I don’t generally worry about running out of story ideas (cause, you know, doing that will just drive you mad). Instead, I worry more about not having enough time to write all the stories in my head.  I’ve said before that I get inspired by just about everything, and that’s definitely true.  Slivers of story ideas are always popping up and, when they do, I load them into my idea file for later use.  That idea file will hopefully prevent me from ever succumbing to severe writer’s block.

I got a new idea the other day.  A costume catalog arrived in the mail and as I sat on the front steps, thumbing through the pages, one particular Halloween outfit caught me eye…Frankie’s Girl. Now, once upon a time, we all knew what the bride of Frankenstein looked like–big hair, white skin…scary but old school.

Frankie’s Girl isn’t old school.  She’s young, she’s hip, she’s dead (um, reanimated)–and she kinda looks like a weird cross between Wednesday (from the Adam’s family) and a funky Buffy.  Of course, I liked her immediately.

And she inspired me. (She also made the song Jessie’s Girl start playing constantly in my head but I guess I can’t really blame her for that.)  As I stared at her picture, I thought–damn, this would be such a fun YA character.  Frankie’s Girl.  Maybe she survived a car accident (um, kinda survived?) and the result is the new chick with the scars and the cool black/white hair.  And mad strength–because she’d have to possess super strength, right?  She’d be awesome as a troubled teen. The undead/reanimated often don’t mix well with others.

Or maybe she could be an adult urban fantasy heroine.  She’d have ass-kicking power; she’d search for her “maker” because she’s pissed at what she’s become and she’d be desperate to find her lost lover.   So what if she isn’t beauty queen gorgeous? She’s Frankie’s Girl.

Will I write this story?  I am so tempted, if only for my own enjoyment.  Perhaps it will be one that I work on in between projects, just for fun.  Just for Frankie’s Girl.

Now, fess up, am I the only one that gets weird ideas like this?

The lovely and talented Calista Fox (I love Calista; she is an awesome lady) has posted an interview she conducted with me over at her blog–and if you answer a question based on the interview, you could win an autographed copy of EVERLASTING BAD BOYS!

To see the question, visit Calista’s homepage to read the contest details and then read the interview to win.

But there’s more…if you leave a comment on Calista’s blog, you could win a copy of FOREVER IN HER EYES, Calista’s latest e-book from Ellora’s Cave!

Good luck!

(And thanks, Calista!)

Today, the family loaded up and participated in a local race for charity. Nick–well, he did the hard-core, real part of the race, while me and Jack and my friend Ashley did the “fun” run portion of the race. Cause running is supposed to be fun, right?

And how are you spending your Saturday? Doing anything exciting?

Okay, well, no, I’m not really, though I do think the man is wicked cool.

But, while I am not, in fact, Stephen King, I do share the man’s writing style.

Nick sent me this interesting link to the “7 Writing Habits of Amazing Writers.”

Wanna know Stephen’s method? It seems he writes ten pages a day, every day. Holidays included. That is so me. I’ve found that the ten pages a day schedule works very well for me. So I set that as my goal, and within two months, I have a finished manuscript. (The manuscript still has to be polished and edited, but the rough draft is finished.)

According to the article, Hemingway wrote 500 words a day. Truman Capote was a “completely horizontal writer” (yeah, check out the article for an explanation on that!), and James Joyce once wrote three sentences–and counted that work as a good writing day.

We all have our methods. If you’re a writer–what’s yours?

Have a great Friday! If you’re in the path of Ike, stay safe.

Anya Bast is running one seriously sweet contest on her blog! She’s giving away awesome prizes–and some seriously cool books (and I’m not just saying they are cool b/c she’s giving away some of mine; they really are cool!).