Behind the Scenes

When writing inspiration hits, it takes a house fire to tear me away from my keyboard. It’s all I can do to remember to blink every now and then, once my fingers get to typing and the storyline is flowing out one word at a time. I rarely outline my novels, I almost always have the majority of the plot and characters developed in my mind alone, so when the whole thing comes together, it’s time to get to writing before I forget anything.

I write from my home office in Greenville, SC. Well, it’s not just MY office, my husband and I share the space. He’ll be developing graphics or catching up on his favorite woodworking blogs on the other side of the room, while I’m weaving together words and what-ifs just a few feet away. Sometimes I’ll listen to music to help me stay in character or set the mood for the scene I’m writing, but I’m not afraid of silence either.

Everything I’ve ever written was written on the same iMac. It’s been with me a long time, through a lot of rough drafts! Staring back at me from atop my computer is a small pewter statue of Holger Dansk, a miniature model of a red Mini Cooper, and a tiny porcelain alpaca. Each of these random doo-dads mean something different to me, and I consider them good luck charms. What do a Viking, bitty little car, and sweet-faced pack animal have in common? Nothing. I just like them. The viking is something I've had since I was 8 or 9, back when I lived in Denmark and visited castles on the weekends. My life was much cooler then. The mini Mini has been around since before I got my real life Mini that I enjoy driving a little too much. The alpaca was a gift from my husband because despite my begging, he wont let me have a real one in the house. Or the backyard. Maybe one day ;-)