“Where do you get your story ideas?” It’s one of the most common questions people ask me.
With The Wayward Spy hitting the shelves in FOUR (!) short weeks (March 2nd), I thought I’d share FOUR things that spark my imagination. Most of the ideas I have will never find their way into a story, but others might become the foundation of a future novel.
- Historical events – September 11th is a major influence in my stories. As a former intelligence analyst who has lived in the Washington, D.C. area for nearly thirty years, I felt compelled to weave 9/11 into my characters’ backgrounds. If they weren’t deeply affected by that day, their fictional lives would ring hollow. Another historical event that has influenced my writing is the 2004 Beslan school massacre in Russia. In fact, this attack made such an impression on me that it formed the foundation for the sequel to The Wayward Spy. (Stay tuned!)
- Current events – The political and social strife this country has witnessed in recent years is rife with fictional possibilities. So many potential plots…so little time to write!
- Daydreaming – When I worked on Capitol Hill, it became obvious that the only way certain congressmen would ever lose their seats was if they were embroiled in a massive scandal. I began to imagine what such a scandal would entail…and before I knew it, I had a subplot for The Wayward Spy. Of course, you’ll have to read the book to learn more….
- Daily Encounters – Daily life is full of plot possibilities. Like that time I overheard a woman mention to another woman that her husband was overseas. When pressed about what he did for work, she froze. Just for a moment. But that’s all it took. I knew. Her husband was CIA. That eavesdropping episode set the wheels turning in my head. What if this woman unwittingly revealed information to a nefarious foreign agent…and then something terrible happened…and then…just like that, I began plotting a new story line.
