This is a question that comes up frequently. Where do you get your ideas? Are the characters in your book "real"? Which all comes back to where do you get your inspiration? My hairdresser used to ask me every time I went to visit her. For her, it's amazing that I can come up with names and places and situations. For me, it's second nature.
I draw inspiration from a moment in time. Something I see. Someone I see. My stories generally revolve around that one moment in time. Imagination is a beautiful thing, and it creates a story around that moment. My heroes/heroines don't come from big screen heartthrobs so much as an identifying characteristic I see in someone I know, or while people watching.
Here are examples of story origins, examples that show up only briefly in the final product.
Touched by the Sun - Pompeii, and the Holy Grail. The "moment" was connecting the two after watching a Nova show on volcanos, and then an Indiana Jones movie. A light bulb went off when I realized St. Paul had been in southern Italy a believable period of time after the Last Supper.
Living Canvas happened because of a picture I bought (like the one on the book cover). I bought it because I could see myself sitting in that painting. It was very like a place I'd spent a lot of time at growing up, staring over the water. It was peaceful. The concept of inserting myself into a painting brought on memories of Night Gallery, a T.V. show I watched growing up, and somehow the two meshed together to become the story.
Mist on the Meadow started with a "moment of grace." Something that caught my eye that made the world stop spinning for just a moment: a buck standing at the edge of the woods on a winter day, huffing so that it's breath made a cloud in the early morning air.
Heart for Rent, with an Option started with a walk through a french market in... France. The fresh produce, the tangy, freshly-ground spices. The town of Aix-en-Provence.
Return to Hoffman Grove. I'm going to embarrass myself if I tell you the moment from this book. It's there, in the book. I had a Facebook conversation with my former tennis coach which sent me reminiscing down memory lane and there it was, front and center, a random memory from my time on the tennis team.
I've purposely left out Intimate Distance, mainly because I wrote that during a very dark period in my life. There is a moment, but I'd rather keep that one to myself.
This is the place where I remind you that although I draw on personal experiences when I formulate my books, they are not autobiographical (except, maybe, for that one moment). I read a quote recently where people tend to assume authors write about themselves, unless you tell them that something is autobiographical, in which case they tend to NOT believe you. My stories are made up. They're all in my head. Fiction. I sometimes include "truth is stranger than fiction" moments, which have made people call me out with "that would never happen" (but it did). I had one friend blush after reading Living Canvas because she said she pictured me as Audrey. Nope. Not me. Yes, I traveled to the places I wrote about, but no, I did not meet a handsome stranger during my journeys and end up living happily ever after.
Don't get me wrong, I am living my happily ever after, but the Big Guy doesn't make an appearance in any of my stories. I'm keeping him all to myself.
Wednesday, January 28, 2015
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
Binge reading ... and what's next
I'm at the stage between books. All the things I've been neglecting while trying to perfect my latest love child are staring me in the face. "Spring cleaning" the house, catching up on my favorite authors, visiting friends and venturing into the outside world.
I dusted my house. Top to bottom. Cupboard fronts, door panels, everything. It's a start.
I'm reading +Jill Shalvis, adding the rest of the series that I haven't read to my wish list so I make sure to read them all. Was reading one last night and had a laugh out loud moment, which prompted the Big Guy to look up from his Kindle Fire to ask what I was laughing about. The book.
Had lunch with one of my dearest friends.
And in a couple of weeks, I'll be meeting and greeting at the Elgin Literary Festival.
But an author's work is never done. While I'm fine tuning, waiting on my critique group to catch up, and preparing Gathering Mist for the editor, I'm thinking ahead to "what's next."
A few years back, I wrote a book that I shelved. Epitaph. It's a ghost story, and a love story. But it was deeply flawed in several places. At the time, I wasn't sure how to fix it, so I set it aside and moved on. The story still haunts me (hah! a ghost story haunting me!), and I'd like to fix those flaws. I keep telling myself it will be next up when I find myself short of story ideas. WHOOPS! No shortage of story ideas? So now I'm doing a balancing act again.
