Thursday, January 24, 2013

The Next Big Thing: The Zeppelin Chronicles


I was tagged by: Jon Konrath, author of Sleep Has No Master; Helle Gade, author of Silent Dreams; Amber Norrgard, author of In the Gloaming and Color of Dawn.

1) What is the working title of your next book?

The Zeppelin Chronicles.


2) Where did the idea come from for the book?

I think it came from watching historical documentaries and reading Narnia.  The YA adventure has always been appealing to me as well.  I wanted to sync the two somehow and kids stopping the Holocaust with a magic zeppelin seemed like the next logical step.

3) What genre does your book fall under?

YA sci-fi, fantasy.

4) What actors would you choose to play the part of your characters in a movie rendition?

She’s a bit older now but I think Summer Glau could play the youngest kid.  Jesse Eisenberg could play Kip.  Emma Stone could play the narrator and oldest girl.  It might seem too much like a Zombieland reunion though.

5) What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book?

A group of three friends hijack a zeppelin to stop the Holocaust.

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

Self-published.

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

It’s a short story but it took a few months.

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

Definitely the Chronicles of Narnia.

9) Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I wanted to start a series that educated kids in some way about different genocides.  There’s also something mysterious and glamorous about airships and the age of them as well.  It began and ended so swiftly.

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

There’s many historical figures such as Clark Gable, Albert Einstein and Hermann Goering included.  Also, the next adventures will take on the Trail of Tears and Sudan.

Here are the authors I’m tagging:


Natasha Head





Susie Clevenger





Derek McPhee




8 comments:

  1. This really sounds great. I think something written with children in mind can truly open the doors of history to them. They can relate to a story. We need our children to be exposed to something other than entertainment. Something to spark within them the desire to help make a better world.

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  2. My first official series addiction was Narnia...dropped on my doorstep by a great aunt who would also deliver Lewis' Mere Christianity not long after...I was 8!!! :D I'm definitely in the line-up for this one...(and my publisher just opened submissions..ahem....) :D You're awesome, Ben! Thank you

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  3. How wonderful, sounds like just the type of story I would want my Grandchildren to read.

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  4. My daughter (now grown) still loves to reread the Chronicles of Narnia,,I am going to tell her about your book and we will read it together,,,,even now,,,

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