~Inspiration Strikes~

Posted by Candace Bowen Early on Jan 10, 2011 in Authors, Blog, Writing | 2 comments

Several people have asked me where I come up with the ideas for my novels. After opening up my thought process to them, I am left with the inevitable look that somewhere along the line I must have been dropped on my head as a child. After repeated assurances from my mother that this is not the case, I thought I would share the workings of my slightly quirky mind.

So where to begin? Perhaps the best place to start is at the beginning. A Knight of Silence came about as I was watching Marlee Matlin’s amazing performance on Dancing with the Stars. As I sat there watching a deaf woman dance circles around her competitors, I realized that out of all the romance novels I have read over the years, not one featured a deaf heroine. Adding to that my knowledge of history and love of all things medieval, my first historical romance novel was born. No outlines or storyboards, just an idea that took form as I started to type. That is not to say my obsession with historical accuracy wasn’t time consuming, but I think you get the general idea.

To date, my fastest and favorite attempt at writing is my paranormal time travel romance, Spur of the Moment. My typing skills literally could not keep up with my thought process, but I jump ahead of myself. Spur of the Moment came about as I was taking a break from the Knight Series. Still focused on the two main characters from A Knight of Silence, I stepped away for a bit. Visually oriented, I was toying with two medieval religious medals I own when the idea for Spur popped into my head. I know what you are thinking, or I would at least recognize the look on your face. How my mind jumped to something so completely different, not to mention from religious medals to a knight’s spur that could transport a heroine back in time amazes even me at times. The idea was just there. Hard to explain something you cannot even explain to yourself. Still, it is near and dear to my heart because the personality I gave Bronwyn Chase is in every sense of the word my own.

Jack of Hearts sprang from my fascination with Jack the Ripper. Having dinner with a dear friend, he happened to mention how he gained a completely new perspective on my “sweet” disposition when I let him borrow the Johnny Depp movie, From Hell. Voila, my romantic suspense novel was born. Following Mary Kelly’s sister as she races against the clock to find her, Jack of Hearts is a new take on what happened to the infamous killer.

Wicked Embers is the work I am currently working on. Sequel to Spur of the Moment, it follows Bronwyn’s descendants as they battle an old reawakened evil. I cannot even recall how that idea popped into my head, but I would have to say it is as uneventful as the rest.

I cannot explain where my ideas come from. I do know that as long as they keep coming, I will keep writing. Inspiration can be found everywhere…

Candace Bowen Early
January 10, 2011