How did this get started?

Have you ever sat down and seriously thought about why a book got started? Books are forms of entertainment. They're there to make us think and imagine a world different from our own. Sometimes the world is extremely different and sometimes it's the same as our everyday world, but altered slightly because it's presented to us from the perspective of a totally different person.


That's how I think of my stories. They are a glimpse into a world occupied by ordinary people in an ordinary situation. Things just tend to get flipped around a bit. Especially if I have anything to say about it. LOL


Ironically, almost all of my books have begun with a simple question or a comment from one of the characters. In the seven books I have out, here are the simple questions or comments that started them:


Meeting A Neighbor's Needs -- Teasing can sometimes go too far. Are you ready for the consequences?


A Neighbor's Ultimatum -- Denying what you want can do more harm than good sometimes.


An Invitation: Ariel's Pet -- Little sisters are hell on interlopers-- she'll give him a run for his money.


Santa's Elf -- What if Santa had a naughty side and there was one specific elf he was interested in playing with?

Unfair Advantage -- "You damned pillaging pirate!" (seriously that was the first line I remember when I wrote the original story in 1982)

Under Control -- "I've become the monster I've fought to destroy"

Rite of First Claim -- "I want a baby. I want his baby."

Kinda hard to keep the ideas from flowing when they start with such interesting information. Don't you think?