Growing up, I spent 99% of my time telling myself stories. I think that was because my sister inspired me to write. She used to have these books/journals were she was writing real person fanfics of her favorite band, Menudo. If I would have had that dedication back then, I would have 100 stories to make into novels. BUT…I didn’t. I keep them in my head and the only way I knew how to get them out of my head was to act them out in a one woman show the usually took place at bedtime or honestly, anytime I had a moment alone. I guess that was why it took 33 years to find someone who could make me think of something other than the stories in my head.

Honestly, the stories are still there. Now, I have a different outlet which is writing. Exactly what I should have done 20 years ago. But where do all the ideas and stories come from?

My girlfriend and I were talking about it last night and how my inspiration revolves around people and places that I have experienced throughout my own journeys. But isn’t that how it works around writers? Okay, maybe JK Rowling didn’t travel to a school of Wizards for her inspiration for Harry Potter.

One of my biggest inspirations is an actress named Jennifer Stone, who people might know from Disney’s Wizards of Waverly Place. Her persona that she shows online, because I don’t know the woman in real life, gives off this classic romantic timeless love story that makes using her as a MUSE so perfect. So yes, when I am writing this love stories, I am visualizing her as the “perfect” romantic partner to a male counterpart that is just a little odd that they work well together. She is probably one of the easiest people to write and my favorite. My books A Muse Is Born and Dark Waters Ahead, as well as an unfinished Route 66 roadtrip story, used Jennifer as their inspiration.

But it is not only people who inspire me, Dark Waters Ahead, took place on a cruise ship. This trip that the family took was the exact cruise I took. Though I don’t think there was a rapist on board.

Now, I don’t know if Jennifer would be as thrilled or as honored to read such interesting stories, featuring her “persona”, as one celebrity was when she found out she was the inspiration behind my newest novel, “girl/Mistress”. Romi Dames, who played Tracy on Hannah Montana, recently read “girl/Mistress” for the first time and was honored to have an erotic story featuring her Tracy persona. While writing the amazing sex scenes, me and my co-writer were thinking and visualizing Romi Dames. And honestly, half the time when were writing, we thought and said to each other, “Romi is going to hate us.” This was far from true. Romi was honored. Though she might not have been so honored if I was some fat stinking creep just oodling over pictures of her on the internet.

So it made me think about how much people would like or dislike the idea of being a muse or the inspiration to a character in a book; especially if that writer is creating these most perfect love scenes that only show admiration for the muses unique qualities.

In Something Wilder, I don’t think that the marketing director of a Dallas bookstore would appreciate being the inspiration for my first book. Her husband ended up being a rapist and an wife beater, but yet she…”her character” ended up with a perfect, hot guy, driving a Dodge Charger and letting her live happily ever after.

In my next book, “King of The Kingdom”…I think that the girl, who was dressed like Kim Possible at Disney World that one time I got my picture taken with her, would be impressed. Come on, she is working at Disney. She knows about fairy tales and magical endings. She would give it two thumbs up.

Jennifer Stone… She is tough. While, I think she would appreciate the quality of the love story in A Muse Is Born, I don’t know if she would give her approval enough to say hey… good job. If you include A Muse Is Born, Dark Waters Ahead, and the unfinished story, she does get laid a lot and well, she might think it is a little creepy. But the guys she ends up with are adorably cute, sexy, and treat her like a lady.

RAVENS, a book I am working on does not have a muse at all. It could be why it is not moving along as fast and feels forced. I think that if it needs to continue, I will need to find two characters that connect.

As for my newest writing, which I am currently working on (18K done in a day), my muse probably wouldn’t get my vision. Sometimes, I don’t understand it either. Because when you are writing, you have to feel the scene. You might not enjoy it, or enjoy it too much, but you can’t stop the inspiration once it is there. Which is why I had to write. I needed them out of my head so I can get past it. Some stories have been in my head so long that they consume me, but once they are told on paper. I can move on and not think about it any longer.

Muses are funny and you don’t know how they get there, but they are there. They are characters that fit the moment and allow a story to be told through them. And when these stories are love stories, to me it is one the highest compliments you can give because it means they are classic and deserving of something greater and the other half that makes them whole is not me (though I am staying the words), but is a person who completes them enough to make them a work of art…