Inspiration

One of the most common questions Laura Ellen is asked is this: Where do you get your inspiration? MUSIC  “Music is how I connect myself to my stories.”  — Laura Ellen Although she finds it in many things, music is the most common source of inspiration for Laura Ellen. From the first few rumblings of… Read more »

In the words of Staind, a favorite band, It’s Been A While. I am slowly getting a handle on all this book writing stuff. The journey has been so fun, but I am finding it hard to keep up sometimes — especially now with the holidays barking at my heels. As a result, I have… Read more »

>My 16 (and a half) year old daughter left this week for a ten day CSI:Forensic Science seminar at John Hopkins University. The ten day camp is her first experience with college life – living in a dorm, sharing a bathroom with three roommates she doesn’t know, on her own with meal cards and room… Read more »

>Often at conferences, I hear writers say that if you want to make your characters’ dialogue authentic, you should eavesdrop on conversations of kids and teens. I have also heard writers complain that they don’t have access to kids and teens and find this hard to do. I guess I am lucky in that regard;… Read more »

>I’ve had one of those weeks – you know the type – when everyone is telling you what to do and what you’re doing wrong? Except, I’m an adult, so I’m supposed to be thinking for myself. Anyway, I was about ready to retreat into a hole, when my younger sister Michele emailed me. She’d… Read more »

>I spent last week planning my daughter’s Sweet Sixteen party while also trying to immerse myself in Gothic horror for the novel I am currently writing. Thinking purple, lace, and roses on the one hand and dark, gloom, and mystery on the other seemed at first to contradict each other. As the week wore on,… Read more »