Does this inspire you?

Back to questions. Because, shockingly, I still have some left. I really know how to milk a Q&A post, don’t I?

Jessie Sin asks:  Movies and other books are constantly inspiring my stories and characters. Do you have such inspirations? And if so, what are they? (Also, please explain what has been the biggest inspiration for a story you have written or plan to write. – just for curiosity’s sake)

I find inspiration pretty much everywhere I look: movies, music, books, strangers at the store, clients at work, pictures on postcards, old news stories…everywhere. Mostly, I find inspiration in my own imagination. Ideas just pop into my head. I am sure there is always something that triggers an idea, but more often than not I cannot trace where it came from. Individual bits of inspiration are tough to figure out. If you are curious about how some of my individual ideas came about, check out this post where I talk about the inspiration behind some of my books.

As for my biggest inspiration-that is easier to pinpoint. My biggest inspiration is not for one book that I have written, or for one I plan to write; it is for (most) all of them. My biggest inspiration has to be the South (as in Southern United States). I love the south-the culture, the dialects, the food, the weather, the rich history, the chivalry, all of it. I would love to live in the south again, but am pretty sure that will not happen-Bubba is not a fan of heat. Or humidity. So I settle for knowing I can visit-and live there through my writing.

All of my written and planned books (except for one, which is set in northwestern Idaho) are set someplace in the south. With each one I get to explore a different place and learn a different bit of history. This is not something I consciously set out to do. It is just what feels right for my writing at this point. What can I say? The south is inspiring. I think I will go whip up some hush puppies and sweet tea now.