GUEST BLOG: Nancy Wood on "What's Next?"

Nancy Wood says: I live in Santa Cruz, California, where I've been lucky enough to make writing my career. For many years I made my living as a technical writer, working in software documentation. About six years ago, I was laid off from my job and decided to set up my own shop. Now, I'm a writing consultant for the high tech industry and get to spend every day grappling with words and sentences. I love it!

Due Date, published by Solstice Publishing, came out at the end of May. This is my first published book. I started it about six years ago, and am now working on the second book in the Shelby McDougall series, which I hope won't take quite so long!

What is the working title of your next book?
STALKING THE STORK (but I know that title needs work…!).

Where did the idea come from for the book?
The book is the second in the Shelby McDougall series and picks up the story a few years after the conclusion of DUE DATE. In this book, Shelby hunts the mastermind of the conspiracy she was involved in in Due Date.

What genre does your book fall under?
Thriller.

What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?
Great question! I’m on a Dr. Who kick these days and I love Karen Gillan, who plays Amy Pond, Dr. Who’s companion in the 2010 – 2012 series. She looks like Shelby, plus she’s curious, fearless, and a bit impulsive. Unfortunately, she’d have to drop her lovely Socttish brogue!

What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
When toddler Justin Boyd, one of the twins that Shelby McDougall put up for adoption two years ago, is abducted, Shelby drops everything—her job, graduate school, her life—to chase dead-end leads, only to find herself in quicksand: both the cops and the bad guys are after her.


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

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?
I’m still working on it the first draft, so I’d say by the time I’m done it will be at least a year. I squeeze in my writing time in the morning before starting work.

What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?
There’s a ton of science fiction and futuristic novels (Orson Scott Card, James Patterson, Margaret Atwood, Aldous Huxley) that deal with the issues I’m tackling in this book. I don’t know of a thriller set in contemporary times that explores these issues.

Who or what inspired you to write this book? Where did you get the idea?
I knew I wanted to write a series, so I set the first book up with a few unresolved questions.

What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?
I won’t give it away, but Shelby does a lot of research as she works her way through the clues, learning more about surrogacy, fertility clinics, stem cells, genetic engineering. No matter what you think about surrogacy, and the enormous industry that’s springing up around human reproduction, it’s a fascinating topic with plenty of potential for fiction.