When I wrote Shimmy my boys were quite young.  My characters reflected what was going on around me which is why it was so much fun to write my first novel.  If I needed inspiration, I simply had to eavesdrop in on my boy’s conversations and then I could sprint write for hours.  School events, sporting tournaments, the music they listened to, birthday parties, it was wonderful muse for the world that I was creating.

I am currently writing the second book in the series. Volume 1 ends on a cliff hanger. I look forward to sharing how my heroic four teenagers overcome, which at the moment, is an impossible problem for them to solve.   The whole story is in my head and honestly, I love what these four kids are getting up to.  

But I must confess I did have a serious writers block, until this morning.   Now that my sons are grown young men, I just can’t fictionalize their lives.  Besides, where my characters went, no amount of 21^st century inspiration can help.  Today is a provincial holiday.  Family Day is celebrated across most of Canada so I had time to resume my writing.   To get unblocked from a rather tricky scene, I took a break and scrolled through old photos.  What a trip down memory lane that was!  It was fun and made me happy.  But what was really magical was the jolt of inspiration I got from one particular picture.  

At least for this one chapter, the juices are flowing again.  

No matter where you live, I wish you and your families ample opportunity to make memories together.  You just never know what it might inspire.