Voices of Fiction - Where do you get your ideas - Part One

Welcome to another edition of Voices of Fiction.

Over the next few weeks, our wonderful group of authors will be discussing where they get their ideas.

Please welcome this week's guests.

Barbara Ehrentreu, a retired teacher with a Masters degree in Reading and Writing K-12 and seventeen years of teaching experience lives with her family in Stamford, Connecticut. When she received her Masters degree she began writing seriously. If I Could Be Like Jennifer Taylor, Barbara’s first YA novel, published by MuseItUp Publishing was inspired by Paula Danziger. Her novel is also available on Amazon for Kindle and paperback, Barnes & Noble for both paperback and Nook, Smashwords, Omnilit and of course The Muse Bookstore. In addition, Barbara has a story in Lavender Dreams, a memorial anthology for which all the proceeds go to cancer research. She has three poems in Prompted: An International Collection of Poems by the Anthologists for which all the proceeds go to Literacy research. Her blog, Barbara’s Meanderings, http://barbaraehrentreu.blogspot.com/, is networked on both Facebook and Blog Catalog. She hosts Red River Writers Live Tales from the Pages on Blog Talk Radio every 4th Thursday. In addition, her children's story, “The Trouble with Follow the Leader” and an adult story, “Out on a Ledge” are published online. She has written book reviews for Authorlink.com. and several of her reviews have been on Acewriters and Celebrity Café. She is a member of SCBWI. Writing is her life! Beyond the Dark Room: An International Collection of Transformational Poetry, in which I have 5 poems. published September, 2012 by Really Love Your Book. All proceeds from this anthology go to Doctors Without Borders. Blog, Facebook, Twitter

Bobbi Carducci, also writing as Barbara Simpson Carducci, is the author of Storee Wryter Gets a Dog, A GOLD Mom’s Choice Award winner for excellence also named A Best Dog Book for Young Readers in Cesar’s Way Magazine (the official publication of Cesar Milan, TVs the Dog Whisperer) The book for young readers ages 6-10 not only tells a story kids enjoy, it also encourages them to write their own stories. Bobbi Carducci is a former senior staff writer for a Washington, D.C. area newspaper, she is professional book reviewer and an award winning short story writer. She lives in Virginia with her husband Michael. Together they are the directors of the Young Voices Foundation, an educational nonprofit established to mentor young writers. Blog, Link, Link


Cara Marsi, an award-nominated author, is a former corporate drone and cubicle dweller who is finally free of her fabric-covered cage. She craves books with happy endings and loves to write about independent heroines and the strong heroes who love them. Cara is published in romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and contemporary romance. She’s also published numerous short romance stories in national women’s magazines. Cara and her husband enjoy traveling and she loves to write about the places they've visited. They share their house with a fat black diva of a cat named Killer.  
Website, Twitter, Facebook




Carole Ann Moleti is a nurse-midwife in New York City, thus explaining her fascination with all things paranormal, urban fantasy, and space opera. Her newest fiction is featured in Haunted: Ten Tales of Ghosts and Bites: Ten Tales of Vampires.Website, Blog, Twitter


Welcome Authors! It’s wonderful to have you back for another round.

Now the question is: Where do you get your ideas?

Barbara Ehrentreu: I get most of my ideas from my own life. However, sometimes I just find them in the news or from another piece of writing.

Bobbi Carducci: I love that question. It’s one writers hear often. My response is, “everywhere.” People are the most interesting creatures on the planet. As a writer I consider myself one of the quiet observers of the world. I watch people all the time. I eavesdrop unabashedly. I read everything I can get me hands on, including random pieces of paper dropped on the floor by people in a hurry. My family is a huge source of material for short stories. They are as amazing and weird as any family out there and I love them for it.

Very often characters begin talking to me in the shower. There is something about hot water on my head that opens a creative door and allows them to reveal themselves. Once they start talking they can be very insistent, refusing to shut up until their story is told or I promise I’ll come back to them once the piece I’m currently working on is complete.

I believe ideas are the most important element needed to be a writer. If a person comes to a writing workshop full of ideas with no idea how to bring them to life on paper, I believe there’s a writer in there. Craft can be taught. I’m not sure about creativity. Skill in punctuation, grammar and punctuation are necessary skills but they don’t make one a writer.

Cara Marsi: Sometimes from things that have happened in my life, like the inciting incident in "A Catered Romance." Sometimes from things that happen around me, especially for my short stories. Sometimes from old movies. I always write what I would want to read, and I've got so many stories I'd like to read, so I write them.

Carole Ann Moleti: Mostly from dreams and flashes of insight. Other moments of inspiration come while driving down the street, on the subway, at during particularly intense/scary/funny times at work. Occasionally, my husband or a friend will suggest a story idea, but since I can't write well to prompts, those rarely turn out to be viable.

Thank you all for joining us today and sharing where you find your ideas.

Readers feel free to ask questions concerning this topic in the comments. Also feel free to send questions to chergreen@chergreen.com Subject: Voices of Fiction Question, and have them answered by the participating authors in later editions.

There’s also room for more authors to participate. Drop me an email, Subject: Voices of Fiction.

(Disclaimer - Bios and answers have been posted as submitted by author)