Finding inspiration in Stephen King, ID channel and fairies

Today's featured authors: Georgia Bockoven, author of Return to the Beach House; Kathryn Kelly, author of Misunderstood; and Laura Howard, author of The Forgotten Ones. They're talking inspirations (books/authors/TV shows) for their own writing.

Georgia Bockoven, author of Return to the Beach House

Books/authors who have inspired my own writing:

• The Dead Zone. I don't read Stephen King for the horror, I read him because he reminds me that I don't need five pages of description to set a scene. He is an absolute master at transporting the reader into his fictional world with two or three well-chosen sentences. When I get lazy and find I'm not working hard enough to find those sentences, I pull one of Mr. King's books from the shelf and let it inspire me.

• Cold Mountain. Charles Frazier sets a scene as brilliantly as Stephen King, but in a slow, lyrical style. When I read Cold Mountain the first time, I stopped and reread passages simply because they were so beautifully written.

• Anything by Catherine Coulter. For me she represents the joy and dedication it takes to be a writer. Her enthusiasm, her talent, and her fierce professionalism prod me to stop whining when my own work isn't going well, and just get my rear end back in the chair.

Here's the blurb for Return to the Beach House:

What could (1) a grandmother spending the summer with her restless grandson before he takes off for his first year of college, (2) four women, best friends since college who are longing to reestablish the bonds that have bound them for almost twenty years, (3) a world-class wildlife photographer and award-winning war photographer have in common?

The Beach House!

For a grandmother who sees only loneliness in her future there is a Tesla-driving hero who owns a used car business that deals more in compassion than profit. Her grandson discovers his own future lies in the road less traveled rather than Wall Street, thanks to a winsome girl who lives next door.

Four women, long overdue for their semi-annual retreat, come together for a fun-filled renewal of their friendship only to discover each is harboring a life-altering secret.

Two photographers, as passionate about their careers as they are each other, arrive at the beach house harboring the very real fear that it will mark the end of their decade-long love affair. Alone in the house's warm peace, Matthew and Lindsey are forced to look at who they are and what they want and discover truths that will change their lives forever.

Find out more at www.georgiabockoven.net.

Kathryn Kelly, author of Misunderstood

Scandal, any show on the ID channel and Fifty Shades of Grey have all influenced my writing.

• Scandal has such intricate dynamics to everyone's relationships with one another and the depth of each individual character. From week to week, I might root and empathize with the "bad" guy (namely Cyrus and Mellie) and find myself disgusted with the good guy. Although, when you think about it, not one character on the show doesn't exhibit questionable behavior.

• The shows on the ID channel ... my goodness! I sit back and watch with my head pounding in disbelief sometimes because I just can't believe the depravity that's out there. It's completely mind-blowing. If I see something and I think it might fit in with the story, I'll research it online, too. 99.9% of the time the events on the ID channel end tragically. But every now and then I'll see something where that miracle happens.

• As for Fifty Shades of Grey, Christian was so damaged but he found a way to open himself up to love because of Ana. In Misunderstood and Misdeeds, Kendall Miller isn't the typical heroine. She doesn't make nice with everyone. She has gone through trauma and is fighting to regain a sense of herself, so she lashes out. I know for a fact the books I read and the few TV shows I watch influenced my decision to write her as she came to me. I will always give my characters their HEAs and I know I write romantic fiction, but people won't always show the best of themselves and won't become another woman's bestie (i.e the heroine from the previous book), so why should heroes and heroines do it immediately? Life is learning and learning is growth.

Here's the blurb for Misunderstood (book two in the Death Dwellers MC series):

Johnnie "John-boy" Donovan is the new VP of the Death Dwellers' MC and while the club president, his cousin Christopher "Outlaw" Caldwell, is on his honeymoon Johnnie is left in charge. With Outlaw's return just a week away, he just wants things to run smoothly without a hitch, but trouble is brewing for the Death Dwellers and an evil from his past may be back to haunt him. Kendal Miller is an attorney and the ex-girlfriend to Spoon the club President of The Torpedoes' MC. She is in over way over her head and when her little sister is taken, Kendall needs to do whatever it takes to get the information on the Death Dwellers' Club before it's too late. Can Johnnie trust the mysterious red haired woman who showed up naked to his cousin's bachelor party? Can Kendall rely on the handsome blond biker that made a lasting impression on her mind, body and heart to help her get her sister back?

Find out more at kathrynkellyauthor.blogspot.com.

Laura Howard, author of The Forgotten Ones

Books that inspired my own writing:

When I started The Forgotten Ones, it was a contemporary novel. My protagonist, Allison O'Malley, was that girl whom everyone was interested in. Boys always flirted with her, girls were jealous of her. But she wanted only to be left alone. I put myself in her shoes and imagined why people would still want to be near her even if she constantly pushed them away.

The idea that there was something magical in her blood gave way for the idea that maybe she was partially fae. Fairies are super-attractive to humans, right? That was the beginning.

I've read a lot of stories about fairies, stories I've loved like Modern Faerie Tales by Holly Black and The Sevenwaters Series by Juliet Marillier. I found myself wishing I knew more about the Fae from The Mortal Instrument Series (by Cassandra Clare), as well. I didn't want my story to be just another fairy story. My family and my husband's family are of Irish heritage. We both are fascinated with Irish folk tales and myths. What better way to portray my fairies than to dig into Irish folklore?

During my research into Irish fairies, I ran across the myth of the Tuatha De Danaan. This was the origin of what are known today as fairies. They were a magical race that were said to inhabit Ireland before the Romans brought Christianity to the island.

It worked perfectly and the more I learned about the Danaans, the more my backstory molded itself into what it is today in The Forgotten Ones. They were beautiful and they lived most of their lives in a land separate from ours called Tir na n'Og. This other land is the complete opposite of ours and just being there can make you forget everything that is important to you in this world.

That is a lot of rich material for a modern love story.

Here's the blurb about The Forgotten Ones (book one in The Danaan Trilogy):

Allison O'Malley's plan is to go to grad school so she can get a good job and take care of her schizophrenic mother. She has carefully closed herself off from everything else, including a relationship with Ethan, who she's been in love with for as long as she can remember.

What is definitely not part of the plan is the return of her long-lost father, who claims he can bring Allison's mother back from the dark place her mind has gone. Allison doesn't trust her father, so why would she believe his stories about a long forgotten Irish people, the Tuatha de Danaan? But truths have a way of revealing themselves. Secrets will eventually surface. And Allison must learn to set aside her plan and work with her father if there is even a small chance it could restore her mother's sanity.

Book two, Stone of Destiny, is out now. Book three, A Place Beyond, comes out Aug. 27.

Find out more at www.ByLauraHoward.com.