In Search of Inspiration by Annette Dashofy

For the last couple of years, I’ve been frantically racing deadlines. Two series. Two publishers on two different continents. Publisher A doesn’t care what my deadline is with Publisher B and vice versa. Therefore, at one point, I had three months to finish a manuscript and have it ready to turn in. At least, that’s how it looked on paper. Publisher A deadline in November. Publisher B deadline in February. 

(Note: I’m not complaining. I know how many writers out there would give their left arm to have such problems. I know because I used to be one.) 

I acknowledge there are authors who write multiple books a year and for whom three months is a piece of cake. I salute thee. I am not one of those authors. Given my druthers, I’d be in the one-book-per-year category. But my druthers don’t pay the bills. Hence two series, two publishers. 

Anyway, it takes more than three months for me to complete a manuscript. I know that. So I was writing like a fiend for a while, drafting two books at the same time. 

I may have lost my mind a little during that overlap. 

But I digress. 

I met the deadlines. All is well. But after those frantic couple of years, I’m now at a point where I’m writing the last book under contract to Publisher A. And I’ve completed my final edits on the last book under contract to Publisher B. 

The last time this happened, I was even more freaked out than I was while writing two books at the same time. Now what? 

I’m not so freaked out this time. I hope to continue both series. To do that, I need to prepare proposals for the next book in each. I have some time left with Publisher A since I’m only writing the first draft. But I really need to come up with something for Publisher B. “Something” being a detailed synopsis. Emphasis on detailed. 

Certain words strike fear in the hearts of writers everywhere. “Synopsis” is high on that list. 

While I have some good ideas (at least I think they’re good) for secondary threads, I really have no clue what the main plot will be. Hence, I’ve been in search of inspiration. 

And sometimes, inspiration comes in search of me. 

Friday, a week ago, I had one of those days. I had been in my office in the rear of my house, oblivious to the outside world, but when I came up for air and wandered to the kitchen for a snack, I noticed the traffic out front was at a standstill. Plus, there was a fire/rescue truck and a police officer at the end of my driveway. It seems a large tree across the road from us had come down and was completely blocking both lanes. 

I spent the next hour observing as the department of transportation sent a small crew out to cut up and remove the tree, which was leaning over our utility wires (communications, not electric). Finally, traffic was moving again, and I went back to my office. 

When I came back out at suppertime, there it was again! The remainder of the tree, no longer supported by the part that fell earlier, came down and was once more blocking the road. 

Side note: I live on a main route to a concert venue, and there was a big concert that night. 

Concertgoers, not eager to be late, bypassed the tree by driving through my yard. A guy in a pickup got out with a chainsaw and cut what can only be described as a tunnel through the branches to allow one lane of traffic to drive through the downed tree. 

Safe? I don’t think so. I called 911 and the cops and the department of transportation (no fire/rescue this time) came out. I heard several of them utter, “Again???” 

My neighbor came over. We sat on my porch swing and enjoyed our front row seats while the impatient concertgoers idled and fumed. Finally, the road department guys cut up the tree and the show out front was over. 

But my “inspirational” day was not. When I went inside, I thought it seemed unusually hot. That’s when I discovered our heat pump AKA air conditioner had died. When I called for service, they refused to come out because it was after hours on a Friday, and it wasn’t a life-or-death situation. Never mind that I have a service agreement with them. 

Motive for murder? Maybe…fictional, of course. 

The next day, I heard a news report about a police department that had found a bull and were looking for its owners. 

So, I have lots of material to work with here. The only problem is…the synopsis I’m supposed to be writing is for my Detective Honeywell series, which is set in the city of Erie. All of the above is perfect for the next Zoe Chambers Mystery though. I’ve taken notes. 

In the meantime, I’m still in search of inspiration for that next Honeywell book. 

P.S. My new heat pump will be installed this Tuesday. Until then, I’m getting by with a small window AC unit. 

Fellow authors, have you ever had inspiration for a story drop into your lap? Readers, how are you getting by in this summer’s heat?