Fresh Fiction Blog | Jamie Quaid | What Inspired the Saturn's Daughters series?

Asking authors from whence come their ideas is almost guaranteed to receive smart-alecky answers similar to "from my coffee cup." And we might not even be lying. With a combination of caffeine and the funny quotes on our mugs, we truly can develop entire books.

In the case of THE BOYFRIEND FROM HELL and the Saturn's Daughter series, the idea came from a cornfield. I kid you not. There is something transcendental about cruising hundreds of miles of highway and cornfields that is guaranteed to feed my subconscious. My brain consequently spews back rich idea manure. Mix in a few country songs from the radio and before long...I'm splatting alpha males into brick walls like bugs on the windshield.

It was taking an idea from smushed bugs to series concept that really required work. Obviously, killing the potential hero in the first chapter is not the opening for a good romance novel. But it works beautifully for urban fantasy. Where else could the heroine kill her cheating boyfriend and accidentally damn him to hell? Oops! And then the fun really starts when he comes back to haunt her in her mirror and swears he's innocent.

But with urban fantasy, the worldbuilding is so fabulously detailed that one book simply isn't enough. I needed enough detail to carry my idea through several books. So I dropped my boyfriend-killer concept into a brainstorming session with friends in Baltimore, where it exploded like a shrapnel bomb. We all grabbed pieces and raucously turned an industrial area along Baltimore's harbor into blue neon buildings, warped characters, and chemical plants spewing elemental sewage. I swear the session was not alcohol fueled! At the same time we worked out the environmentally hazardous Zone, we came up with the notion that Tina's obsession with justice is driven by Saturn, the god of justice. The planet guiding Capricorn was absolutely perfect for the character in my head. Tina is above all practical and cautious, ambitious and disciplined, with a strong pessimistic streak for good reason. And her sense of humor is downright dangerous.

It's exciting and more than a little heady when a tiny bead of an idea snowballs into a monstrous concept that extends for books. But we know what happens to snowballs in hell, so I'm trying very hard not to send Tina there, although in this series, that's a very real possibility!

Comments

Thanks for sharing, I really liked your comment about getting inspiration from coffee or cornfields. This sounds like a really interesting book that I look forward to reading more about. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity & I hope you have a great day.
(Chelsea Knestrick 12:21pm September 24, 2012)

Sounds like a great read..Thanks for the contest!
(Robin Christofaro 7:10am September 24, 2012)

I like the sound of this. Creativity can be sparked from the
most random things.
(Karin Anderson 7:11am September 24, 2012)

This sounds like a book I'd love to read..thanks
(Bonnie Capuano 9:10am September 24, 2012)

I really love the supernatural books out there,and am always excited to try a new series! Thank you
(Kathleen Conner 10:45am September 24, 2012)

WOW! I really have to start paying more attention to my coffee mugs or get some new ones :) This sounds like a really exciting and sexy series concept. Thanks for the chance to win.
(Kamla Layne 11:40am September 24, 2012)

Original ideas are rare these days. You are doing well!
Blessings,
Marjorie
(Marjorie Carmony 12:09pm September 24, 2012)

Sounds like a interesting read. Always enjoy these kinds of read
Also thank you for a chance to win
(Diane Castiglione 12:18pm September 24, 2012)

This series has a totally new plot line for me. Sounds really interesting and I love kick ass heroines.
(Anne Muller 12:24pm September 24, 2012)

I can't wait to read it. Thanks for the giveaway.
(Tracy Wickman 12:41pm September 24, 2012)

Wow - talk about the various realms of possibilities - I love them all! SO cool!
(Felicia Ciaudelli 12:48pm September 24, 2012)

Inspirtation for lots of things come from quirky encounters! I have sometimes crafted really interesting items because I "saw" something hidden in a piece of lumber or other natural elements!

Keep those ideas rolling!
(Marguerite Guinn 1:02pm September 24, 2012)

Wow that is some book cover! Very interesting... thanks for sharing!
(Colleen Conklin 1:14pm September 24, 2012)

Love the cover page of your book. You have got to love a hot chick in leather and boots with a motor cycle. This type of art or illustration inspires me to write great fiction. There are som amny levels and i enjoy using mine all the time. thanks
(Anthonia Sharp 1:16pm September 24, 2012)

I CAN'T WAIT TO READ THE BOOK IT SOUNDS VERY INTERESTING. LOVE
THE COVER TO. I WOULD LOVE TO WIN..
(Shelly Caggiano 3:06pm September 24, 2012)

