Getting Inspiration

Kitchen and patio tables, studies and office spaces, coffee shops and airports -- these physcial spaces make up some of the settings for our Avalon authors as they create the stories that become Avalon romances, mysteries, and historicals. Today, I'd like to examine how these spaces provide inspiration.

I was surprised that only one author, Christine Bush, got inspiration from having meditational music in the background. I thought I was the odd ball because I get distracted by music and always keep my office quiet, but both Rebecca Boschee and Laurie Alice Eakes mentioned that music, especially with lyrics, was annoying.

When do our authors write? "Whenever I can squeeze it in," said Rebecca Boschee, but several authors had favorite writing times. I found that Debbye Mayne, Noelene Jenkinson, Beate Boeker, Zelda Benjamin and I all prefer the mornings. Only Terry McDermid said she does her best writing at night.

Some authors use the outdoors to get their inspiration, and travel works well for others. Unlike Terry McDermid who enjoys the mountains and the cooler weather, I get inspired by being on the water in warm weather. I love the islands and beaches and always feel inspired and ready to write when I get home. Jane Myers Perrine gets inspiration from "every place," and Beate Boeker likes to take notes when she travels then later she tries "to recall the way things felt and smelled."

Some of our authors were very specific about where they write, but others like to change their surroundings. Laurie Alice Eakes likes to change locations to help free up her mind if she gets stuck. "It's a kind of mental claustrophobia," she said. Debby Mayne has to go somewhere every day so she doesn't find herself writing in a vacuum. "I like to interact with people," she says, "experience the weather, and basically get in turne with the real world or my fictional world seems plastic."

Noele Jenkinson, who believes "a writer's life is charmed," is a plotter. She considers writing her job, so it doesn't really matter where she writes after she organzies her novels. "I can't believe I get to do something I love every day."

Noele, I think you've pretty much summed it up for all of us. I don't think I've ever met an author who doesn't like her job. Writing is what we do, and it doesn't matter where or when we do it.

Call it "charmed" or "magical" (as I mentioned last week) or just a "job," but we're lucky to do what we do - and do it for Avalon Books.