Today, MSW has a special giveaway sponsored by the Investigation Discovery Channel. There’s a new show debuting tonight, Hardcover Mysteries, which explores the real-life stories that inspired popular mystery authors. One of today’s commenters will receive a signed copy of a David Baldacci book.

Where do you get your ideas? or Where did you get the idea for this story?

The above are pretty much requisite queries for authors, yet I rarely have an answer. I’m awed by the authors who have detailed and fascinating tales for where/when/how a storyline first came to them. I know my ideas are sparked by something, yet I lose the genesis in the evolution. The seed is devoured by the sprout. (And, frankly, I suffer from CRS…)

Sometimes I create an idea out of a goal. I may decide I want to try my hand in a particular genre, or break up a string of plot-driven novels with a character-driven romance. I’ll sit down and deliberately think up a story that will fit my requirements. To me, the genesis of the story was simply my obstinate determination to build something within a frame I established in advance. But I don’t think that’s what readers expect to hear when they ask what prompted me to write a particular book. It’s analytical instead of inspired.

I do have some stories that are “books of the heart”–stories that demanded to be written through no impetus on my part. You would think I might be able to remember the spark that ignited those, but I rarely do. For the most part, the genesis of a story just doesn’t seem to make it into my mental vault.

I do have a documented spark to share in this post, however. I remember it because it happened tonight. I was inspired by watching The Big C. I’ve been a fan of Laura Linney’s for a long time. (I still never miss a showing of Congo on TV. Anyone else dig that movie?) Linney is brilliant, as always, and the part she’s playing is a poignant one–her character is a woman whose diagnosis of terminal cancer enables her to live the rest of her life balls-to-the-wall. There’s a fierce defiance to Linney’s portrayal that really strikes me.

I want to write a book with a heroine like that, a woman with nothing to lose and a lifetime to live in a matter of months, but the idea will have to germinate for a while (and I have other stuff in the queue before I can really focus on it…) By the time I get to writing the draft, I might have forgotten it was Linney’s performance that inspired me. But you’ll know. You can remind me.

So, on this fine Monday, let’s chat about inspiration, reality-based fiction, or anything else that strikes your fancy!

“Investigation Discovery’s HARDCOVER MYSTERIES features America’s best-selling mystery authors who reveal the true crime stories which inspired their page-turning thrillers. From David Baldacci to Kathy Reichs, Sandra Brown to Harlan Coben, this series explores the real life mysteries that even these authors think are stranger than fiction. HARDCOVER MYSTERIES premieres Monday, October 11 at 9 PM ET on Investigation Discovery, America’s leading investigation network.”

My two year anniversary here at MSW falls in between this blog post and my next, so I’ll stretch out the celebration over the next couple of weeks. This week, one commenter will win an autographed ARC of Shayla Black’s upcoming ENTICE ME AT TWILIGHT, the fourth title in her Doomsday Brethren series.

This past MSW year (Oct-Oct) has been a pivotal one for me. After three years of insanely writing every waking moment, I crashed and burned in 2009, which led to me being unproductive for most of the year. By the time I dug myself out of the hole I’d collapsed into, I realized my forward momentum had skid to a halt when I stopped pushing. I still had contracts to fulfill, so I knew I would still be releasing books, but I’d lost a beloved editor at one house and negotiations with my other house had come to a standstill. The projects I had left on my plate weren’t ones I expected the publisher to seriously get behind, which meant there was nothing for me to get behind either. I worked on a couple proposals, but they didn’t go anywhere. I feared I’d lost my salability along with my writing mojo. I was left facing a choice that would have been inconceivable to me just a year before–put aside my ambitions and leave the business when my contracts were up, or keep trying to get back on my feet.

It wasn’t an easy decision to make. Both choices looked vastly appealing depending on the day and how well (or not) my writing was progressing. Financial pressures at home and my son’s diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome added to the mix. My friends and agent got me through that rough time, inspiring me to keep taking baby steps forward. By some mad twist of fate (and a lot of blood, sweat, and tears) I’ll be ending 2010 with three new editors and multiple new series in the works, one of which went to auction. I went from feeling cursed to feeling blessed in the span of this past year, but really it’s not so black and white. The road ahead is still an uphill climb and I’m still limping along, recovering my lost passion for writing slowly but surely.

