Guest Post by Kim Cresswell: Where Do You Get Your Story Ideas?

Today I'm excited to have Kim Cresswell, author of "Reflection," here with a guest post about a great topic--where writers get there story ideas from. Welcome, Kim!

This is the most asked question of authors, especially suspense, thriller, and mystery authors.
My ideas come many different places:

Television programs
News
Movies
Conversations
Memories
Experiences
A fascinating person
A death
Holidays
A great meal or a terrible one
A beautiful landscape
An ugly building

Occasionally, an idea comes out of nowhere and smacks you in the side of the head. Such is the case with a book I'm working on now, a supernatural mystery (a four book series).  The idea came from a dream I had. Without giving anything away, the dream was terrifying, twisted, crazy—the perfect scenario for the story's villain, a serial killer.

I don’t always use ideas right away. I keep an “idea” folder on my computer and it grows daily. When I'm ready to start a new book I scan the contents and bang a plot begins to emerge.

Of course I watch the news, read the paper, and search the Internet looking for interesting stories that make me ask the question, “What if?”

So where did the idea for my debut romantic suspense novel, REFLECTION, come from?

Headline news.

The story evolved after Clonaid (a company founded by the religious sect called the Raelians which views cloning as the first step in achieving immortality) announced the birth of Eve, the “first human clone” in 2002 using the similar technique to clone, Dolly the Sheep. 

About 160 nations in the world have yet to outlaw the birth of human clones and others are allowing the creation of human clones as long as they are not put into a woman’s womb (how do we know they aren't implanted?) thus, REFLECTION was born. 

Tagline

A reporter's determination to expose a human cloning project places an innocent child in the crosshairs of a master criminal.

Blurb

Florida investigative reporter, Whitney Steel, has lived in the shadow of her legendary father long enough. To prove herself she needs to find the “Big” story.

She found it.

Now it may kill her.

After Whitney receives a lead pointing to the world's first cloned human, now a small child, she vows to unravel the truth. However, sifting through the facts proves to have dangerous results, including death threats and murder.

When Whitney is nearly killed, but is saved by undercover FBI Special Agent, Blake Neely, he refuses to let her get in the way of his own objective—at least not right away.

Caught in a lethal game between a billionaire obsessed with genetic perfection, his hit man’s thirst for retribution, and a Colombian drug lord fresh out of prison determined to make Blake pay for his twin brother’s death over a decade ago.

Can they save an innocent child before it’s too late?

Faced with tough choices, with deadly consequences for many—Whitney soon realizes that sometimes a story becomes more than just a story.

Excerpt

The large window behind them dividing the patio from the main restaurant exploded.  A storm of glass rained down, showering the patio.

There was no warning.  Everything moved so fast, yet in slow motion as if part of a horrid nightmare.

Screams.  Rushed, heavy, thumping footsteps. 

A few feet away, a male waiter dropped the two plates of food in his hands.  He froze.

“Get down!”  Mason yelled.

Whitney dropped.  She huddled into a ball under the table and squashed the side of her face against the patio stones.  Amid the chaos, a gunshot echoed and the waiter ran for cover.

A bullet ripped through the man’s shoulder and spun him around, the force slamming his body against the restaurant door.  He folded to his knees and howled out in pain.

More shots rang out.  Debris spewed through the air.  Food, glasses, plates.  The sickening smell of deep fried food and scorched cordite assaulted her nostrils.  She gagged.

Crimson snaked toward her hand.  The warm, sticky liquid met her fingertips.

Blood.  Lots of blood...   

REFLECTION is available January 25^th at  MuseItUp Publishing  http://tinyurl.com/ctwm5cp

Coming soon to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, Kobo, and other fine outlets.

Web Site:  http://www.kimcresswell.ca

Trapped Inside My Head (Blog) :   http://kimberleycresswell.wordpress.com/

Facebook Author Page:  http://www.facebook.com/KimCresswellBooks     

Twitter:  http://twitter.com/kimcresswell

Kathy, thanks so much for allowing me to visit with you on A Sense of Fiction. It's been a blast. 

Kim, what a great post, and I love that "Reflection" was inspired by a headline! Thanks for being here today!

--KSR Writer