My guest is author, Mia Marlowe, who is a prolific writer. Her topic today is how to regroup and refill the creative cup.
For the past couple years, I've been
writing like a house afire, producing 4-5 full length novels plus the
occasional novella in each cram-packed 12 month period. Since I have two
publishers (Sourcebooks and Kensington) to please, plus releasing a number of
self-pubbed novels, it’s been necessary. However, now that I’m ready to start
another couple of contracts, it became clear that I needed a bit of time to
regroup. We also had an anniversary and 4 years of me being cancer free to
celebrate. My DH of many years suggested we run away together.
So toward the end of May, we did.
We booked a 12 day cruise around the
British Isles. The weather was on the coolish side, and we made good use of our
umbrellas more than once, but it proved to be just what I needed. We rested. We
played. We soaked up the sights, sounds, smells and tastes (ask me about
haggis, neeps & tatties sometime!) of the UK. I know I’ll use so much of
what I experienced in my upcoming books.
Still, I felt a bit self-indulgent
about the trip. I should be able to conjure up Regency England and 16th
century Scotland purely out of my internet/library research and imagination.
But then at our last stop, I realized there’s no
substitute for actual experiences. And we writers aren't the only ones who need
to prime the creative pump from time to time. When we visited Claude Monet’s
house just outside of Rouen, France, I was treated to a peek inside that
genius’s head. His home was very simple, and not at all spacious considering
that eight children and two adults lived there. Perhaps that was its charm.
Monet wasn't distracted by a plethora of “things.” He had what he needed to be
comfortable and no more. The lack of extraneous “stuff” freed him to be
creative.
It gave me a fresh appreciation for our
Boston condo. At 1100 square feet, it’s not going to win any prizes for
expansive living space, but it provides all that’s needful. And it’s easier to
keep clean than a big place, which is important when I’m deep in my “bookhead”
and can’t come out for mundane things like housework.
But the real treat at Monet’s home was his garden.
It was a riot of color. Fortunately for us, Europe is experiencing a late
spring and all the irises were in full bloom. I’d never seen so many different
colors. In addition to his French garden, he also created a water garden,
diverting a bit of the Seine onto his property to meander through his stands of
bamboo and drooping wisteria. It was heavenly.
I discovered even Monet needed more
than his imagination. He needed the shifting play of light on the surface of
the smooth water. He needed the twitter of birdsong and the soft ruffle of the
stream. He needed the intoxicating fragrance of green growing things.
If an acknowledged creative genius
needed those things, how much more do I?
So now that I’m home again, I’m ready
to start my new stories with fresh vigor and sensual memories I can bequeath to
my characters. My imagination is fully primed and ready to churn out
experiences my readers can enjoy through my words as if they’re wearing in my
heroine’s shoes.
Speaking of trying on someone else’s
life, let me invite you to slip in Lady Georgette’s...
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ONE NIGHT
WITH A RAKE – IN STORES JUNE 2013
BY CONNIE MASON AND MIA MARLOWE
For King and Country, Three Notorious Rakes Will Put All Their
Seductive Skills to Work.
After All, The Fate of England's Monarchy is in Their Hands.
Since the death of his
fiancée, Nathaniel Colton's polished boots have rested beneath the beds of
countless wayward wives and widows of the ton. He's careful to leave each lady
smiling, and equally careful to guard his heart. So seducing Lady Georgette
should pose no problem. But the beautiful reformist is no easy conquest, and
Nate's considerable charm fails to entice Georgette to his bed. To woo her,
Nate will have to make her believe he cares about someone besides himself--and
no one is more surprised than Nate when he realizes he actually does. Excerpt
Connie Mason is a New York Times bestselling author of more than 50 novels. She was named Storyteller of the Year in 1990 and received a Career Achievement Award from RT Book Reviews in 1994. She currently lives in Florida.
