Writing’s “not true” (as the prototypes for some characters vehemently protested when I read them excerpts). The stories we tell are about what happened, what might happen, and what could happen, sometimes all mixed together. From experiences, dreams, fears, that “What if?” question, our writing becomes catharsis, goals, the magic in life, our individual example of the universal experiences.

Where do I get ideas? All over: from conversations, books the coincidences of life (there are no coincidences).

Sometimes a story begins with an image, sometimes with a question. On the way home from viewing an exhibit of original Tiffany studios lamps, I said to myself, ‘What if?’ At that moment – and I could show you a map and point to the physical location where I was – the story began to be created. A lot of research followed, but the most compelling part of the story began at that ‘What if?’ point.

My sister and I were fortunate enough to be brought up with the OZ books: L. Frank Baum’s 20-book series, continued for another 20 books by Ruth Plumly Thompson, and followed by other writers. If you’ve only seen the movie, you need to read the books. The Land of OZ is a place where differences create friends, adventures always end with a banquet, and people’s characters create the story. Puns abound, and magic as well as determination and honesty make things happen. I could not have found a better way to realize that all things are possible.

On my own, I found library-worn copies of the series books by Joseph Altsheler. Altsheler wrote the stories when he could not find books for his own sons, and he wrote about American historical experiences: the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War from the borderers’ point of view, the Civil War, the settling of the West. From our era, Altsheler’s characterizations are dated; as a writer, he taught me about the power of story to keep a reader involved. Edward Eager (Half-Magic), another writer who created books when he could not find any for his children that he liked, moved magic, puns, and hilarious misunderstandings into our world.

There were many more writers: Alcott Galsworthy, Thoreau, Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, James and Wharton, Lewis and Tolkien, Williams and Sayers, joined by enough other story creators and nonfiction chroniclers (as well as non-fiction research volumes) that we’ve kept buying bookcases and stacking books on most horizontal surfaces in our house for years.

My writing includes stories, magazine feature articles, new course developments, assignments, notes, emails, apologies, several years of monthly newsletters for a dog rescue, poetry, letters, and more stories which took their own mind and became novels

There’s always another book and there’s always another story.