One of the questions asked by readers a lot is “where do you get your ideas from?” In other words, what inspires me. It can be a hard question to answer to be honest.

I’m inspired by things like a rundown old house on the side of the road, an overheard conversation between two strangers, or sometimes even seeing a basket at the flea market. There are auditory and visual inspiration points every moment of every day.

Occasionally, my inspiration sprouts from dreams. For example, my current WIP is based on a dream I had about a cursed marble. Yep, a blue marble that is supposedly hexed and brings the owner bad luck. I woke up and just started writing it, based on hazy images from my dream.

I think creative people, such as writers, musicians, artists, all gather in what’s around them. We’re like human-sized sponges absorbing in everything. I guess if you squeeze us, you get juice. 😉

I love to play this game when I pass by something or someone interesting, where I try to write a past. For example, is that man going to meet his lover or his wife? Perhaps he got fired today and doesn’t know how to tell her. Or how about that farmhouse? Was it built before the Civil War or after? The man who built it could have had no wife but hoped for one so he built it big. Or perhaps he built a really small one because he didn’t want a wife.

The stories are all around me, a constant din that can be really loud or only a whisper. And that, ladies and gents, is where my inspiration comes from.