Where Do Story Ideas Come From?

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Contrary to popular belief, storks do not, in fact, deliver story ideas all bundled up in a blankie. Sometimes coming up with a new story idea is stinking hard work (emphasis on the stink). Other times, they pop up out of nowhere, faster than any bird could drop one in your lap. Which begs the question...where exactly do story ideas come from?

Memories
UNDERCURRENT came from an old family tale about a forefather who took his 3 year old daughter by the hand and just disappeared out the door. No one knows what happened to them. Where in the world did they go? Or in my twisted brain, where in the time did they go? The best place to hide where no one could find you would be in a different era.


Experiences
My first story idea came from a horrific drive through an F5 tornado. Okay, so that may be a bit of a stretch, but I was alone in the car when a super freaky storm broke. I expected to see Dorothy or at least a cow flying past my windshield...and I live in the city. I did see a lot of weird things hurtling past my headlights and it got me thinking. What if I saw something really out of place--like a knight? Hence, GALLIMORE was birthed.


Concepts
I grew up in a family of liars. I know what I'm talking about when I say it sometimes only takes a lie to be spoken once for it to be believed as truth...which can be really ugly and have lifelong effects when that lie is spoken to a little girl. As a result, the concept of truth and deception has always intrigued me. My third finished manuscript, A HEART DECEIVED, explores the damage that a single lie can inflict.

Curiosity
It's no secret I love history. Look on my bookshelf and you'll see tons of English history. One of these books mentioned briefly the tale of a magistrate who was sick to death of crime on the streets of London, so he hired a few men from his own pocketbook to fight against it. This group became known as the Bow Street Runners, a fledgling police force of sorts. What kind of man would take on criminals for litte or no pay? That question birthed my hero, Nicholas Brentwood, in BRENTWOOD'S WARD.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point that story ideas can honestly come from anywhere. A dream. A what if. A phrase you heard in passing at the coffee shop. The sky's the limit...hmm...now there's a story idea!