Road Trip! Road trips are amazing for getting the creative juices going. I'm using this trip for a long deserved vacation, inspiration and fact finding trip. One of my favorite writers is Kat Richardson. I absolutely love her intimate detail that she infuses in her Greywalker series. You can definitely tell that she has walked the streets of her character Harper.

One of my characters Raven, (from my short story Raven's Transformation) wakes up in a strange place that reminds her of The Biltmore Estates in Ashville NC. I had read about The Biltmore and seen pictures but, I had never been there. So, long story short, my kids wanted to go so....Road Trip!

My WIP has taken a turn and Raven, has to make a return trip to the mountains of Ashville NC so, I thought I'd better bone up on the area. So, Many writers have influenced me, not with my style of writing but, with my determination, desire, commitment, research, detail and the actual decision to write. I will continue to write for me, whether my novels are published or not because I enjoy it and it brings me peace and a sense of accomplishment.

Who are the authors that have and still do inspire me? I would have to say, on the top of the list would be my friend Marcia Colette. That girl is tenacious. She can pump out a book in no time. And not just a book but, an awesome book. Deadlier by the Dozen still has me thinking about it! That's saying something.

Kim Harrison was the author that for some crazy reason, her writing made me think I could too. LOL Kim is an awesome writer. I love, love, love her style. And others do too. She is a staple on the New York Times best seller list.

LA Banks, will always be an inspiration to me. Why, because she wrote awesome books, she was a New York Times best seller and like me, she was a black woman. I was devastated when she passed but, I have all of her books to remember her by. Thank you LA for sharing your creative talent with the world.

Kelly Gay because she's just awesome! I love her adult series The Charlie Madigan series. I love the way she mixes Urban Fantasy and Sci-Fi seamlessly together. My daughter and I also read her young adult series  Neither one over powers the other. And it doesn't hurt that she's a North Carolina girl like me.

These aren't the only authors/people that have and still continue to influence me but, they are the ones that come to my mind the most.

Well, time to get back to vacation but, like most of the authors I have named, writers never take a vacation.

Later,
Melissa