The Eternal Interview Question
Almost every creative who’s ever been interviewed has gotten the same dreaded question:
Where do you get your ideas?
It’s usually asked with a sheepish chuckle, as though the interviewer is sure it’s a silly question, but it still seems like the thing to ask.
And isn’t it? I mean, aren’t the ideas what put the artist in that interview in the first place? If I hadn’t written nine books in a series, I sure wouldn’t be writing posts about where my ideas came from.
The problem is that when a writer gets the question, they go blank. Not because they don’t want to share, or because they don’t know where the ideas came from, but that every story comes from at least a hundred places, and the interviewer doesn’t want—doesn’t have time for—a hundred stories.
Where did my series come from? There’s a plot bunny that came from inverting the trope at the heart of a popular TV series. There’s the mythology of my ancestors, and their tendency to write the same kind of story over and over again—so clearly it was my turn. I made a main character partially inspired by my own difficulty putting down roots, and a town that’s vaguely reminiscent of a few I lived in as a kid. Every plot is based on real life problems I’ve overcome, or seen other people overcome. No, my town has never been besieged by an evil fae king, but I also can’t say the Summer king isn’t based on someone I know. And on a legend. And on thousands of books I’ve read over the years.
Like every idea I’ve ever made into a book, it came from everywhere.
So sure, “where do you get your ideas?” is a valid and reasonable question. But when you ask it, don’t be surprised when your average artist has to stop and think. They’re not confused, they’re just deciding which of their hundred stories to tell today.
About the book:
Rowan Harbor has been peaceful for a now unprecedented two months, but everyone knows it’s the calm before the storm. The Summer king is coming for the thorn—a weapon destined to bring his end—and Fletcher has never felt so helpless.
When the disturbing dreams start and his mentor, Oak, is hesitant to discuss them, Fletcher doesn’t know where to turn. He and his boyfriend Conner are in the process of moving in together, and he doesn’t want to add anything else to Conner’s list of concerns.
With a vengeful fae waiting for his chance to raze Rowan Harbor to the ground, Fletcher has to find a way to protect everything he loves and survive the coming storm.
Buy Links: Amazon US | Amazon UK | Universal Link
Exclusive to Amazon and Available to Borrow with Kindle Unlimited
Length: 45,000 words
Cover Design: Melanie Farlow @ Clause and Effect
The Rowan Harbor Cycle Series
About the author:
Sam wrote her first fantasy epic with her best friend when she was ten. Like almost any epic fiction written by a ten year old, it was awful. She likes to think she’s improved since then, if only because she has better handwriting now.If she’s not writing, she’s almost certainly either reading or lost down a Wikipedia rabbit hole while pretending to research for a novel.
Giveaway:
Promotional post. Materials provided by
 |
| Hosted By Signal Boost Promotions |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Hey, thanks for reading this post. We hope you liked it. Please share your thoughts - we always enjoy hearing from readers.