Guest Post: Katlyn Charlesworth on Inspiration in History + Giveaway

Today I am delighted to feature a young author who has accomplished some wonderful things! I am a proud member of her street team and am anxiously awaiting her third novel... and she's still in high school! Welcome, Katlyn Charlesworth!

Inspiration in History 

by Katlyn Charlesworth

Story ideas can come at the oddest of times and be found in the strangest of places.  In a single moment you can be struck with a topic that you never would have thought you could come up with.  And, before you know it, you have yourself a novel. 

In both instances, regarding my novels, I discovered the topics in that exact way.  A lightning bolt ofinspiration struck me!  We All Fall Down came to me when I was sitting on my couch and watching the History channel (one of my favorite pastimes).  The show was basically a dramatized timeline of the Black Plague—they had those cheesy actors dressed in period garb and blotted with makeup to make them appear as if they were dying from the horrible disease.  However melodramatic they made it appear, I was instantly hooked on the subject matter.  I grabbed my computer and started jotting down notes and ideas that could somehow form an intriguing tale of life in the 14^th century.  Let me tell you, it was not easy.  I changed my main character’s name about a million times and even parted from my original outline, adding characters and changing their fates with a few pushes of the delete key.  Finally, I got it right.  No one really had to tell me that they liked the seventh draft of my story better, I just knew.  Call it author-instinct.  I went from watching a story about the Black Plague to writing a story about the Black Plague!

Now, for my second book, I did not find my muse in the same place.  The inspiration for A Thousand Deaths is actually kind of a funny story.  I was at a doctor’s appointment and the nurse was a real talker.  About halfway through the conversation she was having with herself, she began chatting about her daughter’s history project.  Apparently, the kids had to research something from the World War era.  The nurse described she and her daughter’s encounter with the “Japanese circuses”.  When she explained what they entailed, I was shocked.  Not only were these events gruesome and appalling, but also I had not even heard of them!  I went home that day and started researching.  Now, because the events are very little known, there is very little information on them.  A Thousand Deaths was probably the more difficult of the two when it came to the research, but the easiest when it came to plot structure.  Because I did not have much to go on, I was able to make it my own.  And because there were no other books on the topic, I could feel at ease that my story was really one-of-a-kind. 

I suppose that is what I look for when writing my books.  One-of-a-kind stories.  Of course, there are other books written about the Black Plague, but there are very few of them out there.  I think I was at the point where I was so sick of the vampire-werewolf-zombie love triangles; I wanted to give readers something different.  I mean no offense to those of you who are fans of such novels—I, myself, have read the Twilight Saga a great many times—but I do think there is excess in that type of story.

The historical fiction genre is dwindling, I’m afraid, but there is still a great need for the variety, itself.  I think I was trying to give the world what I had been desperately searching for—a good book that has some sort of historical basis.  That’s why I write it… for those of you who have a similar craving for reminiscing about events before our time.  It’s amazing the magic we can create in the pieces of the past and it’s truly a miracle to come across it in everyday life.

Who knows if you have a flash of inspiration that’s worth writing on paper?  Sometimes it’s good to get struck by a little bit of lightning.

Yours truly,
Katlyn

Please visit my website for more regarding my books and writing: http://katlyncwrites.webs.com

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You can also join my street team, The Tale Spinners, and win exclusive prizes like signed copies of my books, bookmarks, pins, jewelry, and more!  Visit my website for more information.

Katlyn has been kind enough to offer up a giveaway to one lucky US/Can follower! The winner can choose between her two novels: We All Fall Down or A Thousand Deaths.

Some Rules (aka the not so fun but important part):
~ This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada only.
~ No P.O. boxes.
~ Must be 13 or older to enter.
~ Winner will be chosen randomly and contacted via email. The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email, otherwise they forfeit their prize and I will choose another winner, who must abide by the same rules.
~ Neither Katherine nor I are not responsible for lost or damaged packages.
~ No cheating! In this case, I have the right to disqualify entries as I see fit.
~ By entering the giveaway, you are agreeing to these rules.

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