@Tom Locke Most of the novels that are fantasy ones, contain elements of reality too, a mix of our experiences, expressed by the characters in our novel. I would love to write my own novel in the future, it's one of my biggest dreams. The worst thing is that my mother tongue is Polish, and I live in Poland, so it would be hard for me to write a book in English.
@Tom Locke That wouldn't be a bad idea, haha, but I would have to take several English lessons to improve my grammar and style.
I've just had an email from my publisher telling me that my novel should be out at the end of January 2016. I'm a bit disappointed it's going to take so long...missing the opportunity for people to buy that ideal Christmas present (ahem). I do, though, like the cover they've designed. I provided the gist of it, but the publisher has added their own little twist and I'm really pleased with it.
Whether I will ever complete a book remains to be seen, but I do have an inspiration for a book. It comes from the several series of books that were written in the early 1900s, at the time that the Boy Scouts of America began here in the United States, one of which was the Pee-Wee Harris books that led to the Pee-Wee Harris comic strip that may (or may not) still be included in Boys Life magazine. It's been a while since I've read a copy of Boys Life, so I don't know if it's still there. The same author wrote a few other series using some of the same characters that are introduced in the Pee-Wee Harris series, plus several other authors wrote books with a similar theme. I am beginning to put together a book that uses the same theme but set in a more modern setting, where many of the same skills and attributes may come to bear.
There is a woman where I work that has authored a series of children's books on a character she calls Puddin Head. Very nice- well illustrated stories. The idea is on racial tolerance and anti bullying. My aunt made a book like this several years ago, and I asked her about it, she told me it was very expensive since they paid for the illustrator and proof reading and all that. At the time it put me off to wanting to write a book, although I have always felt like I want to. Each time I think I know what I want to write about it changes. I have three (novels) that I have started and that have gong to the wayside. For the most part the only writing I do these days is lyrics and requested content for websites that want ghost writers. I have been a ghost writer since 1997, and will write on just about any topic that I have some knowledge of or can research and present well. I have been focusing more this year on my photography, originally my plan was to be a photo journalist, but somehow the whole photo part never jelled till now. I do think about writing a book and actually feel like I might be destined to do this, but don't ask me what or when. The pieces that give me inspiration are some of the classics like Animal farm or Frankenstein. I really like the deeper psychological aspects that go into that form of writing. For many years I have felt I would like to do something in the suspense or horror genre, although the one piece (novel or screen play?) has actually been based on my experiences as a property manager. The things that happen and come up are at times so bizarre or funny you can not believe it happens. I always liked the comedy style in writings like Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry, classic Americana that the average person could relate to, and can imagine a book in that tone. Of late I have wanted to try my hand at video production for a concept for some music we have wrote. It is exciting but slow to come thru since there is a learning curve. Painting a picture thru writing and sound is so much easier then visually, especially since I prefer the subtleness some written passages have.
Honestly the stuff that inspires my writing is very badly written vampire stories. It makes me want to take them and turn them into something good. I look at cliche's and pay attention to them as best as I can, and then I try to create something that might seem original of some sort. I actually get a good laugh at reading really badly written vampire fiction (since that is my favorite kind of fiction) and I'm not really much of a fan of the romance.
Today, I feel like a proper author because I received my first-ever royalty statement. I won't, in truth, be getting too far on the proceeds, but it caused a bit of minor excitement...
Wow, narrowing the world...I just received an email from somebody whose name was totally unfamiliar to me. It turns out that he was a volunteer with Peace Corps in Eritrea not long after I was there as a VSO volunteer. He discovered my book on the subject and managed to get in touch. He's in New York, I'm in Scotland, but we found a good connection!
When I thought to write my first book, there was no book about the topic that I could considered as inspirational to write my own. I wrote about what I used to see down the streets; my perception on different topics about life itself and how others use to live it, so more than rely on an inspiration reading, it was nurtured of living experiences.