Blog Hop: Claws of the Griffin

I'm honored to be chosen to be part of this blog hop, and I'd like to thank Rick Bylina for tagging me to participate. This gives us all a chance to view new releases from authors we admire as well as introduce us to some works in progress.

Here are my answers to the ten questions:

Q. What is the working title of your book? 

I originally had named the book A Small Town Murder that takes place in a North Carolina town about 30 miles south of Raleigh. The family where the murder takes place came from aristocracy dating back to when the Carolinas were part of the colonies.  Their coat of arms was a Griffin with its wings outspread and talons extended to attack.  Suddenly the title CLAWS OF THE GRIFFIN  hit me.

The Griffin's Claw by Rachel Renee Colon

Q. Where did the idea come from for the book?

I’m a transplanted northerner living in the south, so it struck me as a great premise for a mystery story.  I envisioned a rich Midwestern guy coming to the South and experiencing things never found in the North.

Q. What genre does your book fall under?

Mystery with a southern flavor.

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

For the main character, I’d have Matt Damon play the part of Peter Reynolds.  He strikes me as the actor that could pull off the part of the reluctant hero. I can see Donald Sutherland playing the backwoods moonshiner, with a scraggly beard and disheveled beard. For the sociopathic killer, my pick is Tom Hiddleston who played Loki in the movie Thor.

Q. What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? 

Rich northerner Peter Reynolds finds himself stuck in a small North Carolina town as he outwits a moonshiner, a sly southern business man, a scheming country boy and a seductive southern belle to find who killed his ex-girlfriend.

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

Claws of the Griffin, due out March 2013, will be published by Cool Well Press.

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

I started the story in 2008 but took some time off in 2009. It wasn’t until early 2010 that I turned on the speed and pushed to get it written.

Q. What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?  

 I like southern mysteries.  Margaret Maron’s Bootlegger’s Daughter comes to mind.  Another excellent southern series are the Dave Robicheaux Mysteries by James Lee Burke.

Q. Who or What inspired you to write this book?

Living in the small town of Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, gave me the idea.  Things are different out in the country.  I kept thinking what a murder mystery would be like in the setting.

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

Besides being a murder mystery, the story is about family.  Peter Reynolds starts out being a rather shallow person who only thinks about himself, but before it’s over he will…well, I don’t want to give away too much.

On November 7, my dear friends will be answering the questions about their fabulous books. So for a treat, hop over and visit them...or, you can go visit them right now.

Joleene Naylor