Inspiration

People often ask me where my inspiration comes from. The easy answer is that it comes from pretty much everywhere. Some scenes I describe are inspired by places I’ve been, dreams I’ve had, paintings I’ve seen, music I’ve listened to, etc. Some moments in my books are riffs on, or exaggerations of, actual events I experienced or witnessed. And so many of the ruminations of my characters mirror thoughts that have gone through my own head!

Two quick examples . . .

In grad school, back in 1994, my roommate Justin and I visited Yellowstone Park. We were standing at the top of one of a million scenic vistas, and we could see a small waterfall down in this valley below us. But the walls of the valley were so steep they were nearly gorge like, and they were covered in loose scree. Undaunted, we climbed, or more accurately slid our way down to the base of the valley. At the bottom, we discovered a place that looked as though it had never been touched by man. Everything was covered in a thick mat of moss. And there was a double waterfall cascading into a pool of crystal clear water. If dryads and fairies walked the earth, they would surely call this place home. I will never forget it. I have a picture of us down there. And you can tell from the photo that it was an amazing spot. But the picture still doesn’t do justice to the memory I carry of it. That grotto, or a place inspired by it anyway, will make an appearance in book two!

The second inspiration is a song. In fact, that one song is probably the single biggest inspiration for me to write this series! See if you can guess which song it is! Might be tricky until the second book comes out . . .

P.S. - We nearly didn’t make it out of that gorge! Getting up and out was an adventure, and a story, for another time!