does have a psychological aspect -- all my books have that.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

That's the same question as "Where did the idea come from?"  No person inspired me.

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

Terrestrial termites have such an interesting social structure, which is so readily transformed into the culture of an intelligent lifeform!  In my opinion, nothing could be more intriguing than all these wonderful Earth myths and medieval legends retold in terms of an alien civilization -- and one where the ILFs are giant termites!