Well, after reading your amazing serial romance, “The Bachelor Auction,” I’m so impressed by how quickly you all were able to create such compact and fully detailed chapters, and connect them in such a way that would showcase all of your writing talents in the best way possible! The characters are all funny, some over the top (but necessarily so) and I cannot wait to see which one of the bachelors our heroine actually ends up with!
All of the quickly created wit and descriptions made me wonder what inspires my authors? And also, what inspires me? In college, I was more of the “creative non-fiction” type, even infusing my 20+ page term papers with some kind of personal voice—which many a professor appreciated! And now, in publicity, writing is a huge part of my job. The first bit of inspiration is of course, from my lovely authors, who so graciously put their books in my hands for proper promotion. But what also inspires me is my personal drive. My brother and I were brought up to always do our best, no matter how small of a task. So when we collaborate on a new angle to send out your books or I’m writing a drop letter, I always think ahead—if someone at People or even a small review blog doesn’t want a review copy, or doesn’t want to feature an author, I immediately think of what I can do differently to change their minds. Creativity is something that can be used on so many different levels (an awesome example is “The Bachelor Auction”), so I’m glad to use mine each and every day.
Of course, when I’m writing a drop letter or press release, I have your beautiful covers to give me something to ponder over…
Where do you find inspiration? Is there a place you like to go (real or in your mind!) when you write? Or do you just wait for the words to come to you, or the characters to speak to you and fervently write it all down then?
OH—and more importantly: if there is ever a publicist auction, how much would you guys pay for me? :-)
All of the quickly created wit and descriptions made me wonder what inspires my authors? And also, what inspires me? In college, I was more of the “creative non-fiction” type, even infusing my 20+ page term papers with some kind of personal voice—which many a professor appreciated! And now, in publicity, writing is a huge part of my job. The first bit of inspiration is of course, from my lovely authors, who so graciously put their books in my hands for proper promotion. But what also inspires me is my personal drive. My brother and I were brought up to always do our best, no matter how small of a task. So when we collaborate on a new angle to send out your books or I’m writing a drop letter, I always think ahead—if someone at People or even a small review blog doesn’t want a review copy, or doesn’t want to feature an author, I immediately think of what I can do differently to change their minds. Creativity is something that can be used on so many different levels (an awesome example is “The Bachelor Auction”), so I’m glad to use mine each and every day.
Of course, when I’m writing a drop letter or press release, I have your beautiful covers to give me something to ponder over…
Where do you find inspiration? Is there a place you like to go (real or in your mind!) when you write? Or do you just wait for the words to come to you, or the characters to speak to you and fervently write it all down then?
OH—and more importantly: if there is ever a publicist auction, how much would you guys pay for me? :-)
Danielle,
ReplyDeleteHow interesting to read about your inspiration and process. A drop letter? lol. That is a new term for me. I'm always thinking about pov and gmc. But when you think about it, there are similarities. You are looking for a "conflict" of a sort, something that conflicts with the "everyday".
And you are right, creativity shows up everywhere, from the guy that stacks the tins at the end of the aisle in the shape of a dog (cause it's dog food) to the famous portrait painter. Creative solutions are part of what makes us human.
My inspirations are my fantasies. There we are. I'm out. I walk about dreamily with odd images buzzing about in my head and when the characters involved start talking, I know I have an idea for a story. From there it goes -- What would happen if--.
Danielle, you are worth your weight in gold, but I think we would have to club together!
Michele
Danielle,
ReplyDeleteThough it may sound cliche, I get a surprising amount of inspiration from my dreams. I don't believe they predict the future or anything, but I do believe dreams are the subconscious working out its desires and concerns. My dreams have led me to some surprising places.
As to your bidding price, I'd get together in a group with the other Casablanca authors so we could be sure to beat out any opposing bidders, either with our checkbooks or with our purses, if you know what I mean.
Christina
Hi Danielle,
ReplyDeleteI'll answer your last question first. How much for a publicist? Just like the Master Card commercial, my dear YOU are priceless! Unfortunately, my master card limit is not that high, so would you settle for a drink at RWA National in SF?
As for inspiration, mine literally comes from everywhere! I was first inspired to write my Golden Heart finalist manuscript after listening to a piece of music. Like Christina, my dreams have also inspired my work. A TV show, an overheard snippet of conversation, literally ANYTHING can start the old "what if..." wheels turning.
Cindy
Sweetie pie, you are priceless!!!
ReplyDeleteMy what ifs have shown up in the oddest places. Maybe sometime I'll use that in a book. Could prove interesting. :}
Linda
Danielle~
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking you won't have to buy yourself a drink at Nationals, which is always a plus :)
As for inspiration, I get a lot from my kids-especially my youngest, Isabelle. She's a born comedian with perfect timing and a sense of humor that is much more adult than she is. I am always warning her teachers that she's still learning the boundaries of humor and I still get the phone calls that start with. "You're never going to believe what Izzy said..."
When the kids aren't around there's always my very fertile mind. Unfortunately, it doesn't come with an on/off switch so when I bore myself thinking of the mundane, I day dream.
I guess I should be happy that I never listened to my teachers comments on my report cards. "Robin is forever daydreaming." I remember telling my parents if they said something I didn't already know, I wouldn't have to day dream to stay awake.
Yes, I was one of 'those' students.
Robin :)
Danielle,
ReplyDeleteCindy and Linda beat me to it, but PRICELESS seems to be the word of the day. I know we all feel lucky to have our very own publicist and one who is so dedicated to us and our books!
Inspiration comes from all places for me, but mostly real-life moments, current events, things I see on the road, etc. Other times, like in the case of Line of Scrimmage, I'll have a "vision" that leads to more. Ryan's boots dropping in Susannah's foyer set that whole story into motion.
Robin, I have an "Izzy" too. Mine is a Jake and I get the "You won't believe what Jake did/said" phone calls. He and his sister make life fun.
Marie
Hey, Danielle,
ReplyDeleteI find ideas in lots of places--including my own perverted brain! I do a lot of covert boy-watching, too, but song lyrics occasionally give me a much-needed boost.
As far as the bidding goes, I guess whoever gets the biggest royalty check would have the advantage! ;-)
Thanks for the comments ladies! I love hearng where you guys find your ideas :)
ReplyDeleteI believe for inspiration, you'll find me hanging with Cheryl the Pervert:-) I like love stories and, er, hot men. Always have. My barbies had very creative love lives (Undead Ken had a swingin' shoebox coffin for a while). So I guess it shouldn't have taken me as long as it did to figure out my calling!
ReplyDeleteYou pretty much rock, Danielle. I am completely broke at present, but in theory, I would pay more for you than I would for dinner with George Clooney. And I like George a lot, so that's saying something!
Loved hearing about your inspiration! I was pretty good at "creative non-fiction" in college too. Getting As out of some of my more, um, eccentric English profs was kind of a fun challenge.