Author inspirations: 'Blade Runner,' military heroes, Scottish history
Today's featured authors: Shawntelle Madison, author of Under My Skin; Wendy S. Marcus, author of Loving You Is Easy; and Diana Cosby, author of An Oath Taken. They're sharing their inspirations for their new releases.
Shawntelle Madison, author of Under My Skin
Inspirations for my new release:
• My latest release, Under My Skin, came about in an unexpected manner. To be honest, I'm an idea factory, churning out idea after idea and only so many of them make the cut past my agent. The idea itself came about in mid-2010. The central theme back then was the same as now: What would happen in a future world where affluent adults use the bodies of teens to live forever? Crazy, right? I loved exploring a storyline where a heroine, who didn't see herself as strong, is pitted against a man who was far more cunning, but her will to survive is a mightier weapon in their battle to control Tate's body. As the plot came together, I wanted to combine suspense, horror and science-fiction into one amazing book.
• During the initial drafts, in my mind's eye I saw the landscape of the cities in the movie Blade Runner. The shining lights and fast-moving vehicles. The members of the Guild, the ruling class in this futuristic society, reminded me of the opulence you'd see from the movies Dune and The Chronicles of Riddick. These vivid images provided a backdrop while I plotted and edited to bring Tate's world to life.
• My final inspiration is music. I love listening to music while I write — music sets the mood and brings me into the moment. While writing Under My Skin, I loved listening to Massive Attack and Björk. (If you've listened to the main theme in the show House, you've heard Massive Attack's music.) When I write I need to "feel" and the right music does that for me each and every single time.
About Under My Skin:
Everyone wants to either be a member of the Guild or work for them. Little does the populace know that the Guild hides sinister secrets…
For Tate Sullivan, life in her small, coastal town is far from glamorous. The affluent lives of the Guild members and their servants isn't something she has ever wanted. But all sixteen year-olds must take a simple test, and Tate's result thrusts her into the Guild's world, one where they hide horrible plans for those they select. Tate must fight the relentless General Dagon for control of her mind, body, and soul to keep the one precious thing she has always taken for granted: herself.
Her only ally is the same handsome boy she is pitted against in General Dagon's deadly game. Quinn desires nothing more than to end the life of General Dagon who has taken over Tate's mind. While romance blooms between Tate and Quinn, General Dagon plots to eventually take over Tate's body, and love might end before it even begins.
Find out more at www.shawntellemadison.com.
Wendy S. Marcus, author of Loving You Is Easy
Three things that helped inspire my new release:
• A love of military heroes. To me, a military hero has the perfect combination of strength, courage and protective instincts. Even wounded, a military hero remains stubborn and tough. They're a challenge to the women who love them.
• An obsession with "soldiers coming home" videos on YouTube. I can't get enough of loving, happy, tear-filled reunions when heroic soldiers return home from war. I actually got the idea for Loving You Is Easy from a video about a woman meeting her soldier boyfriend at the airport for their first kiss. How romantic! Turns out, they'd been passing friends prior to him leaving for Iraq. Their romantic relationship grew out of an exchange of letters while he was overseas.
• My editor, Sue Grimshaw. During a phone chat, Sue mentioned she'd like to see a story about cyberbullying. With that prompt I got to work trying to come up with an idea that would combine cyberbullying with my love of military heroes. I remembered the video mentioned above which brought to mind pen pals, sexy pictures, Facebook, a teacher, her students … and the story grew from there.
About Loving You Is Easy:
She's a survivor of the front lines of politics. He's a wounded soldier returning home from the battlefield. Can they place their trust in the power of love?
Nobody plays the role of perfect politician's daughter better than quiet, respectable math teacher Brooke Ellstein. But she won't be caught swimming with the sharks again, not after the son of a wealthy donor sinks his teeth into her and gets away with it. Still, political connections have their perks, such as heading up the governor's "Support Our Troops" pen-pal initiative--and getting first dibs on the smoking-hot sergeant whose picture shakes her right down to her goody-two-shoes.
When corresponding with sweet, classy Brooke, Shane Develen instinctively hides his commando tattoos and blue-collar roots--and he can tell that she's hiding something, too. But Shane knows he's gained her trust when Brooke gives him a blisteringly sexy photo. Then he's injured in an ambush and a fellow soldier posts the snapshot online. Overnight, Brooke's reputation turns to ashes. Even though he's totally wrong for her, Shane shows up on Brooke's doorstep, determined to set things right--and discovers that right or wrong has nothing on the chemistry they share.
Find out more at WendySMarcus.com.
Diana Cosby, author of An Oath Taken
Inspirations for my new release:
• I loved writing An Oath Taken, the first book in The Oath Trilogy. Nicholas and Elizabet's story is truly a book of my heart! I never know what is going to spark a new story idea when I begin a book. With An Oath Taken, it was the reminder of one of my all-time-favorite story premises — that of a woman pretending to be a man, and of course, the fun in her being discovered and the romantic complications that follow. And so An Oath Taken began.
• Another inspiration for An Oath Taken was my love of Scottish history, and weaving historical events or facts within a story. The history of the Border Reivers is rich, complex and set in a turbulent time in Scotland's history, and a perfect setting for the first book in The Oath Trilogy. Through research, I learned of Scotland's and England's shifting borders through wartime. But as I researched the Border Reivers, I was intrigued by the tough, determined and fierce people who dared to claim the borderlands as their own. And I knew that I wanted my heroine to be crafted by such strong roots.
• Last, I have a fascination with the interweaving of the Scottish and the English along this rough borderland. Throughout Scotland's fight for independence, the border changed, but loyalties shifted as well. Toss in that throughout this war-ridden time frame that Englishmen fell in love with the Scottish, and Scottish fell in love with the English, and you have emotional mayhem — perfect turmoil for An Oath Taken.
I sincerely hope you enjoy my blending of my passions to create An Oath Taken. I wish each of you a wonderful holiday season!
About An Oath Taken:
As the new castellan, Sir Nicholas Beringar has the daunting task of rebuilding Ravenmoor Castle on the Scottish borderlands and gaining the trust of the locals—one of whom wastes no time in trying to rob him. But instead of punishing the boy, Nicholas decides to make him his squire. Little does he know the thieving young lad is really…a lady.
Lady Elizabet Armstrong had donned a disguise in an attempt to free her brother from Ravenmoor's dungeon. And though intimidated by the confident Englishman with his well-honed muscles and beguiling eyes, she cannot refuse his offer.
Find out more at www.dianacosby.com.