My “go to” Author(s) When I Want to Relax and Take Time Out of My Real Life ................................ by Delsora Lowe

Unfortunately, for my pocketbook, but fortunately for me because I have access to so much variety in choosing romance books, I have a WAY too long list of favorite authors. So, I’ll name a few of my automatic buys: RaeAnne Thayne, Jill Shalvis, Maisey Yates, Cindy Kirk, Nancy Herkness, Peggy Jaeger, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Jen Gilroy… if I sit here long enough, I’ll keep adding to the list, which in reality is endless.

Plus, I belong to four writers’ groups, so those authors, too many to name, always have new books releasing or on sale for a short period of time. Because I love to support authors I know, those writers also become auto-buys for me.

Believe me when I say I have met many authors at writer’s conferences, and as a result bought and found new works to love. So, my list of go-to authors grows and grows.

I take a lot of chances on reading books on sale by unknown-to-me authors. Often, I end up adding that new author to my “want to read more” list. I rarely set aside a book in the midst of the story. However, there have been a few times when I did. I try hard to give each book I purchase a chance, because I always learn from reading, whether it is an idea on how to move the story forward, or a warning to myself on what doesn’t work for me personally, and therefore what not to do when I write a story.

Needless to say, I spend many nights in bed reading into the wee hours of the night, er…morning. Thank goodness for e-readers that balance on my lap.

Grandsons Slumber Party and Checking Out the E-Reader

What I do like about the stories of each of these authors named, is their style of writing—each unique in their own way. Reading these authors usually provides me with AHA moments throughout their stories. The kind of AHA, that gives me ideas for my own writing. I don’t mean having my characters do the same thing. What I mean is what their characters are up against gives me AHA ideas on how to progress my own story with moments appropriate to my character’s lives and personalities, and the story I tell about them.

INSPIRATION! I also learn what to cut in my own writing. I tend to over-explain, in my first drafts, So, by reading authors who are good at showing a story as it moves along quickly, teaches me or reminds me to make every word count. In other words, short and sweet, and move on to the next action in the manuscript.

INSPIRATION

If nothing else, I know when I read my favorite authors, I can sit back against my pillow in bed or cuddled up on the couch on a stormy day, and just get lost, away from the troubles of the world, enjoying the moments in someone else’s life—the characters, the locations, and the elements that bring each of these stories to life in so many different ways.

I know what to expect. And… I am never disappointed!

 

Who are your favorite authors? And why?

 

Overprotective big brother and ranch owner, Carter Peters, draws the short straw at a family meeting to buy his stepmom her sixtieth birthday present, never imagining he’ll get zapped with cupid’s arrow by a feisty southern belle, single mom, and lingerie shop owner who is so wrong for him and has off-limits written all over her. 

Amazon (also in print)   
https://www.amazon.com/Rancher-Needs-Cowboys-Mineral-Springs-ebook/dp/B07YXB5C4W/

Books2Read   
books2read.com/u/bxv56d

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in 2025. 

Head in the Clouds - Where do you get your inspiration? ............................ by Delsora Lowe

 Being a writer can be tough sometimes.

Not because of the work that goes into every piece we write, whether it is a short blog, a poem, or an entire novel. But because our imagination NEVER stops.

Too many ideas. Not enough time in the universe to make all those words sing and deliver a message.

Not long ago, I drove by a sign that indicated a consignment shop. I immediately wrote a 5-minute short story in my head, as I drove. I have since drafted out one I will eventually send to Woman’s World, after I edit it a zillion times.

Recently, I visited my son who lives about forty-five minutes away. He lives just outside a small village. I emerged from the car to a greeting from a black cow mooing. Moooo. Moooo.

And then the other cows answered back. Moooo. Next door is a big white barn, and my son’s house is surrounded by farmland. We often see wild turkeys or deer, and once a bear. Another time, while eating dinner, a fox strolled through the back yard, right past the window by the dining room table. Today, as we drove back to his house, a red-tailed hawk flew right over the car. And as I left about ten minutes later, that same (I assume) hawk flew back over my car in the opposite direction.

I know there is a story in there somewhere with all this wildlife­ and domestic animal neighbors, including my grand-dog Yaz who loves to greet his human grammy—even if it is a short piece for my weekly local writers’ group or an idea for a children’s book.

