One of the most fun parts of writing Frank and The Werewolf Tamer was coming up with the idea for the theme park Notte Oscura. I knew the type of atmosphere I wanted to create, but I didn't want it to be a circus. Not exactly anyway.
So, I asked myself, "What would be the ideal place for vampires, werewolves and other creatures of the night to work?"
"What would make a great setting/location?"
I let the idea rest for a couple of days. Then, as I was trying to cook dinner one night, Notte Oscura came to me. I took out my notes and while attempting to not burn dinner, the plan began to form.
One of the most relaxing places in the world to me is the beach at night. Thinking of this naturally brought to mind the closest beach to me, Panama City. In the blink of an eye, I thought of all those little "mini-carnival" type places as you get near the beach and BANG, I had my idea.
I knew I wanted a theme part and not a circus, like I'd said. I'm not crazy about the circus. I also needed a place where a man like Frank would feel at home. Notte Oscura (the name came easily enough after that. It means Dark Night in Italian.) was born!
In less than 5 minutes, I had enough details in my head to make the park come alive on paper. I was thrilled. Now, I could finally begin work on the story. Because Frank had been in my head for over a year. It was getting crowded in there. Ha. Ha. Ha.
Why did I keep him to myself for so long? I was working on other projects at the time and Frank was simply on the back burner in my mind. Ever so often I'd pull the thought of him out of my mental file and take another look. "Hmmm. I'm not ready for him yet," I'd think. And so it went until one day everything just clicked.
I never know how to answer (though I do my best) when people ask me if I'm a plotter or a panster. I don't make an "outline." I make notes that may or may not be in the order they need to occur in the story. Sometimes all my notes will make it into the book. Other times the story is complete without them. And once in a while I decide that an idea or phrase or whatever it is will work better in another book entirely.
So, I don't sit down and just fly by the seat of my pants entirely. But I don't over organize either as I believe that stifles creativity. If I had to give myself a title I'd say I'm a dreamer. It is my greatest desire to bring my dreams to life.
Details for Frank and The Werewolf Tamer:
Katherine has had a hard time finding work, mostly because she’s a vampire. Turns out, people aren’t clamoring to work with the undead. She goes to the massive theme park, Notte Oscura, as a last resort. What Katherine doesn’t realize is, there’s a lot more waiting for her than just a job.
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