So this past year has been a transition year for me, one in which I released no new books. I received galleys in the mail the other day and it was such a joy to see them. It’s been a long time. The whole process of nurturing a book through production feels almost brand new to me. I’ve decided that’s what this last year was meant to be–a wake up call of sorts. An admonition to enjoy the gift of doing what I love for a living. A kick in the ass meant to remind me that things were a little too easy for me in the beginning and this career isn’t meant to be easy. It’s meant to be damn hard, with terrible lows and astonishing highs, and lots of dues to pay. You have to hit the lows to really grasp the beauty of the highs.

I’m still working on taking better care of myself so I don’t burn out again. I eat better and exercise more. I make it a point to read more. I rewarded myself with a new Kindle, which arrives tomorrow. I can’t wait. I have a backlog of digital books and manuscripts to read. I also have a brand new year ahead of me. Looking forward to next October, I wonder how I’ll be summing up this year and what I’ll be sharing with you then. Where will I be? Where will you be?

How have the last twelve months been for you? Are you having a golden year or building up to one? Thank you for spending part of your days here at MSW. It’s a wonderful corner of cyberspace because of you.

I’m sitting here in the restaurant of the Pullman Plaza hotel in Huntington, WV. Lora Leigh’s Reader Appreciation Weekend ended yesterday. This was my fourth year at RAW and I loved it as much as always. It’s a very intimate event. No workshops or crazily packed schedules. Most of the days are wide open, leaving plenty of time to sit on the patio with readers and author friends and just laugh.

Friday, I had a roundtable with Jim and Shannon Butcher, Jennifer Estep, and Cathy Clamp. We answered questions about urban fantasy and paranormal romance. We had a fun discussion on secondary characters. There was a question about why some secondary characters are so interesting, yet the author doesn’t dedicate a sole book or series to that character.

Friday night was the pajama party. That’s always fun (and comfortable). There’s food and dancing at the event. We had some overflow into the mezzanine, where I sat with Maya Banks, Jaci and CJ Burton, Shiloh Walker, Cindy Hwang, Beth Williamson, Shayla Black, Nikki Duncan, and many many more. Our dear Lori Armstrong had some killer pj bottoms that looked like chaps over jeans.

Me, Shayla Black, Maya Banks, and Shiloh Walker

Saturday was the masquerade ball. Jules Bennett looked adorable as Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany‘s. Lori was Miss Kitty. (meow)

Sunday found me eating dessert for lunch with Shayla Black, Erin McCarthy, Cindy Hwang, Nikki Duncan, Beth Williamson and her fabulous mom. I had *both* Bananas Foster and an Oreo brownie smothered in vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. Delicious. I had dinner with Cindy, Shayla, Mary Wine, Emma Holly, as well as my dear friends Crissy Brashear, Marty Mathews, and Tara from Samhain Publishing. I ended the evening watching True Blood in the Butchers’ suite, then writing until I got tired. A writer’s job is never done…

Next year, RAW is going to be in Rocky Gap, Maryland. The resort we’ll be staying at is gorgeous, so if you can make it next October, I hope you do. It’s a great, relaxed time hanging out with both readers and writers.

Later this afternoon, I’ll be flying to New York with Shayla Black for whirlwind meetings with my three editors before I head to Secaucus, NJ on Thursday for Jacquelyn Frank’s Authors After Dark. I haven’t been to that event before, so I’m looking forward to it. Some of the readers who were at RAW will be at AAD, so I’ll get to spend more time with them. First, I need to find a shipping service, so I can mail home the custom labeled bottle of wine a reader gave me. I’ll let you know how AAD went the next time I blog.

So what’s on your agenda this week? Anything fun planned? Are you planning on attending any conferences next year? One commenter will win an ARC of Shayla Black’s upcoming anthology, HAUNTED BY YOUR TOUCH, with Jeaniene Frost and Sharie Kohler, which features an all-new Doomsday Brethren novella “Mated.”

Here are the winners we’re cheering this week here at MSW!

The winner of Silver James’ FAERIE FIRE is MichellekCanada. Please email Silver at silverjames@swbell.net and she’ll get the book in the mail to you as soon as she receives her copies!

The winner of Louisa Edwards Recipe for Love trilogy is Paula R. Send mailing deets to louisa@louisaedwards.com.

The winner of any book of Lori’s backlist is…Bonnie H! Contact Lori – info@loriarmstrong.com

And for Allison’s books:

Thanks for all the help on public speaking! I had two great ideas for the speech from all the advice, and am optimistic that it’ll be entertaining. THREE readers get their pick from my backlist–any book I’ve written! Email me at allison@allisonbrennan.com with the title, your name, and your snail mail address. Thanks!