Snuggling in - my disguise - so no one knows I'm sitting on the couch,

As I cruised past the tiny nearby village, there are many rural roads that arrow off the two-lane main road. Some leading to one house and some to a small complex of houses. I love the names of the roads. They always trigger ideas. One is Turkey Trot Lane, and another little lane is named Pumpkin Way. Story ideas immediately swam through the creative side of my brain, as I repeated over and over Turkey Trot Lane and Pumpkin Way on my drive home. I didn’t want to forget any story ideas swimming through my head, since I couldn’t stop and make notes.

For a split second I envisioned a trilogy—each book title and theme based around these two street names, plus other fun names of streets that arrow off along that same stretch of road. My brain didn't have enough bandwidth to memorize more than two street names.

Now I’ve jotted notes and hopped on the computer to record thoughts before they disappear. Conjuring up story ideas that happen around Halloween and Thanksgiving, and even into the month of December.

Will Turkey Trot Lane and Pumpkin Way be locations in one story? Or will each be the title of a stand-alone story? It is hard to say. Until my fingers do the walking across the keyboard, who knows where the musings living in my mind will take me.

But let me remind you that a book I wrote several years ago (The Inn on Gooseneck Lane) and,  published by The Wild Rose Press in 2022, is titled and based around a street sign (Gooseneck Lane.) I passed the tiny lane in the middle of nowhere, while cruising a back road in Vermont.

I played with story ideas in my head for the next few hours, driving back to Maine.

So, who knows what stories the next two street signs will lead to as I write.

The creative murmurings that leave my brain as story ideas, are usually channeled through my fingers. Many times, as I reread what I wrote, I am as surprised at what ends up on the page as a potential reader will be.

So, if you are looking for signs or inspiration, don’t forget those street names that may be inspiration and turn into one more story—whether it is a short story, a novella, a novel, an essay, or a poem.

And if you are in the car and can’t write down your idea, repeat the inspirational phrase (or street sign) over and over until you can pull to the side of the road and write down your idea. Yes, it works!

 

Whether you are a writer or enjoy artistic hobbies, 

where do you get your ideas?

 

Holiday Hitchhiker

Amazon (also in print)

Books2Read

The Inn on Gooseneck Lane

Amazon (also in print)

                    Barnes & Noble (also in print)

                     Apple Books (also in print)

 ~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in 2025.

Photo Attributions:
Imagination: https://clipart-library.com/imagination-cliparts.html
Thinking: thinking face icon yellow PNG file 9687643 PNG
Dog on Couch, Neighborhood, Cows, Road Sign: Photos taken by author

Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0
Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe
BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518
Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe

A Picture Paints 70,000 words by Janet Raye Stevens

Story ideas can come from anywhere, a dream, a memory, a random comment overheard in a coffee shop. As for my romantic WWII-set time travel, Beryl Blue, Time Cop, the idea came from this picture I found in an antiques shop.

A good time was had by all!

Now, it’s no secret I’m a World War II history buff, so when I saw that picture, I had to buy it (two dollars!). My first thought was, what would it be like to be there with these guys? Well, no, that was my second thought, my first thought was, these happy fellas are totally pickled.

 

A lot of other questions cropped up, but since there’s no identifying info on the back of this 5x7, those questions are still unanswered. Where was this photo taken? Who were these guys? Were they friends meeting up one last time before they were shipped out? Or just a bunch of guys on leave who grabbed an open chair at the local bar and met some new friends?

 

Another not-so-secret thing about me is I'm obsessed with the time travel genre. I love to read, watch movies and TV shows, and especially write time travel (and especially, especially if it’s set in WWII). So, seeing this picture, a time travel story popped into my mind: What would happen if a contemporary woman, a feisty librarian, perhaps, time traveled into this world, and fell for one of these guys?

 

Interesting idea, but it needed more depth.

 

What if she’s plucked out of her own time by a cop from the future, who sends her to 1943 with

a mission to protect the soldier she falls for? And what if the cop from the future tells her a time traveling assassin is after the soldier she falls for and her job is to stop the bad guy by killing him, or the future is toast? Now we’re talking!

 

And so, Beryl Blue, Time Cop, a time travel adventure, was born (or written, rather).

Her mission: Save the soldier, save the future…even if she loses her heart

 It took me a while to get going. There were a lot of who, what, where, and especially why questions to answer before the story came together. Beryl's backstory got complicated. So did her love life. That picture of a group of GIs gathered around a tiny table in a nightclub became a pivotal scene. A wicked funny, romantic, but bittersweet scene that set the tone for the rest of book.

 

You can check out Beryl’s story here: Beryl Blue, Time Cop.

