Goodreads asked C. Robert Cales:

How do you get inspired to write?

C. Robert Cales I'm inspired to write because the thought of my imagination with no outlet is very scary.

I start with an idea. With Devil Glass it was an ancient artifact with a doorway into a world of winged predators. The idea behind The Bookseller was a reincarnating nonhuman spirit responsible for many of the great atrocities throughout history.

I add some appropriate characters and turn everything over to my imagination.

I go back periodically and watch the short film clips that have been prepared for me. I believe the entire story is written, stored in a file somewhere and is being metered out to me.

If I take a misstep that threatens the story I get introduced to a good case of writer's block. I've learned to go back over the last couple of pages and look for the misstep. Once it's corrected the creative flow returns.

I've killed off some good characters, but not all by design. Sometimes a sacrifice is demanded. Oh, I try to stand my ground. That's too good of a character to die! That character represents a great deal of work! I like that character! My pleading is always ignored and the story is always better for it.

The clever answer is that my imagination has a gun to my head and it's either my fingers or my brains on the keyboard.

Maybe I've been possessed by an alien ghost with a strong desire to give readers nightmares.

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