Kris (commenter #1); Caysie (commenter #24); and Denise in AZ (commenter #35)

The winners (yes, two!) (surprise–you never know with us MSW types, when we’ll add to the pot) of $25 gift certificate to the online book store of choice… are:

Mary R (comment #8) and Gerri Panos (comment #69). Congratulations!

Please email Toni at toni@tonimcgeecausey.com and tell her two things: which online book store you’d like the certificate from and which email address you want it sent to. Happy reading!

Congratulations, everyone!

Today we welcome Silver James to the MSW blog! I’ve had the pleasure of meeting Silver in person, as well interacting with her online and she’s lovely in so many ways. One random commenter will win a paperback copy of her new release, FAERIE FIRE, coming out September 17th. Enjoy!

Some of you may remember me from the guest post I did a few weeks back about my life and career in forensics. Today, S.J. has granted me the opportunity to talk about something near and dear to my heart: Giving back. When I first started on my career in the fire and forensic services, I began as a volunteer. I had a talent and expertise. My local fire department had need of it but there was no budget to cover a position. So I volunteered. My daughter’s tee ball team needed another coach. I played softball back in the day. I volunteered. In school, the PTA or various committees always needed help. I volunteered. Church? Civic groups? Trade associations? They all needed time and talent and I shared mine whenever I could.

Don’t paint me out to be a saint. I’m far from it! I spent my time bashing my head against various walls and hidebound practices. I learned how to deal with the age-old argument of, “But we’ve ALWAYS done it that way!” But that doesn’t mean I didn’t drive home from the meeting muttering invectives and some very inventive curses the entire way. And it doesn’t mean that I didn’t consider quitting, walking away, and letting someone else worry about whether things would get accomplished. But my dad didn’t raise me to be a quitter.

My dad, who’s been gone fifteen years now, was a most interesting man. Dad was a man of old-fashioned values. Born and raised on a ranch in Wyoming, he truly believed in tenets we now consider tropes of Western literature like: A person works from can see to can’t see to get the job done, or you ride for the brand (which means you give your boss his due and you don’t bad mouth him until you quit!). Dad instilled two things in me as I was growing up—a love of reading and words and a sense of duty. If my Girl Scout troop needed help picking up the boxes of cookies or delivering tents to the local GS camp, he was always right there. If the church needed someone to serve on the board, he raised his hand. And it wasn’t just the volunteering of his time or money. He voted in every single election he was eligible to vote in. National, state, local. The secretary of the local election board told me at his funeral that Dad’s name was invariably the first one on the list of voters in his home precinct.

What brought this subject about? A couple of different things. RWA Nationals was a month ago. I attended the General Membership meeting. This is the time where the officers and board members present items to the membership for vote. Only…we couldn’t vote on anything. There wasn’t a quorum present. A quorum is the percentage of voters needed to conduct business in an organization. Those votes can be made in person or by proxy. A proxy is a legal document giving someone else the ability to vote for you. When I got home, I mentioned this to several writing groups and was shocked when I learned how many people had no clue about the process. They didn’t know about proxies or quorums, or the fact they didn’t have to attend to vote. I’d already made up my mind to run for the RWA Board of Directors from my region (under my real name, Penny T. James), and this just cemented one of my goals if I am elected—educating and communicating with the membership how important their participation is to the health of the organization.

This holds true for every organization, and every government. Exercising the right to vote is an honor and a privilege and it should be a duty! And organizations don’t run on air. They need volunteers to help in all sorts of ways. From local animal shelters to literacy programs to schools, there is a place for everyone to exercise their talents and spend a little of their time to make this old world a better place. If you are an RWA member, ballots are sent by email on September 1st. Please vote. School has started just about everywhere. If you have a child, please find some way to help your school. If you have a little time, expertise, or even extra money (I know, times are tight for all of us!), please considering donating a part of yourself to your favorite cause. National elections here in the US are November 2nd. Please vote.

And please tell me what you’ve done, do, or plan to do to give back. One random commenter will win a paperback copy of my new release, FAERIE FIRE, coming out September 17th. I’m not here to promote the book. If you’re interested, you can go to my website, www.silverjames.com, to get more info. I’m here today to play Jimminy Cricket, to poke everyone’s conscience just a little. We all have so many demands on our time, talent, and pocket book. But if we all find some small way to give back, think of the positive change for good that could happen.