Where do the ideas come from? -Guest Post From Author Sara Brooke

Where do the ideas come from? 

As a writer, your brain is constantly churning with thoughts that would really freak people out if they could read your mind.  For example, I’m walking through the grocery store and to the average person, I appear to be idly hunting for the right brand of soap.  But inside, I’m thinking about how to kill off a character in my book who isn’t adding much to the story.

A murderer in their midst and they don’t even realize it.

I’ve told fans and readers that my mind is a dark place.  But people don’t believe it.

First of all, I have red, curly hair.  And for some reason, I smile and laugh a lot.  But, don’t let my peppy, happy persona fool you.  I can write things that will scare the shit out of you.  And that’s exactly what makes me the happiest.

But, I digress…

So, where do the ideas come from?  Where did the idea to write a horror novel about a clinical trial involving hair (The Zyne Project), develop?

I’ll tell you, but you have to promise not to laugh.

It came to me while I was standing in front of the mirror during  a particularly bad hair day, wondering what would happen if I shaved my head.  I truly hated my hair that day, and really wished that somehow I could press a button and long, flowing, blonde hair would appear in place of my messy mop.

Whala! The rest of it was semantics and after a ton of research, a new tale was born.

Book ideas are strange things.  They emerge from the weirdest places.

For example, I’ve had people ask me where I got the idea to write “Doug”, a short story within an anthology entitled Fresh Blood, Old Bones.  The anthology contains numerous short stories from well-known authors, as well as a smattering of stuff from newer writers.

“Doug” is a story about a demented Goldfish who turns a normal guy’s life into an absolute nightmare.

Do you want to know how I got that idea? 

I can’t understand why people get fish as pets.  When my significant other decided that we needed a pet Goldfish (as well as some other strange fish that sucks against the glass nonstop), I pleaded against it.   Who needs these slippery, disgusting creatures as pets?  Let’s get a bird, dog, anything else…Fish are gross, slimy creatures that simply swim around, eat, and crap all day.

But, the fish arrived anyway and since then, we’ve replaced them several times.

So, when one of my publishers contacted me and asked if I would be interested in submitting a short story to an upcoming anthology, I looked around my house for the creepiest thing I could find to write about.

There they were.  Swimming around their cloudy tank, pausing to stare at me with their large, beady eyes.  I swear…fish hate me.  They always swim away when I’m near, and rarely ever acknowledge my existence.  After a few moments, I realized that they were great material for my next story.

And so, “Doug” was born.

I think some people assume that writers get their ideas from some sort of divine intervention. Not mine. 

Mine come from bad hair days and pets that don’t like me.  But somehow, it all works out in the long run.  So, the next time you’re wandering around the grocery store, take a moment to think about how crazy life is…and you might stumble into an idea for the next bestseller.  

I'm very excited to share with you that my new horror novel, The Zyne Project, is now available at Amazon and Barnes and Noble in eversion. Bram Stoker Award-Winner Joe Mckinney calls it "A Zombie outbreak like no other...Medical Research hasn't been this frightening since Michael Crichton!" I hope you get a chance to check it out and appreciate your support 

- Sara

The Zyne Project Synopsis:
Six people agree to participate in a first-of-its-kind clinical trial. They’re ready to change the face of science, but they’re the ones who start changing. As each subject succumbs to the horror of the trial, they begin to turn against each other…and discover the nightmare within. What was supposed to be a medical breakthrough is turning regular people into something unimaginable. And there may be a deeper truth even more frightening than the beastly evolution occurring…

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