Inspiration

Today, I want to talk about a few of the places that have inspired me to write.

I think about stories all the time. I do not remember a time when characters and their lives did not constantly run through my head. There are certain places that I visit, where the characters tend to be more talkative, one of which is the spa where I am trying to relax and receive a massage.  However, that is not one of the locations I will explore in this post.

There is a mountain range near where I live that has a beautiful tree growing by a shallow creek with fallen logs that you can use to cross it. This tree, if you were anyone but me, may not seem special, but it is. When I was a young girl, my mother had me imagine a special place where I could go to in my mind and feel safe and comfortable. She did this as part of a meditation practice when she was first teaching me to meditate and learn mindfulness. I imagined a tree with big branches that stretched out into the distance.  It had tree roots that you could cuddle into and feel encompassed, and I always imagined it by a creek in a field of grass and flowers.  My tree was often visited by deer, beavers, birds, and squirrels. 

When I became an adult, I moved around a bit until I settled in the Mountain West part of the United States. It was there that I felt most at home and where I found my tree in real life. I was out mountain biking with my husband when I came upon it.  My heart swelled with joy and surprise that the tree that I imagined was real, and I lived only an hour or so from it.  I often go there to sit and watch nature and to think through scenes.

This tree is the inspiration for the one I describe in Book 4 of The Demons of Yiddera series.  It is not yet available, but it is written and will be published in time.  The area around the tree is my inspiration for the land of Kofira (If you are Yidderian, you will know it as Kahlali). The meadows, the peace, the beauty, the surrounding wooded areas, and this special tree are what I see when I write about Tam and Tayin’s land.

Mountains surround this area, and in the winter, I see Elynas (Alenar for all you Yidderians out there). Elynas is Adym’s domain, and the peaks covered in snow with their evergreen trees standing tall are my inspiration. I imagine the monastery built by Prophetess Alena peeking out from the ridge and behind the trees.

There are many lakes and waterfalls within driving distance from me that I find inspirational. The waterfalls, while not the Rainbow Falls, do help me write as I sit beside them and listen to the water rushing over the rocks and into the lake below.  The sprays are filled with prismatic reflections, and the rainbow colors shine through. 

While I do not live near a beach, the lakes I do live by help me imagine what the beaches of Lioleta (Kruger to the Yidderians) might be like. The feel of the warm sand on my toes and the gentle lapping of the water on the shore is relaxing and beautiful. There are no palm trees on the lake's beaches, but there are lovely sunsets to watch reflecting on the water.  Someday I will visit a tropical ocean beach, but until then my imagination must reign and be helped along with pictures and with lake beaches.

Geltahn (Malseka to the Yidderians) is a combination of the jungle and marshlands.  I have never been to the jungle, but I have visited marshlands and am always amazed at the variety of birds that live there. The heat can be suffocating due to the humidity, but there is definitely beauty in the land. 

I have not taken pictures of most of the places that I have been or that inspire me (I am a terrible photographer), but I do have photos of my tree and would like to share them with you. I hope you find places that give you inspiration and joy in your life, and I hope you take lots of pictures of those places so that you can always visit even if you can’t physically be there.

                                                                                    Louella Ranes

My Inspiration Tree