Red Sage authors Leigh Court, Hannah Murray, Nicole North & Liane Gentry Skye
August 11th, 2009 by Edie Ramer
When the muse strikes, inspiration follows…
Secrets, Volume 27: Untamed Pleasures features four erotic novellas with very different alpha male heroes: a sexy English viscount, a brawny kilted Scotsman, a Navy SEAL with a big secret, and the boy-next-door who isn’t what he seems. What inspired these diverse but delicious heroes?
In the case of the Volume 27 authors, it would definitely be the muse named Erato…
Leigh Court: For me, inspiration strikes by starting with the ‘What If’ question. I love to drop my characters into impossible situations, and then step back and watch what happens. For my Victorian romance THE BET, my conversation with my muse went something like this… What if a sexy English viscount wanted to seduce a woman? Blah, boring. Okay then, what if he and his friend made an outrageous wager and he had to seduce a woman, or else lose something really important to him? Hmm…a little better. All right, what if he couldn’t seduce her using the typical rituals like kissing, touching, or even sex? Oooh, what does he use then? What if he had to seduce her using just his words? Impossible! Exactly. And to make it even more complicated, what if the woman was a virgin and didn’t even know what he was talking about? OMG, that’s a wonderful idea, an impossibly wonderful idea!
Viola! Can’t you just see me as an author licking my lips with all the interesting possibilities this scenario presents? That’s literally how THE BET came about. Now — how do you think my hero can possibly win THE BET?
Hannah Murray: When coming up with the idea for THE BOY NEXT DOOR, I found myself at a bit of a loss. I knew I wanted to write something kinky, and I knew I wanted that kink to include bondage. But I didn’t want to do a darkly sensual, heroin-handcuffed-to-the-bed deal – that’s been done half to death, and I wanted something different for this story: I wanted bondage rope, and I wanted FUN.
So much of what we read about kink within the context of a romance novel is really intense. And that’s okay – bondage IS intense. Giving up control of your body, putting your trust in another person so completely…it doesn’t get much heavier than that. But often the intensity comes with a dark tone, and I was tired of feeling like every sexy bondage story had to be serious. Sex should be fun! Bondage should be fun! If it’s not, why the hell do we bother with it? That’s what I wanted for THE BOY NEXT DOOR. I wanted bondage with laughter, orgasms with joy – I wanted FUN. I think I got it.
Nicole North: What inspired DEVIL IN A KILT? A trip to the Highland Games (aka Scottish Games.) I love to attend the games as much as I can. There are lots of interesting and unusual sporting events performed by men wearing kilts. Nearby, many clan tents are set up where you can learn about specific clans and their history. In one such tent at the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, a huge two-handed Highland sword was on display. Some people call these swords claymores. It was about 5 feet long. Almost as tall as I am! I did manage to pick up the sword a few inches out of the stand but no way could I hold it up long. Okay, so I’m a weakling! Imagine how strong a man would have to be to swing this sword in battle for any length of time. On to the inspiration part… I asked myself what if the sword held some kind of magic and transported the woman who held it back in time 400 years to the original owner? All kinds of interesting things could happen. If she showed up with the sword, the man might think she was trying to kill him. And why was she transported? He must need her for some important reason. My imagination went wild and DEVIL IN A KILT is the result.
Liane Gentry Skye: The inspiration for HEART STORM began when I saw my very first manatee during a kayaking trip in Sanibel Island’s Tarpon Bay. It was very easy to see why ancient mariners often mistook manatees for mermaids. The idea that there could be real, live mermaids hiding out in the mangroves fascinated me. By the end of that trip, I knew I’d be writing a story set there.
Not too long after that, a picture sent to me by my friend Nancy inspired the opening scene. All that and a lifelong obsession with mermaids seeded the beginnings of HEART STORM.
So… Why inspires you? Is it a place, an idea, a picture, a snippet of overheard conversation? Or, like Leigh, the voices in your head? Secrets, Volume 27: Untamed Pleasures has four of the hottest erotic novellas of the summer, so obviously we all arrive at our inspiration in different ways. Share yours with us!
20 Responses to “Red Sage authors Leigh Court, Hannah Murray, Nicole North & Liane Gentry Skye”
Thanks to Nicole, I’ve already read Secrets 27, and every single story is enjoyable and well-written, with great characters. Leigh, thank you so much for organizing this and getting it all together.
I LOVE the way all of you think! It’s so fun to read your inspirations. The idea for my WIP came about because I don’t really believe in Satan, demons or devils. I believe people make their own choices, good or bad. So my demon book came from what I don’t believe in versus what everyone else does. I’m turning the myths upside-down.
Great blog! Nicole, you love attending Highland games. I know it isn’t Scotland, but do you know about the annua games and bagpipe competition in Salado Creek, Texas? Besides the games, the bagpipe competition is awesome, all these bands from across the U.S. (that I didn’t have a clue existed) gather. At the end they all gather together in a football size field and play “Amazing Grace.” It’ll bring you to your knees.