A boyfriend from hell does not love you, uses you for money and sex and drops you when the next target comes along......what gal hasn't had one? Thankfully, I have been happily married to a non-user for 39 years. Please enter me to win your new book!
(Susan Coster 3:43pm September 24, 2012)

Great title! Book sounds good too! I'll have to put it on my reading list.
(Joanne Schultz 3:56pm September 24, 2012)

I've heard tons about your book. Why was it delayed for so long?
(Diane Sadler 3:59pm September 24, 2012)

Jamie, what a cool idea! I love romance, but I also love continuing story arcs. I
can't wait to read this book.
(Nancy Northcott 4:11pm September 24, 2012)

Sounds like a very different book from ones I usually read.
(Michelle Fidler 4:49pm September 24, 2012)

sounds like a good book to read before bed.
(David Berzett 4:52pm September 24, 2012)

I would love a Shape Shifting kitten!! it might be a space saver too!! It could fit in a pocketbook!
(Pamela Dolen 4:58pm September 24, 2012)

Love the concept for your new series. Sounds like it will be
exciting, fun and one well hell of a sexy blast. Can't wait to
read it.
(Patricia Gordon 5:15pm September 24, 2012)

A fun read.. Thank you for the opportunity.
(Holly Vanderhule 5:36pm September 24, 2012)

This sounds like an exciting book, I'd love to win it.
(Wilma Frana 5:44pm September 24, 2012)

OMG! This has become a must read. I am a BMore girl, born and raised. I moved to another state but visit twice a year, nothing like seeing home when going off 895 and seeing the Harbor. Sounds like a great orginal story.
(Carla Carlson 5:47pm September 24, 2012)

Love how you found your inspiration from a cornfield for your new book. Guess the mind gets to wandering when you have miles of cornfields to look at. I think most gals have experienced having at least one "boyfriend from Hell" and would much rather read about one! Can't wait to read this!
(Linda Luinstra 5:57pm September 24, 2012)

Your series sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks for the chance to win!
(Christine Mead 6:26pm September 24, 2012)

I love the title. I believe we all have a boyfriend from Hell that we yearn for and then try to get rid of.
(Kai Wong 6:27pm September 24, 2012)

Sounds like a great read. Thanks for a chance to win.
(Linda Hall 6:33pm September 24, 2012)

I live in an area with cornfields and what a fun story about your inspiration.
The story sounds great and who wouldn't love the title. ; )
(Ann Sheiring 7:16pm September 24, 2012)

this sounds like a book i would really love to get my hands on to read....
(Kimberly Hoefs 8:41pm September 24, 2012)

I have to say that your idea is so demented, it's a series of books that I would be crazy to pass up!! I love the idea, and can't wait to sink my teeth into your books!! They're not the genre that I would normally read, but after reading your posting, you got my interest. I adore the cover as well. I suppose that's the job of a great Author!! Well done!!
(Peggy Roberson 8:49pm September 24, 2012)

Cornfields remind me of children of the corn, but can't wait to see how cornfields play out in this book
(Pamela Fox 9:13pm September 24, 2012)

I love urban fantasy and I am always looking for new authors to read!
(Jennifer Beyer 9:58pm September 24, 2012)

You book has sparked my interest. Has lots of ideas rolled into a series of WOW ideas to keep the reader wanting more. Appreciate your offering this contest to win a superb book and hope to be lucky to win a copy. Thanks : )
(Shirley Sego 10:53pm September 24, 2012)

That's a fantastic cover and it certainly will catch the eye. Urban fantasy is a great genre so good luck! Yes ideas do come from anywhere but most people never develop a "what if" moment... keep going strong!
(Clare O'Beara 6:32am September 25, 2012)

Ha- I like the title! I've had a few of those...
Ideas are all around us, but it takes talent to turn those ideas into a
workable story. Thanks to all the novelists who do that so well.
(Debbie Burdeen 7:38am September 25, 2012)

The title and cover caught my interest immediately! The book
sounds amazing as well!

Thanks so much!
(Maria Smith 10:53am September 26, 2012)

This sounds like a wonderful series to explore. I love finding
out how you came to be inspired in creating this series.
(Dawn Roberto 4:01pm September 26, 2012)

Sounds really good!!! I can't wait to read this one!! Thanks for the chance to win!
(Natasha Donohoo 5:04pm September 26, 2012)

It takes a creative imagination to build a new world in which her characters live and thrive.
(Alyson Widen 5:35pm September 26, 2012)

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