Remember when I mentioned, before I started writing Return to Hoffman Grove, that I couldn't decide between Cinda's story and Kundigerin 2? And then Cinda tapped me on the shoulder, demanding page time. Decision made. And now? I'm trying to decide between THREE stories. Kundigerin 3 - Max's story, fixing Epitaph, and the idea that keeps nagging me about Tromp L'Oeil. The first two are no brainers, I know the stories, just have to put them down, so it makes sense to tackle them -- plus people reading the Kundigerin series who are enjoying it might be anxious to see that resolved. But it's the tromp l'oeil story that has been occupying my mind.
Friends, fans, readers, anyone care to push me in one direction or the other?
1. Kundigerin 3 - Max's story. Finish the Kundigerin trilogy. Marissa and Wolf have two new friends, (you'll meet them in Kundigerin 2) and the four of them need to stop an evil genius. The plan right now is that it will be told from Max's point of view (Marissa's little brother) - he is the new secret keeper and has to chronicle the family legacy, along with the confrontation that is to come.
2. Epitaph - a haunted house ghost story about a willowy young woman and a newspaper feature writer, haunted by the newspaper guy's dead sister and chased by her killer.
3. Murals - a mural artist paints to escape a troubled past. This romance will not be a paranormal.
Anyone care to weigh in?
I dusted my house. Top to bottom. Cupboard fronts, door panels, everything. It's a start.
I'm reading +Jill Shalvis, adding the rest of the series that I haven't read to my wish list so I make sure to read them all. Was reading one last night and had a laugh out loud moment, which prompted the Big Guy to look up from his Kindle Fire to ask what I was laughing about. The book.
Had lunch with one of my dearest friends.
And in a couple of weeks, I'll be meeting and greeting at the Elgin Literary Festival.
But an author's work is never done. While I'm fine tuning, waiting on my critique group to catch up, and preparing Gathering Mist for the editor, I'm thinking ahead to "what's next."
A few years back, I wrote a book that I shelved. Epitaph. It's a ghost story, and a love story. But it was deeply flawed in several places. At the time, I wasn't sure how to fix it, so I set it aside and moved on. The story still haunts me (hah! a ghost story haunting me!), and I'd like to fix those flaws. I keep telling myself it will be next up when I find myself short of story ideas. WHOOPS! No shortage of story ideas? So now I'm doing a balancing act again.
Remember when I mentioned, before I started writing Return to Hoffman Grove, that I couldn't decide between Cinda's story and Kundigerin 2? And then Cinda tapped me on the shoulder, demanding page time. Decision made. And now? I'm trying to decide between THREE stories. Kundigerin 3 - Max's story, fixing Epitaph, and the idea that keeps nagging me about Tromp L'Oeil. The first two are no brainers, I know the stories, just have to put them down, so it makes sense to tackle them -- plus people reading the Kundigerin series who are enjoying it might be anxious to see that resolved. But it's the tromp l'oeil story that has been occupying my mind.
Friends, fans, readers, anyone care to push me in one direction or the other?
1. Kundigerin 3 - Max's story. Finish the Kundigerin trilogy. Marissa and Wolf have two new friends, (you'll meet them in Kundigerin 2) and the four of them need to stop an evil genius. The plan right now is that it will be told from Max's point of view (Marissa's little brother) - he is the new secret keeper and has to chronicle the family legacy, along with the confrontation that is to come.
2. Epitaph - a haunted house ghost story about a willowy young woman and a newspaper feature writer, haunted by the newspaper guy's dead sister and chased by her killer.
3. Murals - a mural artist paints to escape a troubled past. This romance will not be a paranormal.
Anyone care to weigh in?
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
Stepping out into the world
Next month, I will be taking part in the Elgin Literary Festival, an event organized to promote literacy and celebrate the written word. I will be in stellar company, including the NYT best-selling author, Simone Elkeles (and if you've ever met her/seen her/heard her, you know she's a hoot. I swear this woman has no filters). She's the keynote speaker, and every address I've heard her deliver has been highly entertaining (if slightly "blue").
Authors, by nature, tend to be introverted sorts, so stepping out into the limelight can be overwhelming. I've posted on this blog before about "gearing up" to meet people. I'm not painfully shy, although I am the one who would prefer to stand quietly in the corner of a room and observe rather than step up and introduce myself to everyone at a party.
