Inspiration Behind the Pages: How Far From the Sound Began.

As folks have begun to read my first book, the question I get asked most is how I came up with the idea. Was it personal experience? Based on someone I know? Or just something random I came up with?

The answer is yes.

Please note here, while I will not spoil the book, it may be better to it before continuing this blog.

Mostly, the book is fiction, and not explicitly based on anyone or anything. But as pretty much any author will tell you, every story pulls from some kind of personal belief or experience.

The story itself, the idea, actually began with a song.

Years ago, I had downloaded a bunch of music on my Spotify for a flight. I didn't know what music I had put on my phone, just that it was mostly acoustic and folk.

As we began the journey from Seattle to Las Vegas, a song I didn't recognize popped on.

It is called Portland, by Andrea von Kampen.

The song created a beautiful scene in my mind, that ultimately inspired the cafe scene in chapter 9. I suppose that is what inspired the story.

Over the years, in my mind, the story grew from the chapter 9 scene outward, expanding in both directions toward the beginning and the end.

Yes, the story is based in a mid-west town. Originally, I am from the mid-west, though we moved to Washington when I was three. And while it's never explicitly stated, the main character, Alex, is from the Puget Sound area in Washington (do you see where I'm going with this?)

As far as the characters go, no one is really based off anyone in particular.

Okay, I guess that kind of a lie.

Alex pulls many, many characteristics from my favorite human. My husband.

Maybe it's because I love all his little quarks, the way he speaks, how he looks at things he loves... I wanted to write about it.

Side plug here: I absolutely have a plan to write a book based on my love for him.

When my husband read my manuscript, he told me how he kind of liked reading a book where he heavily related to the main character.

And finally, the author referenced, James Patch, is based on the late and great, Terry Pratchett.

Pratchett is my husband's favorite author and wrote over 50 books in the Disc World series. Originally, I had put Pratchett in the story, referencing his books and life. But as I began the self-publication process, I realized I had no idea how the legalities of putting other people's work in my story worked. I got nervous, and didn't want any copywrite problems. So, last minute, I changed it to a fictitious author, James Patch.

My husband was a little disappointed. But since he read the manuscript, he knew the truth of the great author that Alex loved so much.

And now you do, too.

There is one mention of my brother's name, Robert, later in the book. But there isn't a character based off of him.

Names... I am not very clever coming up with names. So, I often pull names from people I know, even if the character isn't like the real person at all.

The plot, scenes, everything, is pulled from feeling and personal experience. Some events in the story I have never personally experienced, but through research and a lot of empathy, I created relatable scenes.

So, that's how I came up with the story. Nothing spectacular. And as I write more, my family and friends will see their names, their characteristics, drawn into characters in my stories.

I hope this clears up some of my creative process... though it's not much of a "process." It's mostly just my brain that won't shut up when a story hits. Oh, well. Such is life.

Anyway, happy reading!

Always,

Bekah