Happy Friday! I'm excited to kick off the first The Idea blog with On Paper.
I love to talk about where the ideas for different stories come from. It's always so unique for every story and every writer.
If you haven't read On Paper, I'll start by giving you a brief look into the book. On Paper is the story of Keaton and Quinn. Keaton is a romance author. He's cocky, a little arrogant, and sexy as hell. Quinn has just graduated college and part of her graduation gift was a trip to a one week book convention with her best friend. She is a bookworm through and through. She's quiet, a bit timid and a lot sensible. They are opposites in a lot of ways, but they bring out good things in one another.
I loved writing about them. In fact, one of my favorite parts of writing the companion novel, Downfall was getting to visit these two again. Sigh.
So, where did the idea spark?
In 2014 I was at the RT Book Convention in New Orleans. And like Quinn I was in heaven. I was there for nearly a week and surrounded by thousands of book lovers just like me, authors that I adored, and panels on all things writing.
Each day was filled with dozens of different panels about craft or business or just fun reading panels with some our favorite authors. Deciding where to go was the hardest part. I wanted to be in all of the places at one time. Then, at night there would always be different activities where you could mingle.
At the time I worked in radio, so I'd met a lot of musicians and I rarely got nervous. But meeting the people who were responsible for the words that had moved me to tears was a whole other ballgame. It was intimidating. I didn't want to approach anyone, even though everyone was super nice. I think most of us felt that way. Each of us met someone there who had made an impression on us at some point or another.
Anyway, so I remember sitting in a panel one afternoon waiting for it to start, and on this particular panel there as man sitting among all the ladies. It was a business panel from Amazon I think...so nothing like the one Keaton found himself in...but still it got me thinking. There weren't too many male romance novelists. In fact, at the time.I could really only think of a couple. And all of these ladies had been running around this hotel salivating over book characters, models and clamoring to meet their favorite authors for days like we were all at a rock concert. How would we all behave if the person in questions was a hot, cocky, arrogant, writer who could write the sexy as sin book that made us swoon? What if he fell in love with one of the book nerds? What if she was turned off by his swagger?
I plotted in my head during the entire panel, scribbling away in my notebook, missing everything that was said.
I brought back all of my memories from that book convention and twisted it into the tale of Keaton and Quinn.
I miss book conventions like RT. If you ever get the chance to attend something like it...go. It was the best time ever.
❤️ Shae