Where Does Inspiration Come From?

One of the more frequent questions I get from readers as a paranormal romance author is how I came up with the idea for whichever story they're most invested in. What did I start with? The character? The world? The plot?

I know this is different for every author, but for me, almost always, a series starts with a specific scene. However, thinking about it further, it starts even before that.

I am a fan of a good story in just about any format - book, movie, spoken, etc. I love to lose myself in the world and the characters. One of my favorite activities for my imagination is to invent new characters who I plop down into the middle of my favorite stories - just in my head of course. I've thought of a daughter for Gandalf in Lord of the Rings, a love interest for Sirius Black in the Harry Potter series, or just a random person who comes along after the story ends and picks up where things left off. Often I am inspired by several ideas from several sources - mashing them all together to create something different.

As an example, Blue Violet and my Svatura series got started--with several inspiration points. I loved the idea of a shifters in general. I combined that with different people having different shifts (rather than all the same), like the animagus in the Harry Potter series. Next I pulled in Malificent from Disney's Sleeping Beauty--adding a dragon. However, I didn't want anyone with magic to be able to easily figure out how to shift, so it needed to be an inherent ability.

As frequently happens, I then reinvented my initial idea several times using a series of "what ifs". What if my character could do this, or that, or the other? My new character started adding animals to her list of shifts. Because one animal is good, but more animals... better. At first they were all flying animals - I kept the dragon and added a falcon, a hummingbird, and a butterfly.

For those of you who've read Blue Violet, you can probably guess that my character eventually turned into Ellie. She kept the falcon (and maybe the dragon too ;) ) and added a jaguar and a wolf. I mean, if you're going to be able to shift into multiple animals, might as well make them powerful ones. Right?

But just having those awesome morphs wasn't enough for my character. I had to give her something to do with them.  I usually like stories where someone has a bad ass ability that no one else knows about. When they finally reveal that ability, it's a big deal. And that's how the initial scene I mentioned came about. I had my character protecting a group of people she knew but who didn't know what she was. From afar of course. And then she is forced to reveal who/what she is when they are actually attacked.

Can you guess which scene this became in Blue Violet? Yup - the scene where Ellie turns into a jaguar (after being a falcon) and fights the wolves who attack Lila, Adelaide, and Nate.

And that was the start of Blue Violet. From there, I had my own unique world and set of characters who I already loved--they needed their own stories, leading into a full series. But the inspiration came from sources that already sparked my imagination. I found the same situation has happened for each of my series. Ideas floating around that morph into a single scene and the series develop from there.

Authors, what about you? How do you find your inspiration?

**GIFs linked directly from giphy.com

Roadblocks Encountered When Writing a Series

I've now written and published two complete series with several more in various stages of publication. And one thing that is becoming clear to me is that I will always, always agonize over the last book in the series. The one that wraps it all up.  That last book of the series is - pardon the expression - a bitch to write. If you are writing your first series, or considering it, here are some of my key learnings to possibly keep in the back of your mind.

 

Wrap It Up

With the other books, you have the option to  mysteriously refer to something coming in future books. Really fun to do. I love laying those breadcrumbs. But with the last book, you actually have to wrap everything up with a big, red bow. Which means no more bread crumbs and ending things satisfactorily. If you can (I'm talking to you fellow pantsers), keep track of ALL breadcrumbs laid as you go. Also, when you lay them, have an idea of how you'll wrap them up and how they tie to other things.

 

Corners

You now have the other books published, which can paint you into corners. Not that corners are a bad thing if they get you where you want to go. But I'm the kind of author who writes fairly loosey-goosey. I have an idea of direction and some key plot points, but, beyond that, I can go where the wind blows me. But not as much with a final book. My path for that last one has to be fairly straight and narrow. So, again by keeping the series end-state in mind when writing those first books, you might save yourself some pain.