I am always happy to meet the people who buy my books, happy to introduce newcomers to what I've written. I'm excited to be part of a panel at this event, which more or less puts me "on stage." Excited by the opportunity, and yet it will require a skill I've only developed within the last ten years (and probably only six, but who's counting?): speaking when I have something to say.
As the youngest of four girls, I grew up in the shadow. Don't speak unless spoken to. Mine was the fourth (and therefore least important) opinion. For years, I deferred to my older, and therefore wiser, sisters. Eventually, we all grew up. I'm not that mouse in the corner anymore.
In my professional life, I was able to speak to people individually with ideas, but often struggled in large groups. Those individuals helped me to break out of that. One friend in particular encouraged me to share my "great ideas" with the group. I credit one of my mentors/bosses with giving me the opportunity to prove myself, and there were enough "individuals" who'd heard my voice to push me forward and give me the confidence to speak to the groups.
As an author, I've been able to translate this confidence into approaching people I don't know, especially at events like this one. If they're at a literary festival, that means they like books. I write books, what a coincidence! Instantly, we have something in common, something to talk about. And if they like MY books, well, that's a bonus. And that's what keeps an author writing.
Authors, by nature, tend to be introverted sorts, so stepping out into the limelight can be overwhelming. I've posted on this blog before about "gearing up" to meet people. I'm not painfully shy, although I am the one who would prefer to stand quietly in the corner of a room and observe rather than step up and introduce myself to everyone at a party.
I am always happy to meet the people who buy my books, happy to introduce newcomers to what I've written. I'm excited to be part of a panel at this event, which more or less puts me "on stage." Excited by the opportunity, and yet it will require a skill I've only developed within the last ten years (and probably only six, but who's counting?): speaking when I have something to say.
As the youngest of four girls, I grew up in the shadow. Don't speak unless spoken to. Mine was the fourth (and therefore least important) opinion. For years, I deferred to my older, and therefore wiser, sisters. Eventually, we all grew up. I'm not that mouse in the corner anymore.
In my professional life, I was able to speak to people individually with ideas, but often struggled in large groups. Those individuals helped me to break out of that. One friend in particular encouraged me to share my "great ideas" with the group. I credit one of my mentors/bosses with giving me the opportunity to prove myself, and there were enough "individuals" who'd heard my voice to push me forward and give me the confidence to speak to the groups.
As an author, I've been able to translate this confidence into approaching people I don't know, especially at events like this one. If they're at a literary festival, that means they like books. I write books, what a coincidence! Instantly, we have something in common, something to talk about. And if they like MY books, well, that's a bonus. And that's what keeps an author writing.
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Baby its cold outside!
As I'm trying to think of what words of wisdom/glimmers of brilliance I can share today, the only thing I can think is BABY ITS COLD OUTSIDE.
I'm a summer person. I don't mind the 90 degree heat (although I could live without humidity and be much happier). I'm not going to complain about how hot I am during the summer, and that's because of days like today. Arctic air is spilling down into the Midwestern United States. We've had a relatively mild spell, and not much snow to worry about, but we couldn't escape winter forever.
So my mind wanders to other times and places to escape the lethal wind chills. Like my visit to Utah, during the spring, when the weather was changeable. Warm and 70 one day, 32 and snowing the next. Or Arizona at 110 degrees at 10 p.m. That's the thing about the United States. We get it all, from the arctic tundra, to the sizzling deserts and everything in between.
But enough whining, complaining, shivering. Still working on edits for Kundigerin 2. I think I have all the plot holes filled, so now it comes down to readability, flow, and then to the "fine grit" sandpaper of pulling out overused words, unnecessary words, etc. So I better get back to it.
Anon
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| Ruby's @ Bryce Canyon, 5/2013 |
So my mind wanders to other times and places to escape the lethal wind chills. Like my visit to Utah, during the spring, when the weather was changeable. Warm and 70 one day, 32 and snowing the next. Or Arizona at 110 degrees at 10 p.m. That's the thing about the United States. We get it all, from the arctic tundra, to the sizzling deserts and everything in between.
But enough whining, complaining, shivering. Still working on edits for Kundigerin 2. I think I have all the plot holes filled, so now it comes down to readability, flow, and then to the "fine grit" sandpaper of pulling out overused words, unnecessary words, etc. So I better get back to it.
Anon
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