People often ask where my story ideas come from.
The truth is, inspiration is everywhere.
Last year, my husband and I visited Quebec City and spent time at Montmorency Falls. As I rode the cable car and admired the breathtaking views, I was taking pictures like every other tourist.
But part of my brain was somewhere else.
I wasn’t just enjoying the scenery. I was wondering how someone could commit a murder there. Or stage a crime. How would investigators search the area? Where would the clues be hidden? Before long, a story was beginning to take shape.
The setting eventually reminded me of an island we’d visited a few years earlier. I tucked the idea away, knowing it might become a novel someday.
Not every spark comes while traveling.
Sometimes inspiration appears in the most ordinary moments. I remember attending a celebration where everyone received a sealed note. We were told not to open it until later. It turned out to be nothing more than a heartfelt thank-you message.
My mind, however, immediately wandered elsewhere.
Why can’t we open it now?
Is it a threat? A secret? A warning?
Within seconds, the opening scene of a thriller was unfolding in my imagination.
Most of those ideas never become books. But many eventually find their way into a chapter, a character, or an unexpected plot twist.
Another major source of inspiration is crime television. I’ve watched countless episodes over the years, and I still find myself studying how the stories are told. I pay attention to how an episode ends just before a commercial break, how scenes are arranged to misdirect the audience, and how cliffhangers keep viewers eager for the next episode.
Those aren’t just television techniques. They’re storytelling techniques. I’ve learned a great deal from them, and I often apply those lessons to my own novels in hopes of keeping readers turning the pages.
For a writer, the world is full of possibilities.
You never know when an ordinary vacation, a simple note, or even a television episode might become the beginning of the next story.