Where does the inspiration come from? (Part 2)
A recent comment on an old post about the inspiration for my stories has inspired me to write a new blog post that's updated. I've written seven books since that last post, how crazy is that?!
So, here's an updated list of the inspiration for my last seven stories...
The Healer: The Healer's inspiration came heavily from the story I'd already told in The Cleaner. This book was written because I loved Jesse's reaction to Reagan at the end of The Cleaner. His story needed to be told.
The Liar: Again, this was a follow up to the characters we'd already met in The Cleaner. I always loved Fletcher and I wanted to learn more about him.
The Prisoner; Ooooh, Fiona. This book was so special to me. The inspiration for this story came from the old adage "There are two sides to every story." While most readers believed they knew Fiona's story, I was determined to open their eyes and make them see how she became the monster they believed she was. I had a reader ask me 'How could she possibly be redeemed after all she did?" My answer: "I don't know if she was redeemed. You have to read it and let me know." ;) So, what do you think?
The Long Route: It will likely be no surprise to those of you who have read my romantic suspense that second chance romance is my favorite! I love stories of lost love coming back together and discovering if you were ever truly meant to be. The inspiration for this story came to me as I was watching all of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies. In order to make it a story with my name on it, I needed there to be a killer twist. So, the story of Lydia and Adam...and all the mystery that comes with it was born.
The Stranger in the Woods: This story came to me when I was driving home late one night. I was zoned out, listening to music, the car was pretty quiet, and suddenly, out of the corner of my eye...I saw a glint of something in my headlights out in the corn field. I live in the middle of nowhere, guys, with corn fields all around, so it was a pretty big shock to see someone standing out there. Then came the questions of: what should I do? What if they're hurt? What do they want? Should I stop? Should I call the police? Lucky for me, those questions were pointless because I quickly realized what I'd seen was just a sign that had fallen over, but the questions were still there. I asked myself what I would've done if it truly was a person out there. Would I have stopped? Would I have tried to help them? It was completely dark out, with no houses for miles...whatever my decision, I would've had to face it alone. Could I have lived with myself if I'd kept driving and they were truly hurt? But what if it was someone who meant to do me harm? The questions didn't leave my mind the rest of the drive home and by the time I was pulling into my driveway, I knew I had a story I needed to tell.
The Good Neighbors: So, if you read my first blog post about the inspiration for my first six novels, you'll remember me talking about how I was writing a novel already when Gunner from The Cleaner's story came to me. That story was the beginnings of The Good Neighbors. The idea for this came to me when my husband and I had begun to do some house hunting of our own. At the same time, I was still working a day job and one of my coworkers was experiencing a horrible situation with her neighbors. They had put cameras up on their property pointed directly at my coworkers house, they had set fire to her backyard, and they were just torturing them in general. It was wild and I saw firsthand the pain that my coworker was experiencing just from her dread of returning to her home--the place we're supposed to feel the safest. That's when this idea came to me...what if your neighbors had secrets? What would they do to protect them? What would they do if you got in the way?
The Better Choice: When I first started writing The Better Choice, a good author friend of mine called it "Like How I Met Your Mother, but suspenseful" and she was spot on. I loved the idea of starting a story in the present, but jumping back and spending the majority of the story in the past. I loved the idea of digging into the past and wondering what decisions were made to lead you up to the present. And I'd always loved love triangles. As you read through this story, you have to decide, first of all, which man she chose, and second of all, did she choose correctly? We live our lives in one direction but what if we could look back and think "That's where it all went wrong". To me, that's what this story was about. Tiny decisions that brought Blythe, Finn, and Asher to where they are today.
The Plan: The Plan is part of The Moonflower Collection but will be releasing on it's own next spring. The idea for this story came to me when I was writing The Long Route. I had so much fun telling Adam and Lydia's story that I was thrilled at the idea of digging into a second chance love story again. This time, though, I wanted the couple to wait until they were older to return. I wanted them to have so much baggage (two divorces and four kids between them should be enough, don't you think?) And of course, I wanted to prove that true love exists in the places you're least likely to look.
