The reason I have a list of authors as my recipe for writing is because I genuinely enjoy their work and am often surprised and dare I say ＂inordinately pleased＂ when someone comments about their influence on my own words. Whether it’s building layers of suspense like V.C. Andrews, adding twists like Stephen King, world building like Anne McCaffrey, shifting gears like Cassandra Clare, or doing a 360 on a love story like Stephenie Meyer. In fact, I’d say Meyer was probably the catalyst (albeit indirectly) for the Luminary Saga in one way. I’d read that the inspiration for the Twilight series came from her dreams. After learning that, I have to admit that I was peeved at my own dreamscape. They’d never provided my sleep with such interesting story-lines. As an editor my dreams were much more mundane, recycling events of the day from family, friends or work-- rather than providing any supernatural love triangles. But less than two weeks after getting ’angry’ at my dreams for not spawning such creative ideas, I woke in the middle of the night with the strangest image in my mind; a witch, an immortal and an enchanted candelabra were rushing down an amorphous corridor. An animated power cord attached to the candelabra was weaving back and forth creating the passageway as they went. I jotted a note to myself so that I’d remember it, then got up to pee, before going back to sleep. The next morning when I woke, I found that I remembered the image with great clarity without the note. I wondered about these characters. Where were they going? Why the rush? How had they come to be? What was this world they were in? And the Luminary Saga was born. My formerly perfunctory dreamscape having redeemed itself, fueling a torrent of inspiration. I sat down at my desk and mapped out seven books over the course of a few hours. I could scarcely get my notes for each down on paper quickly enough. And then I found my own self transformed from editor to novelist. Getting to know each character, letting them reveal their secrets to me as the content of the pages flew out of my fingertips. I think my skills as an author grew with each subsequent novel. It’s been quite a journey. One that I hope you’ll enjoy. P.S. Meraux’s writing recipe: Take a 1/4 cup of Stephenie Meyer, 2 tablespoons of Cassandra Clare, 1 teaspoon of Anne McCaffrey, A pinch of Stephen King, 1 good dollop of V.C. Andrews, Add to a pot full of imagination, mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon and simmer.
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