I once read that Agatha Christie would leave notebooks all around her house in case a flash of inspiration came to her that she needed to write down. I keep a number of what are called “fat little notebooks” about and actually never leave without one in my purse in case I need to scribble something down. Sometimes, the name of a town, a street, or maybe a store we’re passing strikes me as unique.

I also take a lot of pictures, in fact, all the time. I suppose it might be irritating to some, perhaps, but I feel driven. A number of these, I’ve used in book trailers that I’ve been posting on my YouTube channel.

While I was in New Orleans, I was constantly taking pictures of houses, apartments, schools, and all kinds of places so I could pinpoint exactly where my characters lived their lives, where they walked and interacted. I also, particularly for Sanctuary of Echoes, had to figure out how the streetcar lines connected. In my mind, it was important for the teenagers in that book to be able to get from place to place.

Inspiration comes in all sorts of curious disguises. Right now, in the community I’m in, it’s apparent a great many people are anxious and upset about what is happening in the country. That changes the feel and complexion of a place, no matter how picturesque it might seem. And that is, in an overarching sense, seeds for writing.

It’s hard to say where inspiration might come from. It can be very small, like a streetlight on a foggy night, or very large, like the COVID epidemic and all its reverberations in people’s lives. It’s always there. You just have to keep your eyes open and be ready to see it.