Wednesday Randomness: Inspiration A-Z

Happy Wednesday!

Before we get to today’s topic, I want to give a shout out and huge welcome to Paige Prince who is joining for the Wednesday Random fun times! Paige, my lovely, lovely Paige, so happy you’re here, darling. MWAH

Now, this week, we’re talking inspiration…and presenting it to you A-Z. My list – some of it is what inspires me writing-wise (most of it probably) but some is just what I find inspiring in life. I feel I should apologize for the complete and utter…well, silliness of it. But…

And, really, no one who knows me will be surprised by this list.

All Things Arthurian – King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table, Merlin, magic, swords, epic battles, good vs. evil… How can I not be inspired? All of the legends I love pushed me to write my own Arthurian-inspired series, Albion’s Circle.

Bradley James –

Need I say more?

Colin freaking Morgan – Admit it, you knew this one was coming, didn’t you?

No words…just, Guh.

Dreams – This one is probably weird, but I’m going with it. This definitely falls in the writing inspiration column. I’ve had a few books start out of a dream I’ve had. Not that I dreamt the whole book or anything. It could be just a moment, an event that just triggers something and it all comes from that.

Encouragement – Complete honesty, my friends’ encouragement is crucial for me in writing. Knowing that they will read through something and tell me the truth, no matter what? That’s pretty much the greatest thing ever. And whether I crank out something good or not so good, the encouragement is always, always there – to keep going or to fix that shit! 🙂

Family & Friends – Wasn’t even going to attempt to list people individual for something like this. o.O I’ve been so blessed – with the family I was born into, the  and the friends I’ve had the good fortune to have come into my life. And I’m inspired by them every day.

GIFs – I will admit I love GIFs (this doesn’t surprise anyone, probably). I have huge files of them and many many of them are quite inspiring. If you message with me on the regular, you’ll get GIFs (and reg pics) too thrown at you often. Behold…

This one will make more sense after you read “J”

Husband – And not just in the bow-chica-bow-wow way either. He’s the strongest, kindest, most loyal and dedicated person I know. And he inspires me to be better. And, he’s pretty easy on the eyes, I’ll admit. Rowr. 🙂

Inspiring Things – Cut me some slack… Pretty please?  This is one of the last letters and I can’t brain anymore. So inspiring things inspire me. Let that little truth bomb ruminate for a while…

Jess’ Strangely Specific Fetishes – A phrase coined by the lovely Bron during Merlin Club. I don’t think they’re strange…but I suppose I can see how they would seem as such to others. What are they, you ask? Well, hands, collarbones, forearms, Merlin’s Dragonspeak Voice, King Arthur’s use of the royal “we”… To name a few. ENDLESS inspiration for the writing, let me tell you.

Kids – As infuriating as they can be, they inspire me so much. Most often when they don’t even know I see or hear what they’re doing. They make me believe I’m doing SOMETHING right with my life.

Love – romantic love, platonic love, parental love… C’mon, love is just inspiring. Not much to expand on that.

Merlin – not specifically Colin Morgan’s Merlin (though he certainly is inspiring). The character of Merlin and all it’s incarnations intrigue me. There’s a reason Albion’s Circle centers around Merlin and the woman he falls for.

Nature – Although I would never claim to be an outdoorsy girl, I have a healthy appreciate for nature and it does inspire me. Sitting on the lake, or by the sea, hiking to a little known waterfall in the woods…  Thunderstorms are the best thing ever. Yeah, see? I like me some nature.

OneRepublic – Don’t laugh. Their music is especially speaking to me as I write the Albion’s Circle series. And darn it, I know some people are go to have Nickelback on their lists!

Pride & Prejudice – I love Jane Austen, but P&P is my fave. And it also inspires me to write the best damned books I can. Particularly when it comes to characterization because that is one of the first books I read that I connected so greatly with the characters. (Not saying it’s the first book I liked or I didn’t like characters in other books before, but I felt particularly invested in Lizzy and Mr. Darcy.)

Quiet – This one may actually surprise because I always have headphones on or background noise (TV) going when I write. BUT I’ll let you in on a secret – that started as a defense mechanism. An effort to drown out the general chaos that is around me. Then, I got used to some kind of noise while I wrote and it stuck. So yes, I need that when I write, but when I’m thinking through a story, plotting, etc… When trying to come up with somthing…quiet is the trick, my friends. Don’t know if that counts as “inspiration” but hell, what the fuck else am I going to come up with Q????

Readers – Readers saying they liked a book or asking about the next book in a series… Yeah, that inspires, big time.

(Lake) Superior – I grew up where I could bike to Lake Superior. That is my happy place. Some friends and I go there every year for a retreat, and it’s honestly my light at the end of the tunnel when stress gets to me (and by that I mean ALL. THE. TIME.)

Tumblr – It’s my OTHER happy place. And so much more accessible than my dear lake.

United Kingdom – Big part of this is because of my love of history and my family background. Always felt a pull. I finally had the opportunity to travel there this last year. Spent most of my time in London but spent some time driving across Wales and a day in Bath, as well. LOADS of inspiration. Hell, my upcoming book’s title is London Bound so… there you go

(Bon) Voyage – I know that’s sort of cheating, but… V…. Veeeeeeeeee!!!

Anyhoo, love to travel – or Voyage, if you will – and find inspiration in the history, the architecture, people watching, the surrounding scenery…

Wine – Some of my best ideas and most brilliant moments happen under the influence of good, cheap wine, my friends.

X-rated – I write erotic romance. Hello?

(Da) Yoop, eh? – Since I already had something for U, I couldn’t put Upper Michigan or UP (Upper Peninsula). It’s where I grew up. I adore it up there. And I’ve definitely been inspired to write stories set up there because of my neverending love. Hey, once a Yooper…

Zeal – Seriously, I know the look on your faces right now….

…but hear me out. One, Z is hard, people. Two, I admire zeal. I find it inspirational when I see someone passionate about what they believe. Unless, they’re dicks about it. Then, well, I’m the one with the expression above on my face.

Be sure to click below and see what inspires everyone else!
Bronwyn Green | Gwendonlyn Cease | Jessica De La Rosa | Kellie St. James
Kayleigh Jones | Kris Norris | Paige Prince