 

And here’s a bonus sneak peek at the cover of the second book in the Beryl Blue series. It’s July 1946, the war is over, and Beryl is once again hurtled across time to save the man she loves in, It’s Been A Long, Long Time. 

Coming Soon!

Thanks so much for spending time with me today – I love hearing from readers, so feel free to drop me a line or sign up for my newsletter at https://janetrayestevens.com/!

 

Meet author Janet Raye Stevens – mom, reader, tea-drinker (okay, tea guzzler), and weaver of smart, stealthily romantic tales. A Daphne du Maurier award and Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award winner, Janet writes mystery, time travel, paranormal, and the occasional Christmas romance with humor, heart, and lots of kissing.

 

Follow me!

Website: janetrayestevens.com 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/janrayestevens

Bookbub: Janet Raye Stevens - BookBub

Goodreads:  Janet Raye Stevens - Goodreads

Book cover design: Elizabeth Turner Stokes

Author photo: Tim Rice Photography 

The 2 AM Art of Writing

When people ask where I get my ideas for a story my quick answer is I channel them from somewhere in my subconscious. I believe this because I get these 2 AM wake up calls with story ideas and whole outlines ready to go. The trick is getting it all down on paper before the inspiration passes. This happens to me all the time and I have a notebook filled with early morning musings to prove it. Once the idea and basic outline is on paper, I fall easily back to sleep.

The next day, I take a look at this “great revelation” and see if it can stand the scrutiny of the morning. If I still find the idea excites me then I will work on the outline, do a bit of research and then decide whether or not to move forward.

Oftentimes, I’m in the middle of another novel or project when these little brain storms drop their rain of inspiration, so I can’t start on them right away. So they will sit in my notebook, awaiting their turn at greatness. What this means is I always have a story or two waiting to be fleshed out. For me the biggest challenge is controlling that urge to abandon the current work for this new and exciting something! If I did this, nothing would ever get finished.

For example, I’m writing a new series of erotic romantic comedies. I finished the first book in the series and have just started book two, when suddenly the edits have arrived for book one. My love for my current project is so strong, that it takes great discipline to put book two characters on the shelf while I tidy up what was written months ago.

My biggest challenge is too many ideas, not enough time. Do you struggle with finding new ideas or with keeping on track with multiple projects?

"WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS?"

I dread this question, because the answer is a tricky one for me. Sometimes I know where an idea comes from, but many times I’m flummoxed. The kernel of an idea that set me on the road to writing a YA steampunk romance was a phrase that sounded in my head one afternoon out of nowhere: the fixer-upper boyfriend.

Go figure. 

Hmmmn...

I’ve always been curious about just about everything, so I read widely (books, newspapers, magazines, online) and love to have new experiences. And the more I learn and experience, the more questions I have. Sometimes I explore the possible answers to certain types of questions through my writing. Usually, they are questions about identity. My core story seems to be, “You have to decide who you really are.”

A news story about a sweet, smart Iowa schoolgirl who hid her pregnancy and killed her newborn baby made me wonder: What happens when a very good girl does one very, very bad thing? How might that act change her at her core, or would it? That exploration became my first completed manuscript, a romantic suspense.

Best-selling romantic comedy author Jenny Crusie says her ideas come from ‘the girls in the basement’, meaning her subconscious mind. This is often true for me. In that magical, hazy period at the edge of consciousness or dreams, after I’ve hit the snooze button but the alarm hasn’t yet rung a second time, seemingly-random creative ideas materialize with amazing regularity—no doubt products of my subconscious. A blind wedding-singer heroine at a drug lord’s wedding accidentally compromises an undercover cop hero.

Sometimes I can guess where my ‘girls’ found parts of an idea. I knew a blind wedding singer years ago. Drug cartels are all over the news. I watched the movie Wedding Crashers, and the next thing I knew my girls in the basement sent up the idea.

The rebellious part of my personality (that is overshadowed most of the time by my rule-following tendencies) takes over when I hear all-or-nothing statements about writing. I like to stretch the boundaries. If someone tells me readers will reject a blind or mobility-impaired heroine unless her disability is central to the plot, it doesn’t ring true. The end result is that my stories include a number of differently-abled characters.

And then there are the dogs.

ONE OF THE CAST

I used to think that, although I enjoy many different kinds of pets, I am primarily a cat person. Now, I’m not so sure. Dogs figure in every one of my novels as secondary characters who are more than walk-ons. They play important roles in my stories. 

I don’t know where they come from, but they sure are fun to write.

Where do your ideas come from?