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Thursday, June 26, 2014

Ally Blake: My Best Ideas Ought To Come With a Towel



Most of my best ideas in life come to me when I'm in the shower.

I've heard it said I'm not alone there.  (Well, I am alone in the shower  - most of the time :) - but not in the idea getting stakes).  It has something to do with having nothing else to do (bar wash yourself, of course) leaving one's mind free to roam.  Some people get their best ideas when on walks or when washing the dishes for the same reason.

My theory is it's the only time I don't have access to pen and paper and my muse is a cheeky little rotter.

Most of my book ideas come to me there as well.  Much of the time in a single vision; like a photo, or a still from a movie.

One was the image of a woman standing in a lift holding a wedding dress.   She looks wet and miserable because it's been raining, (and probably because I was in the shower, remember) and the  lift doors are about to close when they are stopped by a stranger...aka the hero.  (That image became The Secret Wedding Dress,  Harlequin Kiss)


Another was a vision of a woman swimming leisurely laps in a stunningly elegant pool.  (Again with the water - I see a theme here!)   The pool resides in a beautiful but near-dilapidated pool house and the heroine is trespassing as the pool is not hers.  No two guesses as to whose pool it is :).  (Falling for the Rebel Heir, Harlequin Romance)

This is from an email I sent my editor:  "I see a heroine standing on the deck of a cruise ship the moment she realizes she is in fact on a "Second Honeymoon Cruise" filled with lots of old folk celebrating their silver anniversaries and the like and she's the only singleton.  Well she and the hunky-games-director-ex-sports-pro-in-hiding."

And that, folks, is my latest offering, Second Chance Honeymoon.  A story about a woman who's spent her life running only to find herself surrounded by water on all sides the moment she finds herself looking down the barrel of something utterly terrifying to her - true love.


So, do you have one special place where you seem to have all your best ideas? In the shower?  On a walk?  Paris?  Leave a comment for a chance to win ebook (epub) copies of THE SECRET WEDDING DRESS and FAKING IT TO MAKING IT (The Boys of Bonaventure duet, #HarlequinKiss 

***Ally's winner is Cindy Hamilton!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***

7 comments:

Laney4 said...

Please count me out, as I don't have an eReader. My best place to write poetry is in the passenger seat of our car when my husband is driving us an hour or more away. The words just flow. Mind you, I miss my online thesaurus/rhyming sites, but it doesn't seem to matter (much).

erin said...

i'm lucky that all of my friends live in town. I can see them whenever I want!

Unknown said...

I get my best ideas from reading books!

Ally Blake said...

Hi guys! And thanks for having me Totes!

I love playing shot gun when my husband drives, Laney4. You see the world from a different angle I think.

girlygirlhoosier52 said...

My ideas come while I'm washing dishes...

Laurie G said...

Luckily I live in a rural area so I try to take a 5 mile walk everyday. It's amazing how this break from my chores allows me to face my problems and balance out my life. I definitely come up with my best ideas when I'm out walking. Nature's beauty has a calming effect on me. I appreciate things more after a walk.

Ally Blake said...

Congrats Cindy! The ebooks are on their way.
Ally
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