When asked, "What inspires you?" most everyone will likely have a different go to answer for that. It's always interesting to find out what someone's inspiration is. And, of course, what we DO with that inspiration also makes a difference. Listen today to one fellow author's awesome inspiration. Joyce Debacco, take it away: 
 
Where do writers find inspiration? I think many of us find inspiration from life. Certain events, images, or music stick in our minds and won’t let go. When that happens, writers have the germ of a story. We can create characters and throw trying situations at them; we have the power to give life or take it. We’re omnipotent and we love it.

But inspiration sometimes strikes at inopportune times. More often than not, mine strike at bedtime. When that happens, I know I have to jot my thoughts down before they vanish. I can’t tell you how many times I told myself I’d remember it in the morning. Of course, when morning comes, it’s gone, dissolved into the ether of my brain.

My first book, Serendipity House, was conceived on a ride through the mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania, near where I lived at the time. Some of the resorts, though magnificent in their day, had become seedy and rundown over the years. Since my husband and I owned a small, sub-contracting firm and had done rehabs, I imagined someone giving new life to one of these grand, old dames. Although restoring a dilapidated inn to its former glory is rewarding in itself, it gives my characters’ static lives purpose. It also gives them friends they treasure, a way of life that nurtures them, and a special someone who holds the same things dear.

Where Dreams are Born came about after reading a tender love story about a disenfranchised couple joining forces out of necessity and ultimately finding happiness together. It touched me where I live, and I wanted to leave my readers with the same feeling. In my version, a young woman who lost her parents in a tragic murder-suicide as a child meets a man raised in the foster care system who’s also suffered loss. Now, all they want is a stable home life for their children. Of course, I give them much more than that, but not before piling on additional woes.

An old family picture from 1877 brought Rubies and Other Gems - the Novel to life. Seeing my ancestors’ faces and imagining their simple lives was a lot like going back in time, something we’ve all wished we could do when our world seems overwhelming. The character in this book gets the chance to do that, albeit with disastrous results. She also discovers her family is more close-knit than she thought and the problems that once seemed insurmountable have been resolved without her intervention.

A comment from my daughter about a boy in her class being reunited with his birth family planted the seed for Tomorrow Blossoms. My writer’s mind began playing the “what ifs”. What if his birth mother had kept a secret these many years? What if her husband was not her son’s father? Even more interesting, what if the man who raised her son was actually the boy who rejected her as a pregnant teen?

So Wonderful as Want, released a few weeks ago, was born after I’d relocated to Southwest Florida and read a newspaper article about the damage done to the environment by politicians in the early part of the last century. I imagined a young man who loves the land and despises the damage wrought by their misguided attempts to straighten the river for commercial reasons. I also imagined a country girl who dreams of leaving her idyllic but boring river hamlet to marry a gentleman and live the grand life in town. When her chance finally arrives, she must choose between the conscientious man who’s been there through every joy, every sorrow in her life, or the ambitious man who can make her childhood dream come true.

Midnight and Holding  is a random collection of short women’s fiction. While only one story subsequently grew into a full-fledged novel, all the stories deal with the complexities inherent in the modern woman’s life. Gathered over several years, they’re a mix of humor, pathos, and serious observations.

So, be prepared with paper and pencil at all times. You never know where or when inspiration will strike.

As always, if you like what this author has to say in their guest spot, please patronize them by clicking on their book on the sidebar. I make absolutely nothing off your purchase through this site. I'm just glad to have them stop by and hope you get some pleasure from meeting another author.

 
We all have them.

What are yours?

What do you dream about? What gets your heart racing in the morning? What lights your fire through out the day?

What are your demons? What do you fight and struggle with, within yourself? Things that most people don't know about that you struggle with daily. What makes life challenging for you?

Good writers channel both their dreams and their demons into their writing. Writing is an art, and artists channel their inner selves into their work. Those things we struggle with, we put into words and flesh them out into fictional or non-fictional characters to bring them to life on the page...or screen. We attribute our own characteristics and characteristics of people we know and people we meet into these two-dimensional beings to make them seem three-dimensional. We have to live in the character's world for a while, then add heart and soul to each two-dimensional figure head.

We do this so that...

As a reader, you become completely engulfed in this world that we've presented to you. The goal is that we've reached into you mind, into your heart, into your soul, and touched, fondled, even squeezed and yanked your personal dreams and demons and ripped them out of you and placed them on the page or screen in front of you. We've put them right in front of your eyes and make you stand up and take notice of them. We've brought them to life for you to the extent that you can't deny their existence...if even for a few hours.