I hope you've enjoyed this inside look at the inspiration behind my stories!
Until next time,
XO,
Kiersten
So, here's an updated list of the inspiration for my last seven stories...
The Healer: The Healer's inspiration came heavily from the story I'd already told in The Cleaner. This book was written because I loved Jesse's reaction to Reagan at the end of The Cleaner. His story needed to be told.
The Liar: Again, this was a follow up to the characters we'd already met in The Cleaner. I always loved Fletcher and I wanted to learn more about him.
The Prisoner; Ooooh, Fiona. This book was so special to me. The inspiration for this story came from the old adage "There are two sides to every story." While most readers believed they knew Fiona's story, I was determined to open their eyes and make them see how she became the monster they believed she was. I had a reader ask me 'How could she possibly be redeemed after all she did?" My answer: "I don't know if she was redeemed. You have to read it and let me know." ;) So, what do you think?
The Long Route: It will likely be no surprise to those of you who have read my romantic suspense that second chance romance is my favorite! I love stories of lost love coming back together and discovering if you were ever truly meant to be. The inspiration for this story came to me as I was watching all of my favorite Hallmark Christmas movies. In order to make it a story with my name on it, I needed there to be a killer twist. So, the story of Lydia and Adam...and all the mystery that comes with it was born.
The Stranger in the Woods: This story came to me when I was driving home late one night. I was zoned out, listening to music, the car was pretty quiet, and suddenly, out of the corner of my eye...I saw a glint of something in my headlights out in the corn field. I live in the middle of nowhere, guys, with corn fields all around, so it was a pretty big shock to see someone standing out there. Then came the questions of: what should I do? What if they're hurt? What do they want? Should I stop? Should I call the police? Lucky for me, those questions were pointless because I quickly realized what I'd seen was just a sign that had fallen over, but the questions were still there. I asked myself what I would've done if it truly was a person out there. Would I have stopped? Would I have tried to help them? It was completely dark out, with no houses for miles...whatever my decision, I would've had to face it alone. Could I have lived with myself if I'd kept driving and they were truly hurt? But what if it was someone who meant to do me harm? The questions didn't leave my mind the rest of the drive home and by the time I was pulling into my driveway, I knew I had a story I needed to tell.
The Good Neighbors: So, if you read my first blog post about the inspiration for my first six novels, you'll remember me talking about how I was writing a novel already when Gunner from The Cleaner's story came to me. That story was the beginnings of The Good Neighbors. The idea for this came to me when my husband and I had begun to do some house hunting of our own. At the same time, I was still working a day job and one of my coworkers was experiencing a horrible situation with her neighbors. They had put cameras up on their property pointed directly at my coworkers house, they had set fire to her backyard, and they were just torturing them in general. It was wild and I saw firsthand the pain that my coworker was experiencing just from her dread of returning to her home--the place we're supposed to feel the safest. That's when this idea came to me...what if your neighbors had secrets? What would they do to protect them? What would they do if you got in the way?
The Better Choice: When I first started writing The Better Choice, a good author friend of mine called it "Like How I Met Your Mother, but suspenseful" and she was spot on. I loved the idea of starting a story in the present, but jumping back and spending the majority of the story in the past. I loved the idea of digging into the past and wondering what decisions were made to lead you up to the present. And I'd always loved love triangles. As you read through this story, you have to decide, first of all, which man she chose, and second of all, did she choose correctly? We live our lives in one direction but what if we could look back and think "That's where it all went wrong". To me, that's what this story was about. Tiny decisions that brought Blythe, Finn, and Asher to where they are today.
The Plan: The Plan is part of The Moonflower Collection but will be releasing on it's own next spring. The idea for this story came to me when I was writing The Long Route. I had so much fun telling Adam and Lydia's story that I was thrilled at the idea of digging into a second chance love story again. This time, though, I wanted the couple to wait until they were older to return. I wanted them to have so much baggage (two divorces and four kids between them should be enough, don't you think?) And of course, I wanted to prove that true love exists in the places you're least likely to look.
I hope you've enjoyed this inside look at the inspiration behind my stories!
Until next time,
XO,
Kiersten
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