Cait's Place: Inspiration...

...and the search for it is the debate at Nancy Jardine's wonderful site. Pop in for a cuppa :)

ETA 1st February

Inspiration – strike me…NOW!

And I sit and write happily.

Doesn’t quite work like that, does it? Nancy gave me a little nudge on Monday about my guest appearance here (thanks so much, both for the nudge and the blog spot, Nancy!).

What was I going to write about? I’ve been marketing my debut novel, ‘Romancing the Seas’ for three weeks now and so have become a frequent blogger. (I wonder do I get points?)

I ran though the themes in my book:

Travel: Pippa travels to New Zealand to start a new life as head chef aboard a cruise liner, cruising the coast of New Zealand. Tick – I blogged about the joy of travelling.

Dance: Not really a theme, but a Maori dance that Pippa does is one of my favourite scenes in the book, so I wrote about how I had been dancing myself and danced the same dance she did.

Changes: quite a popular theme this one. Pippa changed her life totally around in pursuit of happiness. Tick – post about changes went up.

What was a girl to do? I didn’t really fancy writing about love, to be honest.

Explore the internet. In the meantime, I told Nancy that my brain was creative mush and she very kindly sent me some questions. Big thanks, Nancy. But I had said that I would do a guest blog.

So I kept searching.

What else could tie me back into my first book. A-ha thinks I, and go searching for a quote about a first book. Here I should be offering many sage quotes about debut novels but sadly, nothing appealed. Until, I came across one (nothing to do with debut novels) from Stephen King. It just coloured me pink.

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”

I can now say that, based on Stephen King’s criteria, I am a professional. I got up and looked for inspiration. Now I know I didn’t actually get up out of my seat but heck, I figured that Mr King said this a good while ago, before the Internet was such a source of possible inspiration.

Now, both Jonathon and Pippa are professionals …nah don’t worry, I won’t go there :).

But do share -- where do you find your inspiration for the many posts we professionals have to write?

Whilst you’re thinking, have a wee look at the blurb and cover for Romancing the Seas!

Sous-chef Pippa Renshaw thinks a change of scene will mend a bruised heart, so she swaps her job in a prestigious London restaurant to head-chef on a cruise ship sailing around New Zealand. A great plan until she meets her new CEO, the delectable Jonathon Eagleton, and discovers she has to share a suite with him.

Even though sparks fly whenever they are together, Jonathon steadfastly keeps her at arm’s length, which suits Pippa just fine because she’s still getting over the betrayal of the last time she had a relationship with the boss.

The situation is starting to feel like solitary confinement until a thunderstorm traps them in a tramper’s hut while hiking. Suddenly a different kind of storm unleashes inside the hut.

But will they be able to go back to their previous status now the line has been crossed?