Thursday Thirteen

By Cam

So my goals through the end of the year are all tied to this one WIP. A WIP that just. Won’t. Die. I’m not really a formal goals-making person (see post here), but I decided to play along anyway. Well, I think this is why my muse ran out to get some sugar and still hasn’t come back. Yet.

That’s okay. I’m not bitter. Why, you ask? Because I have a brand new shiny muse! In fact, multiple muses with a whole lot of hopping and shagging going on. I find that I’m getting hit with inspiration almost every day. And sometimes in the strangest places.

Here is a list of the thirteen things that have randomly inspired me over the past week…

1. Craigslist ad – if you follow me on Twitter, then you know I got a brilliant light bulb moment from spying an ad for a drag queen singing telegram. You’ll have to stay tuned to find out what the plot bunnies do with this one.
2. Fairy tales – more specifically, Beauty and the Beast meets Ugly Duckling. And yes, there’s a bunny furiously thinking up a storm in response to Samhain’s Red Hot Fairy Tales call.
3. Fever Blister/Cold Sore/Lip Funk/Fill-in-the-blank – Eww. Gross. I know. With my daughter’s first birthday party last Saturday, I had a lot of stressful things to think about (30 adults + 12 kids under the age of 10 = Carmex overdose). So yeah, one of those nasty little suckers popped up on my lip and got me thinking…
4. This image – Pictures say a thousand words, eh? How about 350, give or take?
5. Spiderman kazoo– After loading up with various useless—but surprisingly expensive—crap for party goody bags, I was hit with yet another story tickle. Spidey meets Barbarella???
6. Ballet flats – Mine stink. Like odor-eaters-stink. After dusting off a pair from last Fall season, it made me wonder…surely there’s a villain out there whose supernatural powers are based off a serious case of odorous feet. Death by feet funk has a nice ring to it, donchathink?
7. Water goal – In my effort to try and drink more water, another bunny hopped by as I sat and stared at my half-empty Nalgene bottle.
8. Halloween candy – Really Halloween-anything. All those ghosts, goblins, witches, vamps…what’s not to love?
9. Kanye West – Yes, even Kanye “Douchebag of the Year” West can inspire those little plot bunnies who think it would be hilarious if an equally-embarrassing interruption were to happen to the protagonist during an oh-so-important life-changing event.
10. Candy Apples – That bright, glossy, candy-coated apple I saw at the grocery store is the perfect signature shade for a heroine who’s as flirty as she is feisty.
11. Purell – Hand sanitizer inspired one of the quirky characteristics of my heroine in my current plot-storm.
12. Alec Mazo – Dancing With The Stars resident hottie. Just take away all that sequins, glitter, and that leggy wife of his.
13. Gena Showalter – That lady writes faster than anyone I know (not that I actually really know her, unless you count that time or two when I stalked her throughout RWA DC). She inspires me to no end. And her books kick ass.

So there you have it. What inspired you this week?