A Trip is Never Wasted, by Colleen Coble

My creative juices get going when I think about where I want to set my books. Recently I attended an author conference aboard a ship bound for . . . Alaska! I’d set one book in that gorgeous state, but it was the ONE state I’d never seen with my own eyes. Though we had meetings every day, I was able to see the glaciers (they’re blue!) and take a gander at mountains that made my jaw drop. I saw eagles and their nests—and I even saw a black bear foraging along the road.

You can bet I have a new book idea. We saw a remote dormitory (no running water or inside bathroom by the way) where rangers stay when they’re on their round into the deep woods. It could only be accessed by boat or float plane. So of course I started thinking about a female ranger and how alone she could be out there. I’m noodling on a great idea for that, so don’t take it, okay? I’m going to write it.

Another place I’ve come up with to write about is Washington. I could sit and stare at Mt. Rainier for hours. And there are cranberry farms there as well as digging for clams. The eastern side of Washington is wilder with its own rugged beauty. I can just see a body floating in the cranberry bog in the first FINNS settled the area. That goes right along with my interest in my “sister’s” country of Finland.

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We went to Cambodia in February on a missions trip. We saw the awe-inspiring Siem Reap temples, and I had a great idea for a book involving an archeologist who’s kidnapped because of something she found in a previously undiscovered temple. And wouldn’t you know, just a few days ago, a brand new temple was found! That discovery has only added flame to the fire to write that one.

The detail that launched my idea for Rosemary Cottage was when we went to Corolla in the Outer Banks. You can only get along a stretch of wild beach by four-wheel drive directly on the sand. I “saw” Amy and Curtis riding along the dunes in a desperate effort to save someone. That inspiration formed the fast paced finale of the book.

A trip is never wasted. Everything I see and learn finds its way into a story. 

Best-selling author Colleen Coble's novels have won or finaled in awards ranging from the Best Books of Indiana, the ACFW Carol Award, the Romance Writers of America RITA, the Holt Medallion, the Daphne du Maurier, National Readers' Choice, and the Booksellers Best. She has over 2 million books in print and writes romantic mysteries because

she loves to see justice prevail. Colleen is CEO of American Christian Fiction Writers. She lives with her husband Dave in Indiana.

Visit her website at www.colleencoble.com and connect at Facebook at www.facebook.com/colleencoblebooks.



Be sure to stop by tomorrow for a chance to win a copy of Colleen's new release, Rosemary Cottage!