Novelists are often told, “write what you know.” That’s not quite right. They should learn what they don’t know. Then when they write, they write from a place of knowing. I wanted to write about everyday people who decide to fight for their freedom. So I turned to history again. I needed inspiration for my…… Continue reading Inspiration from War and Resistance
Category: History
Inspiration from Real-life, Heart-wrenching History: Part II
As inspiration for my novel, My Soul to Keep, the idea of Eugenics in America fascinated me. Unfortunately, my inspiration came from real-life, heart-wrenching history. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the idea of eugenics spread like autumn leaves in the wind. It wasn’t just in America. Nor was it just in Nazi Germany.…… Continue reading Inspiration from Real-life, Heart-wrenching History: Part II
Inspiration from Real-life, Heart-wrenching History
The most difficult inspiration for My Soul to Keep came from real-life, heart-wrenching history. The sad fact is that America practiced a form of eugenics.
Inspired by a Maximum Security Prison
In My Soul to Keep, Miranda Clarke lands in Redemption, a prison in Leavenworth, Kansas. Redemption bears a striking resemblance to the real federal penitentiary in Leavenworth. That’s right, I was inspired by a maximum security prison. The Beginning In 1871 the United States realized that the stockades and fort prisons were inadequate. Congress passed…… Continue reading Inspired by a Maximum Security Prison
Declarations of Truth, Honor, and Independence
No discussion of Independence Day in the United States of America would be complete without talking about the document. The Declaration of Independence is more than a historical document. It is not a law or set of laws. It’s a statement of ideology. An ideology of truth, honor, and independence. An ideology that is controversial at times. And…… Continue reading Declarations of Truth, Honor, and Independence