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Guest Blogger: Shayla Kersten
Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

A Flash of Long Black Hair…

Story inspiration can strike in the strangest places. The other day at the nail salon, I saw a young Asian woman with the most gorgeous long black hair. I mean the kind of hair only seen in commercials. Almost blue-black, high shine, and down to her hips, her beautiful tresses tempted my poor fingers to reach out and touch. Just to see if her hair felt as sexy as it looked.

I couldn’t get the idea of the unbelievable beauty of her hair out of my mind. So of course, a story started forming.

Like a song you can’t banish from your mind, sometimes a flash of inspiration refuses to leave you alone. While the story isn’t complete, the basic set up is in my list of stories to write. Definitely another lesbian vampire story. *cackle*

Songs or music videos are another great inspiration for my stories. A Familiar Taste of Poison by Halestorm hit me several ways. First the title. I wish I’d thought of that one! Then there’s the lyrics—

I breathe you in again
Just to feel you underneath my skin
Holding onto the sweet escape
Is always laced with a familiar taste of poison

Finally, there’s the video. I mean…just wow. Fabulous visuals. Great film noir look and feel. An entire murder mystery in four minutes.

A lot of Halestorm’s lyrics strike a chord with me. No pun intended. I think I could write an entire series inspired by their music.

Friends are another source of inspiration, especially if they are also writers. I don’t mean writing about their lives. Although Delilah’s life would make for a very interesting book. *wink*

Brainstorming can start with a single word or a simple premise. Back and forth banter blossoms into stories. Delilah is one of the best at brainstorming. She’s pulled me out of several plot holes.

Then there’s the random stray thought, like the one that inspired my latest story, Consensual Infidelity.

What would you do if you found out your boyfriend were bisexual?

Would you run away as fast as your feet could carry you? Accept it but agree that part of his sexuality should stay hidden? Or would you actively pursue his fantasy of being with a man—then join in?

You can probably guess what Denise Wilder did in Consensual Infidelity. And boy, do they have fun!

Sometimes, a great story comes out of a combination of all of the above. For instance, a bisexual Asian woman murdered in the early 20th century who is resurrected as a vampire. Now I need a little help from my friends to fill in the plot holes! *grins*

Thanks, Delilah, for letting me ramble on about inspiration!

Consensual Infidelity—now available at Amazon.com

5 comments to “Guest Blogger: Shayla Kersten”

  1. Heather Brewer
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    · April 13th, 2011 at 9:54 am · Link

    I love that video. I’ve never heard of Halestorm (I usually listen to southern rock, country or hairbands). I will definitely have to check out some of their other music.

    Good blog post. I can’t wait to see what you come up with for the Asian vampire 🙂



  2. Leanne
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    · April 13th, 2011 at 2:25 pm · Link

    Thanks for sharing how you get your ideas, really cool.



  3. Jen B.
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    · April 13th, 2011 at 3:44 pm · Link

    I love Halestorm. My favorite song is I Get Off. Great video for that one too. Halestorm does a great job with storytelling. I don’t know what I would do if I found out my boyfriend was bi-sexual. But I figure my husband would be pretty peeved 😆 Sorry, I couldn’t resis. I have thought about that question and I really don’t have an answer. I guess it would depend on the relationship.



  4. Delilah Devlin
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    · April 13th, 2011 at 8:14 pm · Link

    Loved the video! Now I have to see if I can unstick my IPod and add the song! Very good visuals.



  5. Shayla Kersten
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    · April 13th, 2011 at 9:07 pm · Link

    Hiya, Heather! My sister turned me on to Halestorm. She calls it angry chick rock. I love it!

    Hi, Leanne! Thanks for stopping by!

    Hiya, Jen! Yeah, I guess your hubs would frown on the boyfriend angle. *cackle*

    Hi, DD! Unstick your iPod? What have you done now? You seem to have the worst luck with anything techy.

    Thank you everyone for stopping by! I had a really long day at the evil day job then mowed the yard. I’m trying to stay awake long enough to jot down some story ideas.

    Hope ya’ll have a fabulous night!

    Shayla



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