Finding Inspiration
How does an author find inspiration? This week as I finished the proofread copy of my second novel, Love Calls Her Home, I needed to stop and ponder that question. I thought back to the story’s beginnings several years ago.
At that time I was particularly bothered by the ongoing war in Afghanistan and Iraq. I’d read news reports of wounded men returning from the front, bodies torn by gunfire, and minds traumatized by the gruesome acts of war. Images of the battles haunted their dreams. My story’s hero was one of those soldiers. I wanted to give him a safe place to return to, a sanctuary where he could recover his sanity and find peace.
That’s when I read an article in the Oregonian, a Portland, Oregon newspaper, about a woman who ran a horse rescue operation in one of the state’s northernmost cities. She and her husband had started the venture together, but he later died. She said she kept the operation going because it helped her to cope with her loss. That thought resonated within me and I knew I’d found the setting for the novel.
In my story I moved the operation south to one of the largest counties in Oregon, near where a protected herd of wild horses roamed on Steens Mountain. I corresponded with one of the officials responsible for wild horse management at Bureau of Land Management and also made contact with the Harney County Sheriff. Between the two I created a fictional place where a soldier could recoup and a horse could be saved. All I had to add was the love interest and the story was born.
I’m pleased with the final product. As I turned in the proofread I prayed you will like it, too. The publisher made final adjustments and moved it to the formatting editor two days later. Now the book is in the process of being printed for release March 1. Kindle versions are already on Amazon, ready for pre-order. All you have to do is punch the button. https://www.amazon.com/Love-Calls-Her-Home
Book 3 in the series, A Kite On the Wind, will release October, 2018.