What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?
Plunge, tells of August Asher’s life altering season at a Children’s
Hospital that includes: learning to accept the death of her fiancé, discovering
the dying children have mysteriously curative powers and rediscovering her
gifted ability to connect with these children because of her own near death
experience endured as a child.
What genre does your book fall under?
Fiction
Where did the idea for the book come from?
This book
idea was born during a season of immense sadness. My then six-month-old son had been
diagnosed with a rare medical condition that predicted potentially grave
outcomes for his future development. Because the condition is a spectrum
disorder, the first step was to determine how severe things actually were. The
disorder can result in complete blindness, absence of certain portions of the
brain, underdeveloped pituitary glands and, if not properly addressed, death. I
spent the next two years in and out of various hospital wards having my son
tested, signing off on surgeries, praying in hospital chapels and writing. When
it was eventually determined that my son was “one of the lucky ones” as one
doctor said, because he has full sight in one of his eyes, and a fully
developed brain and pituitary gland, I packed my son up and we finally headed
home. Months later I found myself going through one of his old diaper bags and
scribbled on prescription pads, hospital letter head, brochures and even the
back of a chaplain’s prayer card, I found excerpts of stories I had begun to
write. A few more months later it became increasingly clear that Ray Bradbury’s
quote, “You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you” had become
true in my own life. The reality of what the doctors were saying became too
much for my mothering heart to bear. Consequently, I created a fantasy greater
than my reality only to find that it wasn’t a fantasy all. Miracles do still
come true and the people I met in the Children’s Hospital inspired me to write
about the Truth. Thus, in hindsight, this book was born during a season of
immense triumph.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of the
manuscript?
The first
draft has taken about three years. However, parts of my second draft have been
reworked so much so that they feel like entirely new drafts. As a result, maybe
I am still writing the first draft.
Who or what inspired you to write this book?
My son inspired me to
write this book because he has proven to be stronger than I ever could be. I am
also inspired by the handful of nameless children who smiled, often while their
parents cried, who sang, who danced, who laughed and who told reality to, “suck
it!”
Who will publish your book?
I don’t
want to place limitations on such a thing, but it would likely have to be a
publisher interested in stories that push the bounds of reality.
What other works would you compare this book to within your
genre?
Below are
books I have found inspiration from:
1)
Octavia’s Butler, Kindred
2) Ian McDonald, The
Dervish House
3)
C.S. Lewis, The Lion, The Witch, and The
Wardrobe
What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters
in a movie rendition?
August: Regina King
Child
August: A potentially undiscovered new child actress
Jackson: Michael Ealy
Devon: John Krasinski
Sarah: Eva Mendez
Hospital
Children: Additional
undiscovered child actors
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
My hope
is that Plunge reminds all
people to reintroduce themselves to the wise and resilient child living inside.
***
Thanks,
again, Cassandra Lane Rich, for tagging me. Here is my tag:
· Xoaquima
Diaz (whose forthcoming memoir, Crash, details
her experience surviving a plane crash, the subsequent years she spent crippled
by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and her journey through a multiple-pronged
treatment approach for PTSD. http://www.xoaquimadiaz.com
