January 9, 2008
Behind the Book: With Lori Devoti
So, Amie asked me to stop by and talk about the inspiration for my latest release, Guardian’s Keep. Seems like a 
simple enough topic, doesn’t it? I have to get the basic inspiration for my books from somewhere, right? …..I do. I know I do, but for some reason it isn’t easy for me to pin down where.
Guardian’s Keep is the second in my Unbound miniseries for Silhouette Nocturne. The first book featured a hellhound hero—that idea was inspired by thumbing through a book that had pictures of demon dogs. One of the images spoke to me. He/it wasn’t a hellhound, but hellhound sounded a lot better than Black Dog of Ireland—at least to me.
U
nbound and Guardian’s Keep are set in the same world, one where Norse mythology is real. I wish I could say where I even got this idea. I think it’s from reading in this same book about a witch named Lusse who at times lead the Wild Hunt (title of my third book to come out in June). Lusse became the villain of Unbound, and somehow the world became Norse. From there things just continued to unwind—in a good way I hope.
That’s the thing about inspiration, at least for me. I think people who don’t create something as complicated as a book from scratch assume it hits you in lightning bolt fashion, and sure some piece of the idea may. But, for me at least, it is much more like pulling on a piece of yarn and slowly watching the ball unwind. At times you get a really long piece to pull free and at times you hit a snag and think the whole thing is done, but never (for me) has the entire ball just landed in my lap, kerplunk.
So, when I try to think about my inspiration for Guardian’s Keep, I hesitate to say what it was. I wanted a sexy alpha hero who was protective. I wanted to pull in more of the Norse world and there was one particular character from Norse myth who to me was just screaming to have another version of his story told (Fenrir) and I wanted a place that was scary and full of atmosphere (Lyngvi). All of those pieces were in my head somewhere, mixed up and confused and slowly bit by bit I pulled them free.
How about you? Are ideas something you build slowly over time, or do they spring forth from your mind fully formed like Athena from Zeus?
————–
I like to think that my ideas/inspiration ’simmers’ in the back of my mind for awhile, and the flavours coming out. Till it’s time to start writing down the receip. Some things you recognize/know right away, other flavours you have to guess at.
I have to say the little tid bits on hellhounds and Norse legends has piqued my interest. I’ll have to check this release out.
Lori, thanks for dropping by.
(Cece… lol at the ‘Behind the Book’ icon. I love it!)
I heard another author once compare it to gathering fruit. How sometimes we try to pick the fruit before it is ripe and it causes us all kinds of trouble. And how it is so much smoother to let the fruit hang on the tree until it is fully ripe–the simmering you are talking about.
I am very guilty of trying to pick my fruit to early.
LOL Lori me too………one thing I’ve learned is that I usually will get inspired enough with a new idea to write a nice block of it, but inevitably I have to set it aside and let the rest of the idea ripen. Or like with my next wip, I’ll plot it out and decide I don’t want to write it then BAM that last piece of the puzzle falls into place.
And I”m with Jaq…I love the idea of using Norse legends…definitely a great twist on the paranormal (says Amie who’s son is OBSESSED with Greek Mythology…Maybe it’s time I introduced him to some others LOL)
ugh. That first comment of mine is just riddled with grammatical errors and typos! That’s what I get for posting on an empty stomach before I’m fully awake.
Hey, ripening fruit is another great analogy, Lori! A writer is always aiming for that perfectly picked fruit–not under-ripened, lacking flavor and hard to bite in to, but not over ripe and attracting flies, either.
On the other hand, at least if it’s under-ripe you can still give it time to develop while writing/revising/editing.
On the other other hand, you can always use those over ripe bananas to make some kick ass banana bread.
And now that i’ve talked myself in a circle, it’s probably best to leave.
I must say I like the cover for Guardian’s Keep.
My present plot is unwinding too, though I have to keep patting and pawing it, sniffing and nosing at it.
Bernita!
I love the analogy of the ball of yarn unravelling! I also like the simmering and picking fruit analogies, but the ball of yarn speaks to me more. My ideas always start small, I know a character and a situation. But what happens after that is up for grabs. I really wish I could plot out the story and then write it, but my mind just doesn’t work that way, so the whole thing is like one big adventure, while I try to make it all coherent and seamless.
Lori, I have Unbound in my TBR pile. Might have to move it a bit closer to the top!
Hey Lori I do have a question…that’s a bit off topic. How hard was it to go from contemporary to paranaormal? was it a big leap for you or a natural writing progression?
It was a HUGE leap for me. Not the paranormal part so much as the light to dark. I had convinced myself that I was a “light” writer. Always a mistake I’ve decided in this business to label yourself. (at least to yourself, for marketing do what you have to do)
Anyway, I consider myself a fantasy reader and at the time (still) was reading a lot of darker stuff. Plus I loved the idea of the Nocturnes, so I decided to try writing a proposal. I was sure people would see right through me! But my agent didn’t send it right back to me saying, Uh, no, you can’t do this. And no one has said that (that I’ve seen) since, so I guess it was all in my head.
That’s a good question, Cece. I’d like to know the answer too.
As for the way stuff comes to me. I get the “What if” scenario in my head. I like your ball of yarn analogy, Lori because that’s how it progresses for me. The unraveling of conflict and character is a slow, but invigorating process. There’s nothing like it.
Lori,
Personality-wise, how do the heroes in your series differ from each other, and what similarities do they have?
They are all alphas–both the garm and the hellhounds. Then the hellhounds are all more tortured I’d say. They’re hunters. The garms are guardians/protectors.
So far as specific heroes, Kol from Guardian’s Keep is more of a smart ass/has a sense of humor. Risk is pretty intense, as is his son Venge who is the hero of my third Nocturne coming in June–Wild Hunt. Right now I’m working on a proposal for a fourth Nocturne and the hero in it is actually one of the characters from Guardian’s Keep–Leifi. He’s my noble hero, and not in the royal sense, but in the doing the right thing sense.
I’m with Bernita.
That cover would inspire me.
Most of the time I do the “what if” scenario too. Takes a while to percolate, and when I try to rush it, all kinds of strange and evil things happen to the storyline, lol.
But I have had two mss that DID spring forth fully-formed, and writing them was like taking easy dictation from someone. Wish I could get into that zone more often….
Lori, which do you enjoy writing more the urban fantasy or the light/contemp romance? Do you have a upcoming contemp release? How do you balance writing the two?
Right now I’m only doing the dark paranormals. I have an urban fantasy proposal out with pubs and strangely enough a light cozy mystery. I also have a TON of proposals that kind of run the gamut that need to be tweaked/reworked. I think I could do both at the same time though. It’s kind of refreshing to switch to writing something light after you’ve been doing something dark. And light is much easier for me. It just seems to flow.
very new kind of paranormal book.
Lori your proposal stack sounds like mine LOL
Always a mistake I’ve decided in this business to label yourself
I totally agree!!! I cranked out a proposal for a futuristic urban fantasy that shocked the socks off of me because I always said I can’t write parnormal/sci-fi etc. and I did…while my contemp stuff that used to be so angsty just doesn’t take itself seriously anymore.