[Forward]

It is such pleasure to be at Novelspot this week! I've been thinking about the different posts I would write, and decided that for my first day, it would be best to start from, well, the beginning...

An idea.

Novels can start from the simplest of ideas. Brief whispers of imagination. Glimmers of a character. And from these small beginnings…well, lots and lots of pages can be created. 

I love it when I first get an idea for a new story. Sometimes, I’ll start with a character, as in the case with my latest Kensington Brava release, HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT. With that story, I got the idea for my heroine first—Dr. Emily Drake, also known as the Monster Doctor. Emily is a talented psychologist, gifted with a strong empathic power—but her power only works on paranormal creatures.

My idea for Emily led to the rest of the story—the conflict and the killer. All from one character idea.

Other times, when I’m writing a story, I begin with a dramatic moment—a plot twist. In another novel, I began with my heroine dying. Her death scene came to me first—and became the prologue of the story. (Don’t worry, she doesn’t stay “dead” for long.)

Ah, ideas…got to love them—and I sure do have to hope that those ideas keep coming!

For the writers out there…where do your ideas come from when you’re first preparing for a story?

And for the readers…have you ever had a sweet idea whisper in your ear that you thought—hey, this might make a great book?

Cynthia Eden
www.cynthiaeden.com
HOTTER AFTER MIDNIGHT—Kensington Brava, Available 04/29/08
WHEN HE WAS BAD—Kensington Brava, Available 05/27/08