 

Known Characters

Typically, my main characters in each book are "known" characters. They are people already introduced in previous books, often with large roles to play in all those preceding books. This makes it harder to "reveal" something about them that we don't already know or, for example, take a goofball and make him a charming Alpha male. It also means readers have previously set expectations about that character and their voice, so you'd better get it right. Make sure to keep track of every detail of those characters in the previous books.

Starting From a Tough Spot

One of my roadblocks when writing Black Orchid, the last book in my Svatura series, was getting Nate and Adelaide back together when he'd been brainwashed and she'd been...well...broken. I'd known since writing Blue Violet (book 1) that I was going to rip the two of them apart, and I knew exactly how I was ultimately going to solve that issue. What I didn't know was the journey in between. (Note: It ended up taking four or five rewrites of Black Orchid to get there.) I don't have great advice for the pantsers out there on this one, other than try not to do that to yourself. Lol.

 

Upping the Ante

This part, I'll admit, is kinda fun. Each book needs to be a little bigger and have a slightly different approach from the others. I love coming up with ways to make the love unique, the fights bigger, the conflict escalate, etc. I tried to have most of that mapped out when I started the series. But - loosey-goosey remember? - the journey often gets me there in unexpected ways. Both fun and completely nerve wracking for me. Having a series map before you start can help, even if it's fairly high level.

 

Pressure Cooker

I tend to put a lot of pressure on myself to end each series "right" - in other words, in a way that I would want to read without being disappointed or chucking the book at the wall (that's my barometer). These are characters and a world that I have come to love, sometimes over years. I want to send them off in style for me and for my readers. Granted, this is pressure of my own making, but it's definitely in the back of my head all the while. I think it's a good thing, so authors, let yourself feel that pressure.

 

Despite all the roadblocks and moments of learning, I'm very proud of the series I've finished. And I can say with confidence that the next series will also end the best way I can make them. Here's hoping it gets easier as I continue to write more of them. :)

Shameless Plug: By the way...I've just released a boxed set version of my first series--The Svatura Series--at 50% off the individual book price totals. Get started on this award-winning series today!

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The Appeal of Fated Love

One of my personal favorite paranormal romance story lines is that of the destined or fated lovers. By this I mean that fate or the universe or the powers-that-be have given some kind of sign that these two people are meant to be together forever. The question is, why does this concept appeal so much?


Nice to Be Sure
It’s my opinion that the greatest appeal of destined love is that, in this crazy, grass-is-greener world, it’s so nice to be sure. In this time when divorce is so common and accepted and there are so many “choices”, people are always wondering if they picked the right person. Fated love allows the couple to be absolutely certain (once they get around to admitting they love each other). Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to second guess ourselves?

Bigger Than Life
Fated love is bigger than real life, which is one of the reasons I like to read paranormal romance in the first place. I like the idea of something so special that it was deemed true and important by fate. Real life relationships are hard, so that larger-than-life connection that somehow makes the “hard” seem easier. Or at least helps you know that at then end of “hard” you’ll still be stronger together.

Fun to Watch
These relationships are oh-so-fun to watch develop. Frequently, the couple finds out they are fated lovers well before they’re ready to admit it. Often when they’ve only just met. People still want the choice, until their choice is made, and then it’s back to “nice to be sure.” So watching the ensuing fireworks is fun.

Unlimited
The way in which fated love happens is limited only by the imagination of the author. Is a Seer involved? Is there some kind of physical sign (glowing light? tattoo? mark?)? Does everyone know or just them? Is it central to the plot? Can they be separated? What happens if someone else tries to break them up? In my Svatura series, I call them te’sorthene and the couple has to figure it out. In Bait N' Witch their sigils burn a tattoo somewhere on their bodies, and grow brighter as their love develops.You get the picture – lots of fun ways to take this concept.

So… are you with me on this whole fated love thing? Is it something that really appeals to you? Or does it annoy you that it’s necessary to help the couple “know for sure” ? Where do you stand on this concept?