Author Insight: Strange Inspiration

What is the strangest place you've drawn inspiration from?

"I don’t believe inspiration comes from anywhere strange ever! I draw inspiration from my life, my family, the world around me, movies, tv, music, the internet… no place is off-limits!" - Lauren Morrill, author of Meant to Be.

"A piece of knitting wool found in the Go Lo at Cronulla: that gave rise to a whole selkie novel. I tell the story here." - Margo Lanagan, author of The Brides of Rollrock Island. 

"I don’t know. But frequently I will get ideas for a project from some kind of work that’s completely different. I could be watching a horror movie and get an idea for something that isn’t horror. I guess. This is a terrible answer." - Dan Krokos, author of False Memory. 

"The inside of my head is a strange place indeed." - Martha Brockenbrough, author of Devine Intervention. 

"The strangest place is from graffiti on a bathroom stall door in a highway cafe between Houston and Dallas. I hope that eventually you'll see that inspiration in a book." - Joy Preble, author of Anastasia Forever. 

"All inspiration comes from strange places…but I have a dead horse manuscript that doesn’t itself seem to be workable, but in trying to make it workable, has spawned a couple of others." - Greg Leitich Smith, author of Chronal Engine. 

"Dreams, I think." - Kirsten Hubbard, author of Wanderlove.

"FOX News. I know." - Cyn Balog, author of Touched. 

"The Met. I found a dagger in the Middle Eastern exhibit. It has this gorgeous script on its blade that is a quote from a poem about the waters of paradise, and I thought, what kind of person puts a quote about the waters of paradise on the blade of his or her dagger? Instantly, my mind conjured this awesome assassin character. I cannot wait to add this person to a future book." - Dayna Lorentz, author of No Safety in Numbers. 

"The strangest, wildest place is always between two ears. And inspiration is anywhere and everywhere." - James Preller, author of Before You Go. 

"I’ve drawn inspiration shopping in the pharmacy section at my local grocery store. I almost ran into two teenage boys and seeing them gave me an idea for a scene." - Katie McGarry, author of Pushing the Limits. 

"There’s a scene in Love and Leftovers where the characters skip school and play tag on the jungle gym at the park in January—so I’ll have to answer the plastic tunnel in Julia Davis Park on New Years Day with the temperature hovering at 18° F. My fingers got really cold when I took off my gloves to write." - Sarah Tregay, author of Love and Leftovers. 

"Valerie has gotten ideas from her dreams and from eavesdropping on people all over the place – in line at the supermarket, on the subway, at the gym. Stacy has found inspiration while clothes shopping, mostly in Los Angeles and Manhattan. Like Valerie, she enjoys eavesdropping. You’d be amazed at the conversations you can overhear in the fitting rooms at H&M." - Stacy Kramer & Valerie Thomas, co-authors of From What I Remember. 

Come back Thursday to find out about the strangest places the rest of the authors have found inspiration. 
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