Anna Campbell

October 2007

 

The Fridge of Inspiration

MFTOct07-1Recently, an Aussie writing friend of mine Tracey O’Hara, who is blitzing the contest circuit with her marvelous paranormal “Night’s Cold Kiss” (and ain’t that a great title?), sent me a photo of her Fridge of Inspiration. You can see it below.

Isn’t it great? Covers for books by writers she knows who have been published recently, including, I’m delighted to say, Claiming the Courtesan and Untouched. A list of to-dos. Postcards. Just the ticket to bust any onset of the writing blues which we all get now and then when our characters aren’t behaving or our plot sags like elastic made in 1920 and washed too much since.

Then I realized that I too have a fridge of inspiration, although mine is a horrible flower painting covered with bits and pieces of inspiration. Not nearly so catchy as a title, is it? It sits right in front of my computer screen so when I look up, seeking to catch that stray thought that’s doing its best to escape, the FPOI (flower painting of inspiration? Although the point is that I can no longer see the flower painting!) comes into view.

It’s messy, it’s crowded and it never fails to make me feel good. I’ve got invitations to lovely events like afternoon tea with Jane Porter at RWA Nationals in Atlanta. I was so touched she asked me because she didn’t know me from a bar of soap but she heard I was coming all the way from Australia and she thought I’d like to meet some people in a more intimate setting. I’ve got lovely notes people sent me when CTC was published (what a lovely day that was). I’ve got postcards featuring covers for my friends’ books. I have a Bandita mask which makes me think of the marvelous women in the Romance Bandits and how much their friendship has meant to me since the 2006 Golden Heart finalists were announced.

I have postcards of lovely places both in Australia and overseas that make me think of travel and also the good friends who sent them. I have postcards I picked up myself when I travelled so I can remember some of the wonderful places I’ve seen. I have a beautiful card from Calgary on the Isle of Mull (completely deserted although the huge city in Canada was named after it by a homesick Scot). It looks gorgeous with glassy water and white sands and a soft blue Scottish sky.

These are only a couple of things on the FPOI. Everything on that board reminds me of something I love. So after I spend a few moments looking at it, I go back to my work refreshed and feeling like the world is a better place. I wish you all a Flower Painting of Inspiration!