Taryn asked Gena Showalter:

Where do you get your inspiration to write books such as these?? I love your books!!! :) This is a "need-to-know" question because I am writing (trying to write) stories in my class for English.

Gena Showalter For me, inspiration is everywhere. Dreams, scripture, conversations I have or overhear, artwork, mythology... knowing I have a deadline lol All I need is the grain of an idea. Then I play the "What If" game, and boom, a story is born!

What if a man dies every night, only to awaken the next morning knowing he has to die again.
--Why does he die? How does he die? Murder? If so, who kills him?

A teenage girl loses her entire family in a car crash and soon discovers the monsters her father warned her about are real.
--Why did she never see the monsters before?

Once I have the foundational details nailed down, I just sit down and start writing. I start with chapter one and work my way to the end. :) I have friends who write out of order. Through trial and error, we found the methods that work best for us!

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