It's been a long hiatus. Hello, everybody, and my apologies for taking so long to get back to blogging here. To make up for it, I have a special announcement--a kind of a gift, actually, to you, my readers. It's posted at the end of this ramble, so skip to the bottom if you like.

The holidays took a lot out of my brain. Then, just when I was getting back into schedule, both David Bowie and Alan Rickman died within a single week. I don't usually mourn celebrities I've never met, but both of those two held a special position in my heart. So it goes.

Enough excuses. For this blog's subject, I return to the question"where do ideas come from?" because--thanks in part to Mr. Bowie's passing, actually--I have a small bit of insight into my own process.

I have come to believe each writer has a trigger, or perhaps a set of triggers, that needs to be pulled in order for a story to come tumbling out.

Some background: I am a member of the Bethlehem Writers Group, and one activity that august body indulges in is to produce an anthology every single year. We have three thus far: A Christmas Sampler, Once Around the Sun, and A Readable Feast.. If you like short stories, you might want to check them out.

Anyway, our fourth anthology will be a book of children's stories. I write YA novels, obviously, but the idea of a children's story was a new concept for me. Truth to tell, I wasn't sure I could manage it.

I underestimated myself. Turns out I have a peculiarly competitive streak when it comes to writing. As I was driving home after one of our meeting, I realized it would be a blow to my pride if I couldn't complete a story for our next anthology. I'd feel as if I'd failed myself; hadn't lived up to my potential. That little spark of determination was the first trigger.

The second was the song that was playing on my CD: Queen's "I'm Going Slightly Mad." If the Mad Hatter required a theme song, that would be it. Some part of my brain seized on the notion of writing a story with a Mad Hatter-type character in it. What could be more fun? And since I needed a children's story, maybe something in the flavor of Roald Dahl?

Once I had that concept, everything else began tumbling into place. I thought back on my own childhood, and the places that seemed magical then. Amusement parks, forests, and, most amusing, shopping malls, were the answer. I couldn't think of any stories set in a mall, so I went with that one, conceiving of the idea of a little girl who loses her parents in a magical shopping mall where you can buy virtually anything--but where you don't want to get stuck after closing time.

The result was a 4,000 word piece titled "Forever Now." I was so pleased with it, I decided to submit it a few places before giving it to the Bethlehem Writers Group.

Fireside Magazine bought it. Yay!

Now I didn't have a children's story for the anthology. Boo.

And again, I didn't think I could do it. After all, I'd already proved I could write a children's story. I tried to come up with some ideas, but the enthusiasm wasn't there, and the deadline for submission was looming. I pictured myself forcing out a second rate story. I've pushed through writing before, and some of it has turned out pretty good, but to me, it always lacks the spark of the inspired ones.

Then came word of David Bowie's death.

I am not a Labyrinth fan. I am exactly the right age to be one. I saw it in a theatre on its original run. It came so close to touching something pure and true and wicked that I could've screamed. Especially at Ludo. Sorry--I hate the "big, stupid, cuddly" trope like poison. I'd outgrown Ludo and his "friend rocks." The script tried to sell cuteness when it needed to be cutting.

But then there was Jareth. I think most of us would agree that there is something about the character Bowie created that rises above the film's mediocrity. I could, and perhaps will, write an essay on Labyrinth, but for now, I'll simply say that although I don't like the film, it has nevertheless influenced my work.

So, when I heard of Bowie's death, another trigger was pulled in my head. I needed to do something to come to terms with the strange sense of loss, and being a writer, what better tribute could I pay him than writing a story?

And again, as soon as I had a vision, ideas began flowing, as if the initial concept was a magnet drawing in stray thoughts. The result, still in progress, is "The Goblin King's Music Box." It's the tale of another girl in peril, although this one finds herself unjustly accused and must find a was to both exonerate herself and bring a measure of justice to the world of dreams. Oh, and it has pony-sized riding rabbits and a guardsman who dances with a stuffed cat and transforms into a polar bear.

It's a lot of fun, in short. I'll be getting back to it after this.

So don't worry so much about getting ideas. Your brain already has them. It's more a question of accepting them when they arrive. We're too much conditioned not to be "silly" or "childish." Unfortunately, that kind of thinking is anathema to creativity. Pretend you're eight when you sit down to write, at least for the first draft. You can be adult and worry about editing and grammar for the revisions.

And now, for your gift: I have decided to give you one of my novels. It's a high fantasy, entitled Hawk and Fox. The concept was inspired by the film Ladyhawke, but it took off from there, as most my ideas do. To read it, just visit my site: www.wordsmeetworld.com.

I will post a new chapter every Sunday. I do hope you read and enjoy. If you do, please spread the word. Until next time, my darlings!