A Writer's Weekend Away

 Ever hear about a place and think, “Gee, I would like to visit.” When my friend Linda Gordon Hengerer and I heard that David Bishop was giving a talk on book marketing, the perfect opportunity to visit Mt. Dora, Florida, presented itself.

Lake Dora and Mt. Dora were named for Dora Ann Drawdy, an early settler of the town.

The boathouse at Lake Dora.

The elevation here is 184 feet above sea level, giving rise to the amusing tee shirts proclaiming, “I climbed Mt. Dora.” But mainly, this place is known for small town charm, a quality it has in abundance. The downtown is filled with tiny, one-of-a-kind shops, and dining places tucked away in nooks and alleys.

Linda and I ate dinner at the Goblin Market, which pays homage to the Christina Rossetti poem, and has a romantic/gothic ambiance. 

In truth, the poem is a thinly veiled reference to the temptations of self-indulgence, and I showed a similar lack of restraint when it came to ordering fried green tomatoes, braised pork loin, and caramel crusted cheesecake.

Inspired by the new surroundings, we dragged out our notebooks and cameras. Ideas flew at us like bats rush out of a cave! We managed several character sketches and plots for a new series.

A selfie that I took while Linda was making notes.

The next day, David Bishop shared a practical and well-thought-out assessment of how to sell more books as an indie author. He was generous with his knowledge, and we tried to share what we’d learned.

This weekend was a tonic. I feel rejuvenated, inspired, and excited. I can’t wait to get home and back to my writing!

Tell me, what rejuvenates you? Please share your ideas with me! I'll choose one lucky commenter and send him/her a copy of my newest book Love, Die, Neighbor.

4 Terrific Sources for Ideas

By Joanna Campbell Slan


People often ask, "Where do you get your ideas?" and the answer is...everywhere. But I thought I'd share a few of my favorite resources:

1. Walks -- I'm a huge fan of walking without headphones or music. The silence gives me a great chance to think. More importantly, I often hear the "voices" of characters in my head. Or I'll see someone or something that sparks ideas. Here's an example, I found a scuffed up piece of glass stuck in the dirt. I dug it out. The coloration reminded me of an old shop window. From that I made Odd Bob's Antiques.

In the door on the right, you can see the piece of glass that started all this rolling. I embedded the glass between two pieces of foam core board. The frame is cut out of drink coasters.

2. Memories-- Thinking of old shops reminded me of the year we lived in England. The streets feeding into Covent Garden were full of poky little stores. The dust and traffic guaranteed that windows were dusty. Yes, I thought, that's how Odd Bob's would look.

3. Challenges -- My pal, Christine Verstraete, and I call ourselves Two Mad Miniaturists. We're working on a new book of tutorials, especially for Halloween. She suggested that I try my hand at a bookend, as that's a new trend (or the revision of an old one) in miniatures. I looked up the size on a cool website called www.dimensionsinfo,com and started building Bob's.

4. Brainstorming -- Chris has been telling me about all the cute things she's crafting, and I didn't want to duplicate her efforts, so I decided to go darker. Last night before bed I brainstormed a list of horrific items. Today, I built a miniature guillotine, only 1 1/2 inches high. I also created a cobra in a basket, and a set of horns on a plaque. I'd already made a gold casket, and I sculpted a dis-embodied hand, too. 

The guillotine can barely be seen on the left, bloody blade and all. The cobra in a basket is next to the guillotine. The plaque with horns is on the left, second shelf, and so is the gold casket. You can't see the hand I made. Hmmmm....maybe I should put it somewhere else?

The piece isn't perfect yet. I need to rearrange the shelves, attach the lights, and create the roof. But it's definitely coming along. 

What sorts of horror-ific props should I add to the outside of Odd Bob's? I'm curious to see what you suggest!