What inspires me?

"What inspires you and how do you keep that inspiration going?" - Julie, Berkshire, UK.

I just received a lovely email from Julie via my website and in it she asked me this question. I thought I'd share with you what inspires me to keep writing.

Firstly, I must admit I'm not much of a planner. Occasionally I have a beginning, middle and an end but it's rare. Also, sometimes I write the ending before I've even written the beginning!

Because my books are fairly far removed from reality (fantasy and sci-fi authors, I take my hat off to you), I can't say that I take any inspiration from real life. Usually they start from a single word or idea. Perhaps a concept that I want to explore. 'The Crimson Castle' for example started from my desire to write an anti-hero. 'A Summer Siege' stemmed from wanting to write a strong, brave woman but I knew I had to craft a reason for her bravery and strength so it also hooked onto the idea of lost hope and how she could regain that hope through fighting for it.

But what really keeps me going is music. Music and lyrics inspire me every moment and I NEVER write without music. My music choices might surprise you. I'm a lover of rock and heavy metal in spite of my romantic sensibilities.

One song that has inspired my recently was 'Overburdened' by Disturbed. Anyone familiar with Disturbed will know that they fairly heavy but the lyrics related perfectly to how a character in my latest novel 'The Angel's Assassin' felt. (The Angel's Assassin' release date will be announced very soon!)

My 'One Knight' series, in which couples meet and come together in the space of one night was more obviously inspired by The Goo Goo dolls and their song 'One Night.' It's a beautiful song and never fails to inspire me.

What songs inspire you? I'm always on the look out for new songs to inspire me and fill me with ideas so let me know if you have any that might trigger my next book and I'll be sure to credit you!

Medieval Insults

As a lover of language, I'm fascinated with the origins of the English language. In order to add a touch of olde worlde to my books, I like to add the odd medieval phrase. Admittedly, these phrases are not technically correct for the time periods I write in but it's a tool most of us historical authors use. While I don't go in for thee's and thou's, I do enjoy using mayhap, 'tis and 'twas's! As I told one person recently, when writing medieval dialogue, think to yourself 'How would Yoda say it?'. "I know not..." being an example.

Now I've yet to use any of these insults in my books. I can't quite imagine one of my heroines calling the villain a "goaty milk-livered maggot pie" but they're still fun to read and far more inventive than the insults of the modern day. Here are a few of my favourite concoctions:

Roguish onion-eyed hugger mugger
Loggerheaded swag-bellied horn beast
Vain toad-spotted whey-face

 I could go on for days but you get the idea. It's incredibly tempting to use them sometimes but I fear I would be carted away in a straight jacket so I've avoided it so far! Maybe one of these days I shall find a way to sneak one into one of my stories...

Welcome!

So I have finally given in and created a blog! I've always insisted that my time was better spent actually writing stories but I'm hoping to create a space where I can interact with fans and cut down a little on all the emailing back and forth. I intend to use the blog to keep readers update on the latest projects, share information about myself and things I find interesting, and to answer any questions that pop up! Keep your eyes peeled for author interviews, competitions and freebie stories!