Many times authors are asked “Where do you get your ideas?”. The simple answer is… everywhere. The hard answer is…everywhere.
A little explanation. An author is open to possibilities from everywhere. A newspaper headline. A bit of a song. A snippet of an overheard conversation. A beautiful sunrise. The ideas are everywhere. It’s what you do with them that makes you an author…or an artist…or a musician…. And no two authors (artists, musicians) will do the same thing with the same idea.
For most authors, once we’ve gotten that snippet, we start playing the “What if…” game. Take my first series, “Gambling on Love”. I took a bit of a news story – the horrific practice human trafficking – and played “what if…” What if this was still going on a hundred (or more) years in the future? What if the low lifes that do this are in outer space, on space stations and other planets. What if a friend or relative of a cop was taken? And so on. And thus, Gambling on Love was born.
The story I’m working on right now – a romantic suspense – is based on the titles and lyrics of two songs from Sarah McLachlan: “I Will Remember You” and “In the Arms of an Angel”. I love her music and the emotions it evokes. And the ideas it gives me.
For my Pride series… What if there really were people who could change their shape? They’d have the same problems humans do, but they’d have the the additional problems of keeping their animal selves hidden from the world (or risk becoming lab specimens). What if…they purchased a large tract of land somewhere remote and developed their own town(s)? What if not everyone who lived there was happy with the setup and the rulers? Thus… “Lion’s Pride” series. Currently it’s only two books, the the third will soon be coming. 🙂
And that is where authors get their ideas. From everywhere.
LION’S HEART – Book 1 in the LION’S PRIDE series.
Facing a lonely existence after the death of her mother, Healer Selena is startled when two strangers show up on her doorstep. One is badly injured, beyond her help. It is the injured man’s companion who draws her notice. She wonders how much her mother had to do with bringing him here. After all, Selena’s mother was a witch. The ruby she enchanted before she died is glowing, telling Selena that this man is her chosen mate. But he’s a shapeshifter, a being she has learned to distrust.
Tristan had been against the journey with his godfather, Jacob, but a promise is a promise. An attack by outlaws sealed his fate. Injured and on the run, they come upon a secluded cabin and a beautiful woman. When she shows powers that go beyond the imagination, he is certain he’s been bewitched, but for some reason, he doesn’t mind as much as he thought he would. When he finds out she is actually the daughter of his mentor, he knows there are forces at work that go beyond the realm of normalcy. His lion recognizes her as his mate, it takes the man a little longer.
from Amazon From Liquid Silver Publishing
LION’S CHOICE
Stefan the Black, alpha of the northwestern territories, needs a strong mate. It’s the only 
way the prides and packs will continue to follow him, but he hasn’t found the right one yet. Then Dr. Malena Troutman literally runs into him and he and his beast know that she is the one.
The problem is convincing her.
Malena wants nothing to do with prides or packs. As a half-breed—part witch, part shifter—she’s been shunned by both shifters and witches alike. But her beast wants Stefan, and so does the human part of her. Still, can she trust him not to turn her away, especially once he learns her secret?
But Stefan has more than a few secrets of his own, not the least of which is … he’s also got magic running through his blood. It’s up to him to convince the packs and prides that their prejudices are hurting the prides. Ruling a large area of multiple packs and prides takes a lot of balancing—funds, people, emergencies, and more. But with Malena by his side, Stefan turns things around and both beasts find contentment.
Vicky Burkholder 