And we do this....to please you, the reader.

Yes, we bring your demons and dreams to the forefront of your mind and our demons and dreams to them...to entertain you. To please you. To make you happy.

To give you a break from your own life. And to pull you into our life.

Just briefly.

Then we'll let the chain drop that we've yanked you out with and let you fall back to your comfort zone, putting all of your dreams and demons back in their safe place.

But just until you read our next book ;)
 
Are you one of those readers that will gloss over killing and dead bodies in a book but will cringe or even yell at the author if there is so much as a hint of a curse word?

Are you one of those readers that will allow all types of sex and bondage and alternative lifestyles but will blast an author for one typo?

Are you one of those readers that is so holy that the hint of even a kiss will send your lust drive over the cliff?

Or are you a reader that has the philosophy "anything goes"?

What kind of reader are you?

Do you gloss over the occasional blip in the editing process? Or do you leave a scathing review because "in" should have been "on" on page 223.

Do you get lost in the story or does the story get lost on you?

I don't know. I'm confused. I don't see how a person can raise their ire about "fuck" being in a story yet not bat an eyelash about a dead body being on page 1. With blood and guts spilled. And even some semen left behind from the brutal rape. By a vampire. That sparkles. And then that vampire is the good guy and the woman that is no longer around is the villain. No offense toward Twighlight fans. I'm one of you.

Just sayin....
 
Here are a couple more dynamics to keep in mind.

We all deal with cultural issues. Americans live differently from Asians (for example), so they make different lifestyle choices. We also show respect a bit differently. However, when you peel away all the surface layer elements just mentioned, an Asian woman and an American woman will both notice what they consider to be a hot guy when he walks by. The core attraction applies no matter the culture.

This also holds true for the differences between black, white, brown, Asian-American, Native American, European, Swedish, French, Canadian, Mexican, Jamaican, and any other culture you can think of.

Brad Pitt, Vin Diesel, J. Lo, and Angelina Jolie are all considered hot across the globe. Yet, they could all represent different cultures. However, they’ve cut through the surface layers and stir the attraction in your gut, or a lower part of the anatomy. People in every culture recognize confidence and sexiness. Those things are universal. Erogenous zones are the same world wide because the human body is the same. And, bottom line, the same body parts are used for sex and reproduction in every culture, bar none.

You have windows of opportunity to talk to attractive women. If you don’t take these windows when they are presented, you either completely miss your opportunity to start getting to know someone who could be a great person, or you must be skilled enough to create another window of opportunity.

When you are meeting and interacting with women during the day in various public places, understand that these women normally have a to-do list in their head, so they may be in a hurry. They also (usually) have not put hours into making themselves up to go out during the day. They aren’t looking to meet anyone.

As you meet these women, the pace of the interaction is different, and the comfort level between you is different from meeting them in a club or bar. Those same women will be more difficult to meet at night.

Most guys can be ready to walk out the door in minutes. With guys who really primp themselves, it takes a half hour, tops.

When women primp themselves to go out at night, they put a hell of a lot of effort into their appearance. You’re looking at one to two hours of prep time. They want the men they meet to have the same pride in their own appearance. These women also want to stand out from all of the other females they expect to be out on that given night. They fuss about their hairstyle, makeup, each article of clothing (tops, pants, shoes, tights/hose, etc.), earrings, finger rings, eyelashes, and more, all in an effort to catch your attention. So, guys, reward them for that.

What actually tends to happen is, as one special person said to me, “My girlfriends and I used to go out to look to meet someone, but eventually, you start thinking, what’s the point? You don’t meet any men of quality, any men who have standards. Even the sex isn’t satisfying, if you go that far.” Guys, time to change that dynamic.

Let me also state this:

Reading beyond this page will offend many, including those who consider themselves righteous and holy, those who consider themselves very conservative, those who refuse to think any negative thoughts, and those that can’t stand someone being blunt with them.

If you fit into one of the above categories, I still encourage you to read further. Why? Because, as uncomfortable as it might make you, you’ll still learn from what’s in this book.

I’ll be honest with you in this book. I’ll pull no punches. I’ll be straightforward and put the truth in your face. If you can stomach all that, I promise you’ll shut the back cover, after every word has been read, more enriched than you are right now.