Refreshing and rewarding!

I wrote my story into a corner last week, Peeps.

My characters are wading through the mire of secrets and lies, an election that could hinge on someone spilling the beans, and desperate people willing to do unsavory things to keep the lid on everything, at least until Mr. Popular gets elected.

The problem? For various selfish reasons, I want the story to be set in February, but with an election in November, that's a long lead time to be stalking/threatening/kidnapping people. I mean, if you're serious about getting this guy elected, you gotta pace yourself.

Yesterday, I stepped into my shower, and as I scrubbed my hair, I thought. Kind of like this:



And it dawned on me, slow and steady as the sunrise. Kind of like this:


What I need is a Special Election - in June! That would make February the filing time and make perfect sense for someone (no spoilers here) to want to protect a candidate. And instead of kidnapping a person - let's face it, four months is a long time to hold a person captive - what if it was a beloved pet? A sweet and loving pitbull named Moonie. 

And just like that, I knew what I needed. Kind of like this:





Oh, oh, never mind. Not like that at all. But I could scream with happiness. I know exactly how to wrap this thing up now.

Where do you get your best ideas?

A slight detour to these posts

I wanted to use this blog to talk about the writing process in general, but today I need to cross-pollinate a bit and talk about my book specifically.

My editor told me that the tentative release date for my book is April 2009. Eek! Six months away! One of the things I have to figure out is my launch party - mostly, a place and a theme. As far as a place, I’ve got some ideas, but a theme? I may need some suggestions in that department.

Here are some of the main elements of the story:

1. Peri (my P.I.) used to clean houses for a living.
2. Her favorite drink is a dirty martini with four olives.
3. Her client is a Dean Martin fanatic.
4. The case revolves around a severed hand and a famous piece of jewelry, called ‘The Forever Roses’ ring, because the biggest diamond has been cut so its facets look like rose petals.

Now, what do I do with these ingredients?