Inspiration

Readers usually ask how a story comes about. Most times I say, they just come to me or the characters were talking. It's the only answer, for the most part, that many writers have. It's hard to explain to someone who doesn't write, that the story is just there.

Some stories have different answers. A song made you think of something, a movie you might have watched gave you that surge you needed to write. OR it was the right place, the right time and the cosmos aligned. lol

I'm talking about inspiration because recently, I had a story that had to be told. It sucked ME in. Last week on my publisher's group, eXtasy, they asked if any authors wanted to contribute to their Fantasy Garden line. They are short stories, 5k to 8k long, that use the meanings of rose. I thought about giving it a try. I have other projects I'm working on so I let them know I was interested, but wasn't sure when I would be able to write one. As I looked at the different meanings, I got an email from my husband that his grandmother was dying. It was only a matter of hours. It was so sudden, I was shocked! The meaning page was still up and right in front of me was the meaning of a black rose. Black Roses – Death, Farewell, Loss. The promise that soon you will know something you did not know before. Some see it as a bad omen. Signifies rejuvenation on the horizon. Sometimes a beautiful deep red rose will bloom from a blackened bud. I had to write this story. I also incorporated the white rose. White Roses —I am worthy of you, I miss you, Innocence, New beginnings, Purity, Reverence, Spiritual love, Truth.

I couldn't stop writing and ended up with a 5k short in one day. It's a story of the loss and rebirth of love. It's an m/m short called Heart Song and it's tentative release day is 9/1/2009 from eXtasy.

It's odd how things come to us. Who would have thought that an m/m story would be born from the death of a woman I didn't know well enough.