It just came to me?

I'm often asked where I got the idea for MANHUNT. I'm almost embarrassed to give a response to that question because the answer is so utterly cliché, but it's the truth.

It just came to me.

As a writer, the question when starting a new story is often 'to outline or not to outline.' I used to spend a lot of time sketching out how I wanted a story to go, what the major plot points were going to be, et cetera. And you know what? The story never turned out the way I outlined. It always took on a life of its own, which is a good thing -- if a story doesn't have a beating heart, it's just road kill. The down side was that it would force me to either go with the flow and abandon my original idea or try and brow-beat it down the path I wanted it to go on.

I was fleshing out the paranormal romance I'm working on now when the idea for MANHUNT popped into my head and wouldn't let go. I had a clear vision of the first chapter and the pinnacle chapter, and that was it. Sure, I still drew up character profiles, which I looked back on as I went along to make sure their behaviors were consistent with their personalities, but for the most part I just let the story take me away. I rested my fingers on the keyboard like it was a Ouija board and waited to see what emerged on the screen. It was a much more organic, relaxed process, and I can humbly admit I am very happy with the result.

I've gotten a lot of feedback saying that MANHUNT reads like you're watching a movie, and I think that's probably why. I wasn't trying to play connect-the-dots to the next bullet point I'd so painstakingly detailed. I let the story come to life and followed the sound of its heartbeat.