Creativity Pho Me: Finding Inspiration In The Mundane -- #Creativity #Inspiration #EnemiesToLovers #Giveaway

By Anita Verebes (Guest Author)

For as long as I can remember, writing has been my method of escapism. I started with silly stories as a little kid, turned to fanfiction in my teens, and, as I approach my late thirties, I am now writing romance novels (with a little bit of fanfic still on the side).

Simply put, writing keeps me sane, if not happy. So I write often. Whenever I can grab a moment to myself, I whip out my notebook or my laptop and lose myself in words.

An acquaintance recently asked me how I can possibly be inspired to write as often as I do. What on earth can I prattle on about for 80,000 words at a time? Doesn't it get tedious? Don't I find myself stuck for inspiration?

I can't say that I've never experienced the dreaded Writer's Block, because I have -and I hate it when it strikes- but, when I stopped to really think about my writing habits, I noticed that I seem to include whatever's going on around me into my current projects. I'm not talking about anything huge – sadly, I have not managed to enthral a celebrity crush – however, little everyday activities have certainly inspired some of my personal favourite scenes from my novels.

For example, in Handle With Care, there's a scene between the protagonists where they share a meal at a Vietnamese restaurant. I literally wrote the bulk of that interaction while I demolished a bowl of pho on my lunch break at work. What can I say? I’m very food motivated.

Similarly, in You Can't Hurry Love, the characters visit Hervey Bay (a city a few hours' drive north of where I live) for a short getaway – a plot device inspired by talks of a weekend away with my husband and kids. We didn’t actually get to go (thanks, pandemic), but I was still able to imagine it vividly.

It sounds silly on paper, but it turns out I love sneaking bits of my own life into my characters' lives. Now that I'm conscious of doing it, it has almost become a game. What else about my day-to-day happenings can spark something interesting for my characters?

Coffee with a friend? Check. A kid’s birthday party? Check. Games night? Oooh, I haven't written it yet, but I can picture it now! (Cue me furiously scribbling into my notepad so that I remember it later.)

More conscious of this happening, I look for it in other authors' works, too. Little breadcrumbs of the minutiae of their own personal lives, dotted along the paths of their stories with care. Like an easter egg in a Marvel movie...but, y'know, maybe not quite as exciting.

Now, I know these are fairly commonplace activities. But, as a reader, I enjoy these moments as much as I do the smut (and I really do love the smut) or the big, dramatic, pivotal parts of a plot. And I'm also aware that when I – or any other authors – write them, it's usually for a purpose other than simple filler.

That said, even as filler, I believe these moments lend authenticity and depth to the characters and to the story as a whole. These 'sneak peeks' into the more mundane aspects of a character's life ground them in reality. They can be fun, or sweet, or sometimes heartbreakingly sad or lonely. I think these little moments work so well because they're relatable, or maybe because they give us the opportunity for introspection, or a spot of unexpected dialogue, or some combination of it all. It’s somehow simultaneously engaging and soothing. Or at least it is to me.

So, do I find myself stuck for inspiration? Not as often as one might think. And perhaps this even answers the unasked question about how writing serves so well as my escapism, too, now that I think about it!

If you’d like a deeper glimpse into my head (oh, the horror!), check out my newest release, You Can’t Hurry Love. 

Oh - and to thank you for dropping by, I will give away a $5 bookstore gift card to one randomly selected person who leaves a comment!

About The Book

Title: You Can’t Hurry Love

ASIN: B09S35VNTL

Release Date: ebook: March 24, 2022 print: March 6, 2022

Rating: Explicit/Mature Audiences Only

Sometimes love is worth the wait.

Sara Carlisle and Charlie Rhodes are complete opposites. Oil and water. Chalk and cheese.

Before Sara even meets Charlie, she hates him. He's insulted her best friend – a woman Sara considers family – and that is unforgivable. In person he proves to be just as obnoxious and insufferable as she'd anticipated. And, as far as she's concerned, the fact that he's tall and muscular with an accent to die for is not enough to redeem him. Charlie Rhodes is an arrogant A--hole (with a capital A!) and that's all there is to it!

