Since writing a book, I have had many people ask me where I drew my inspiration. The truth is, my imagination, haha. I know to a lot of people that might seem silly, especially coming from a thirty-two-year-old mother of three, but it’s the truth. I have always had a very active imagination, and it’s something I have always exercised.

I told you before I moved to Montana when I was fourteen. In that 22-hour car ride, it was the first time I thought of this story in particular. I mentioned before I sat down to write it a thousand times, but it never felt right. Each time I wrote it, it began changing. When I was nineteen, I wrote two-thirds of the book. Each time I reread it, I was gutted. It wasn’t right. I was so upset. I trashed the whole thing. Which was dumb, and I do not recommend!

So a couple of days before my 29th birthday, I had a dream about a few people from my past that made no sense. I hadn’t thought about them or any situation we had all been together in, in years! I woke up confused about my dream, but then it hit me. It was the final key to my book. That morning, after a generous amount of coffee, I sat down and began writing. Now, with two kids 3 and under and one on the way, it wasn’t exactly easy. I was having to use every spare second to write. With the help of my husband, mother, and mother-in-law, I made my deadline. I spent so much time editing, rewriting, and learning more about my writing style. It helped me grow as a writer.

Now I am currently writing the sequel in the duology I never planned on, hahaha. I wrote Everything to Do with Love as a standalone, but I have had so many of my readers reach out wanting to know what happens next with the female main character; I am writing the sequel. Don’t get me wrong, I have the entire lifetime for each of my characters planned in my head. I think most writers do. When you’re developing your character, you really have to imagine who they would be in real life. It’s easy to get carried away in developing each personal story. I am sure a more seasoned novelist probably has a more efficient way to develop a character, but I have so much fun conjuring up each main character. I do have to admit, though I enjoy developing the main characters, I sometimes get a little annoyed developing secondary characters.

Currently, I have two books started and one a quarter of the way finished. As far as inspiration, I find it everywhere! My dreams, random thoughts, stuff my husband says, just anywhere really. I make sure to write down my every thought at that moment so I don’t forget! My voracious ADHD allows me to have about fifty-eleven ideas, but I have to work REALLY hard on the follow-through. I’m sure medication would probably help, but then I would miss that sprinkle sprinkle the ADHD brings to my life.

Another source of inspiration for me is my children. They have the wildest, off-the-wall thoughts. I love encouraging them to create their own stories. We have so much fun walking through the woods in our backyard and rewriting nature, changing the world we live in and living inside their own heads. If you’ve never encouraged your young child to tell you a story, DO IT. You’ll learn so much about your children’s blossoming personalities and have fun in the process.

Tell me in the comments about your favorite way to get creative and how you find your inspiration. I would love to hear from you guys!

Until next time, ladies & gents~