Last week’s blog delved into the internal fire that ignites one’s intellectual pursuit or artistic flair—in my case, “writing”. As mentioned in my conclusion, one needs more than an innate fire to develop an idea and see it to fruition:

What’s your inspiration?

With time on my hands after retirement, midlife restlessness rekindled my dormant imagination and passion for writing. My inspiration to write my first full-length, Contemporary Women’s Fiction novel, 'Underlying Notes,' sprang from my lifelong addiction to fragrance which incorporated fictionalized accounts of my online participation at forums on perfume sites:

Carla Matteo copes with life by "taking to the bottle"— glass goddesses funneling perfume! During a mid-life renaissance, the juice provides a hook for Carla to find her own niche while the ominous rose note in Paloma Picasso forces her to confront a troubled past.

The inspiration for my second Contemporary, 'An Enlightening Quiche,' took root in the beloved village of Manville, Rhode Island where I began my teaching career at Northern Lincoln Elementary. Rich in history for housing the Manville Mill powered by the Blackstone River, it was the largest textile mill in the country with over 5,000 employees in the 1950s. Massive flooding caused by Hurricane Diane in 1955, and a devastating fire two weeks later, contributed to the mill’s demise.

I reference this in my novel as well as fabricate my own history for Brulé Bookbinding Co., the fictitious bookbinding mill in my story.

I’m also inspired by Manville’s warmth which I attribute to the predominantly French-Canadians who immigrated to the area at the turn of the 20th century, seeking gainful employment in the mill. I had the privilege of teaching their descendants who reflected time-honored values instilled in them by their forbears who were no strangers to hard work.

Though the village embraced other ethnicities throughout the ensuing years leading up to my retirement 29 years later, I chose to preserve Manville’s original aura in my book through the fictitious locale of Beauchemins—rife with secrets and scandals.

The inspiration behind my WIP in my signature genre of Contemporary, 'Aida’s Fishing Ground,' originated from the subject of a controversial post I happened to catch on Facebook—should you tell a friend that his/her partner is cheating?

May every dreamer latch onto an idea and develop it to full potential.