Thanks, Edie, for allowing us to be here! I’m so glad you liked our stories! Sounds like a very interesting and unique demon book you have!
Thanks, Kathleen! I haven’t heard about the games and competition in Salado Creek. Sounds awesome! I LOVE listening to bagpipes so long as it’s outside and I’m a good distance away. They generally have several pipe bands at the Highland Games I attend here in the Southeast. Nothing huge though.
Thanks so much for having us here today, Edie! The fun of being an author is not only being able to brainstorm clever ideas for stories, but also playing God in a certain sense by being able to make your characters do whatever you want! It’s definitely a power rush
Your demon story sounds fascinating — I love the idea of “thinking updside down,” so to speak.
Kathleen — my husband is 1/4 Scottish (clan MacCloud) so I love bagpipes, too
Leigh
Thank you for a fantastic blog! I love hearing what inspires other writers. For me it can be anything, but usually, like Leigh, it starts with a what if, and I build on that and turn it upside down. All four novellas sound so intriguing, congratulations.
Thanks for joining us today, Secret gals! Love reading about your inspiration stories. I get my characters first, so basically it’s listening to what they have to say and taking it from there!
Congrats on your successes!
I’ve never read a Secrets. But dang, those stories sound really, really good! I think i’m going to have to try one!
Inspiration, for me, is like a bolt from the blue. When I seek it, it hides, but put me in a place where pen and paper are inconvenient (the middle of a wedding reception complete with mini-evening purse, for instance) and there she be!
A random comment, an evocative fragrance, two people arguing across the room, gesticulating wildly, a cloud formation—it doesn’t take much, but the “Eureka” moment is always hard, fast, and euphoric. (The mental equivalent of a quickie, would best describe it.)
Wow. I’ve heard of two-fers, but we got a four-fer here at MM today. Awesome. Thanx ever so much for sharing your stories, ladies. Love the idea process.
For me, inspiration comes in so many forms. Something I overhear, a stray thought, something I see on television or in a movie. The sources are endless.
Ladies-
I *love* hearing about your inspirations! I was once in an airport where I overheard a man saying to a young boy “Where the mind leads, the body follows.”
I just had to write that sentence down (altho I haven’t done anything with it yet…) Was he an athletic coach? Who knows?
One of the most fun things about being an author is that we can eavesdrop on other people’s conversations and call it “research” LOL!
Leigh
Leigh, I love that bit of overhead dialogue! I was emailing a friend this morning, and she said she had “pregnancy brain.” I told her I was going to put that in a book some day.
Nicole, I’ve never been to highland games, but I know we have them nearby at least once a year. I’m not Scottish, but I should go. If nothing else, it would be worth it to see the men in kilts. And maybe I’ll get a great idea to inspire me.
Thanks for telling us about your inspirations, everyone. I, too, have gotten a story idea from a snippet of overheard conversation. Also a specific newspaper story. I was once driving to work, heard a song on the radio, and a scene from a new story started playing in my head. I love when that happens!
Absolutely, Edie! Highland Games are interesting and entertaining. If you’ve never been, the dress is unusual, the sporting events are unusual. Always something to look at or listen to, bagpipe music or live Celtic rock, which I love. Oh and you can try some Scottish food. Maybe a bridie or scone. You can also buy all sorts of Scottish/Celtic things or gifts. I personally like kilt-watching.
And two of my stories were inspired by Highland Games, the one I described above and my upcoming Kilted Lover.
But if you try the Scottish food, stay away from the haggis, LOL!
Leigh
Nicole, Jody Allen who runs Scottish Scribbles lives near me. She’s very involved in the Irish/Scottish events. I’ll ask her to let me know when the next Highland Games will be in the area.
Scones sound good. I’ve never eaten one, but if it’s dessert, I should like it.
And I like the sound of bagpipes!
Leigh, thanks for the advice! Haggis sound awful, especially since I’m not much of a meat eater.
Woohoo, Nicole, loved your story, and I agree with Kathleen, Salado is a great place for the Scottish gathering!
Thanks Terry!!
Wish I could visit Salado some time.
Edie, I had to laugh at your haggis comment.
Haggis contains mystery meat for sure. It might be liver. It might be any other sort of internal sheep organ. LOL And yes, I have been brave enough to try some of the well-made kind. Not a fan, but it wasn’t terrible. Tasted like a cross between venison and spicy sausage.
To me, scones are kinda like southern biscuits but with a little sugar and maybe some fruit mixed in.
Jody is great! She’s in a couple of my chapters and always up to answer a research question. Hope you get to try some Highland Games.
Nicole, now I definitely won’t try haggis. But the scones sound yummy. And Jody is great! We’ll probably be seeing each other soon.
*waving to Liane*
It’s so cool to hear about your inspirations!
Liane, I love manatees they’re such endearing and wonderous creatures!
Congratulations on the anthology, it sounds great!!!