For his part, Charlie thinks Sara is a conceited pain in the arse. A prissy princess to the nth degree. It becomes his prerogative to get under her skin for the sheer pleasure of riling her up. He feels genuine enjoyment in the face of her frustration, and he makes no secret of it. Besides, she gives as good as she gets!

Fundamentally opposed in every way, it's obvious to those around them that they're not going to get along. 

But unfortunately, thanks to their respective families, they are stuck in each other's lives for the foreseeable future. Being civil is as good as it is going to get...or is it?

When their relationship turns from reluctant acquaintances to red hot lovers, they find it's good. 

Really good.

What could possibly go wrong?

In a slow-burn romance that follows hot on the heels of Handle With Care*, Sara and Charlie discover that you really can't rush romance.

*Both Handle With Care and You Can't Hurry Love can be read as standalone novels in the expanding Jukebox Collection series.

 

Excerpt

When Brennan changed the subject, asking Sara what she intended to do with the last of her time off work, Charlie could have sworn that she batted her lashes coquettishly at him before turning back to Brennan and answering, "Nothing much. Just laying around the house, I guess."

"You haven't given up on dating already, have you?" Jeff asked her with obvious concern. "A couple of bad Tinder dates doesn't mean there aren't viable men out there."

Charlie hoped his expression gave none of his inner turmoil at the question away. Was he jealous of other men taking her out? Damn straight he was. But could he do anything about that when he lived on the other side of the world? No. So he bit his tongue and waited on her reply.

Once again, she seemed to cast him a sideways glance before she said, "I wouldn't say I've given up. I'm just..." she brought her hands up and held them with palms facing the ceiling, shifting them in a weighing motion, "taking a break from Tinder."

Was it just him, or did her last statement sound pointed?

It was probably just him.

God, he'd never been this insane over a woman before. It wasn't anything she had done or said, either. This was all a mess of his own making and he needed to snap out of it before he humiliated himself.

Coming back to the conversation, he had a witty response on his lips, but it died as her hand landed on his thigh. He jumped in his seat –glad, at least, that he'd kept any sounds of shock internal– and eyed her in surprise as she continued chatting with Jeff confidently, as if nothing was amiss.

Alright, he considered as he willed his heart rate back to normal, maybe she's not aware of it. Maybe she'd been making some sort of point, or had needed to steady herself, or...something.

Charlie had almost managed to convince himself that he had overreacted, and then her thumb, high up on his thigh, started stroking.

Still, she continued talking to Brennan and Jeff as though everything was normal.

Charlie swallowed roughly. What the actual fuck?

She wasn't in the right position to feel how he was physically reacting to her actions, but all she had to do was move her hand a fraction and...well, he didn't know what would happen then. He didn't want to know. Well, some part of him did. And not just the part currently rising to attention, as it were.

Christ, he was confused.

Was she drunk? That could definitely explain it.

However, he knew that she wasn't. She'd had half a glass of wine over the course of the evening, having previously declared that she had to drive home and was going to be sensible.

But if that wasn't it, what was it? Charlie couldn't quite fathom why she'd be touching him –definitely flirting with him– the way she had been.

Buy Links

Amazon (US): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09S35VNTL

Universal (International Amazon ebook & Wide Print): https://books2read.com/YouCantHurryLove

Prices (in USD)

Print: $10.99

E-Book: $2.99 (Free on Kindle Unlimited)

Length: 240 Pages

About the Author

Anita (A.N.) Verebes is a daydreamer and romance novelist. As a civil marriage celebrant, Anita makes a living telling other people’s love stories and celebrating real romance! Also armed with a Bachelor of Education (Secondary), Anita is a qualified – but not practising – High School English teacher who loves to read anything she can get her hands on, including fanfiction. (And, yes, she’s written her fair share of that, too.) Living directly between Queensland’s sunny Gold and Sunshine coasts, Anita spends her days exploring the Great South East with her husband and their two rambunctious sons. When at home, she’s also a slave to two cats and one very spoilt Great Dane X.

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