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We are writers mainly from Australia and New Zealand who write speculative fiction with romantic elements. Be it fantasy, paranormal, dark urban fantasy, futuristic and everything in between.

Saturday 31 August 2013

Enchanted Orb - T.F. Walsh, Inspiration and Cloaked in Fur


With the release of her latest book, T.F. Walsh has come to visit. Please welcome her as she talks about inspiration and her latest work.

Take it away, T.F.!

Book Release: CLOAKED IN FUR by T.F. Walsh



Eureka!  It's a word that probably has a slightly different meaning to Australians than it does to many others around the world. Of course most people recognise it as Archimedes' cry of elation when he ran down the street, naked and wet, fresh from a bath having found the solution to a problem posed to him by the king. Aussies might initially associate it with the rebellion at the Eureka Stockade. And, in a sense, both historical events can be considered anecdotal stories of inspiration. Archimedes cried Eureka when the water overflowing from his bath inspired his thoughts on displacement. And the Eureka Rebellion inspired events that led democracy in Australia.

OK, so maybe it's a long bow to draw. But for me, that long bow is a great source of inspiration. One of the things that stifles creativity, is the laziness of the brain. The brain looks for the easiest solution, it looks for the straightest route from point A to point B. And it is so used to performing this way, that by forcing it to take a circuitous route from point A to B via points C and Z helps me to find that Eureka moment. I regularly find that when I'm struggling writing a scene, or solving a problem for one of my characters, I need to explore the longer path. And I have a few tried and tested methods to coach my brain along this new path.

Physically taking my body along a long path helps my brain to start down its own long path. Taking a walk somewhere I don't normally go in my day to day activities, helps my mind to wander in different directions also. My favourite place to walk is the Nan Tien Temple which I'm lucky to live very close to. This beautiful temple and its grounds are so peaceful and unique that I always enjoy strolling through the grounds, and enjoying different sights, sounds and smells. Every now and then I treat myself to a pot of tea and the wonderful little tea shop on the grounds. I always leave looking at things from a new perspective and with my mind full of new ideas.

New thought pathways are often created when doing mundane or repetitious tasks. I have several of these escapes I like to indulge in to inspire new insights. Time management, strategy and puzzle games are one diversion I enjoy. Giving the logical parts of my brain tasks to focus on or distract them, often allows the creative parts of my brain to remain unfettered. And for extra inspiration, nothings beats playing these games while also enjoying a warm bubble bath, or at least that what I tell my hubby.
Sometimes shocking the brain with unusual experiences can also help it to find new thought conduits. Trying different or exotic foods, driving somewhere I've never been before or simply watching a documentary or movie from a different culture are often enough for me to overcome a creative block. Anything that gets those neurons firing between new and different parts of the brain can be an unexpected source of inspiration. And for me, nothing shocks my brain in more ways than B-Grade movies. The rawness and bizarreness of these mockbusters has a strange captivating effect on my mind. When my brain tries to follow the weird plot twists and unusual leaps in movie logic and general mayhem of these movies, it inspires similar thought patterns that often leave me fresh ideas and designs. But shouting Eureka after watching one is probably a stretch even for me. 
 


Cloaked in Fur is Available Now

As a moonwulf, Daciana never expected to fall in love with a human. Hell, she never imagined that she’d abandon her pack, endanger everyone around her, and break the worst rule possible. But she did.

A rogue werewolf is killing Daciana’s friends, and she sets on capturing the creature.  She’ll do whatever it takes to stop the beast. The police and her boyfriend, Inspector Connell Lonescu, are starting to question her involvement in the murders, which is endangering the pack’s secret existence. But when the pack alpha kidnaps Connell, revealing the awful truth about the creature and its connection to the pack, Daciana must choose between saving the man she loves and saving her pack family from certain death.

Paranormal Suspense With Strong Romance




Buy Cloaked in Fur Here:

Publisher: Crimson Romance www.crimsonromance.com



About The Author

T.F. Walsh emigrated from Romania to Australia at the age of eight and now lives in a regional city south of Sydney with her husband. Growing up hearing dark fairytales, she's always had a passion for reading and writing horror, paranormal romance, urban fantasy and young adult stories. She balances all the dark with light fluffy stuff like baking and traveling.

Author Links 

Website www.tfwalsh.com   







4 comments:

  1. Thanks for having me on the blog today:)

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  2. Great post, T.F. Doing different things to our daily grind is wonderful for inspiration and definitely helps kickstart the brain. Thanks for sharing.

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  3. I agree you can't hurry Eureka moments. Taking a walk works for you -- doing dishes works for me! lol

    Wishing you a great blog tour and huge success with CLOAKED IN FUR!! :-)

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  4. Great post! Oh yeah, you can't hurry those moments. I like doing housework or taking walks to help me through. Sometimes those Eureka moments hit when you least expect too!

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