Do you have questions for me about my writing, my books, my thoughts on life? Send them through the Contact form and I’ll answer them here.
Cindy, can you give us an example of an idea you had for one of your novels, and how that inspiration led you to the story it ultimately became?
Crazy as it might sound I had a dream about a minister having an affair. I started thinking about the general topic of the clergy and how, unfortunately, people with power and charisma often use those two elements in a negative way.
At the time the child abuse issues of the Catholic priests were just beginning. The book, Keeping Faith, is a result of my thoughts stemming from these issues. It is not an attack on the church, but rather about how the effects of abuse can change a person’s life and affect every relationship that occurs over that lifetime. I pay very close attention to current events and human interest stories so my ideas often come from hearing a news happening, and then I let my imagination take me to a whole different set of fictional events.
What is your story germination process? At what point do you begin brainstorming and asking “What if?” Then what?
When I get an idea I try to think immediately about the first, middle and ending I want to happen, but sometimes I can only get two of those at first. I then just start thinking about a reasonable, believable route the story should take. My books are about life experience so they are just an extension of what might happen to anyone. I think that is what makes them interesting. The reader understands that the good, bad and ugly are all a part of each of our existences.