Wonderful writer Joseph M. Schuster asked me to participate in "The Next Big Thing," a series of blog entries by different writers. When you are tagged as a writer, you answer a set of questions, then tag other writers to do the same. If you haven't read Schuster's stunning novel The Might Have Been, go check it out now!

And now, my answers for "The Next Big Thing."

What is your title of your book?
Fresh Meat

Where did the idea come from for the book?
I read a lot of mountain adventure stories, and was intrigued by the thought of pitting the protagonists against a supernatural element while at the same time forcing them to survive in the wild during a blizzard.

What genre does your book fall under?
Supernatural horror! I fell in love with the horror genre as a kid. My father taught a college course on the Supernatural In Literature, and I got hooked.

Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a movie rendition?
Heh...well, it's a novel set in the world of the hit CW TV series Supernatural, so I am going with talented actors Jim Beaver, Jensen Ackles, and Jared Padalecki, who play the characters in the show.

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A rash of strange deaths in the Tahoe National Forest bring creature hunters Sam, Dean, and Bobby to the Sierra Nevada mountains during a blizzard to hunt a monster with a taste for human flesh.

Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Fresh Meat is represented by an agency, and Titan Books is publishing the novel in February of 2013.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
A few months. When I write intensly like that, I feel like I'm in the novel with the characters. If I step away from the keyboard, I feel like I'm missing out on the action.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
My horror novel Voracious pits a hiker against a cunning supernatural creature in the wilds of Glacier National Park. Not only must she strive to stay alive as the creature hunts her, but she must survive the elements, as well. It was published by the Jove impint of Penguin.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?
Quite a few things inspired me, including tales of the Donner Party's disastrous winter in the Sierra Nevada Mountains in 1846-1847. Stories of people surviving in the wild, like Krakauer's books Into the Wild and Into Thin Air, are gripping reads that stayed with me. The mountains always inspire me, and I really wanted to set a book near Lake Tahoe. When I was contacted about writing a novel set in the world of Supernatural, this idea leapt to the forefront. The characters in Supernatural have strong outdoor skills, and I thought this would be a suspenseful situation to put them in.

What else about your book might pique the reader's interest?
It's a suspenseful tale, full of action, and set in one of the most dramatic and scenic places in the U.S. The supernatural element is mysterious, as the characters must figure out exactly what they're dealing with before they know if they can stop it.

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Next up for "The Next Big Thing" is very talented writer and musician Lawrence C. Connolly. His novels VEINS and VIPERS are not to be missed. His short fiction collections VISIONS, THIS WAY TO EGRESS and VOICES are amazing. His page can be found here.