Anamnesis? Remembrance? I just don't know!

Where do your story ideas come from?

Both my Reliance on Citizens trilogy and my latest unnamed novella came from dreams. Yes, dreams, as in the stories we get to enjoy at night. And they all centered around big questions.

For my latest story, I wondered what if strange occurrences such as possession, hauntings, out of body experiences, and certain mental illnesses such as multiple personality disorder, all had one common cause? And what if that common cause was sentient? You can read excerpts from this book on my website here: S.L. Wallace Official Website

When I wrote Price of a Bounty, I wondered what would happen if there were no middle class? What might society look and feel like? How would people react and survive in such a world? Some will play the system, many will give in and let the system play them, and some fight back with a vengeance.

Canvas Skies continues the drama that began in the first book. This time I wondered, what would it take to close the divide between the classes? The characters in the first book were already working toward that end, so it only made sense to see how it would all play out. Here is one of my favorite scenes from Canvas Skies:

He handed me a pencil. I stood and began to sketch. Hisoka did the same, working at the easel next to me.  I lost track of time and became fully in tune with my creation.

When my sketch was finished, I stood back in awe. Had I really created something so beautiful? It was perfect. The juxtaposition of the three crooked apple trees with people emerging from within, against a very realistic backdrop gave the drawing an otherworldly quality.

Hisoka moved behind me. “Wow! This can't be your first.”

“It's not,” I said. “I took a techniques class at the Art Institute, but this is the first time I'm not recreating someone else's work.”

“It's amazing. You're a natural.” He smiled and put a hand on my shoulder. “Who are the people in the trees? What do they represent?”

“I don't know,” I lied. “I think the one in the middle is me.”

They were us: me, Keira and Scott, but I couldn't tell Hisoka about them without revealing a whole lot more.

“What about him?” He pointed to a figure on the right. A man lurked in the shadows, facing the trees.

“Oh, that's you,” I lied again. I couldn't explain, not even to myself, why Brody had appeared in my vision.

Heart of Humanity takes place years later. This story is mostly told from a child's point of view. Noah Maddock is 11, nearly 12 years-old when he returns to Tkaron after living abroad, where there was no such divide between the classes. The adults in this series have been so focused on improving their world that at first all they can see are the problems, and later all they can see are the improvements. I wondered if the next generation would feel that it was enough of a change. Noah's perspective adds depth to an already deep story, and he also has to deal with another issue that is relevant to far too many students in our schools, bullying.

What is the most difficult part of writing?

For me, the most difficult part of the writing process is thinking up a good title (see above). The second most difficult task is thinking of a tagline. And the third most difficult part is writing the synopsis. I am astounded by people who are good at boiling ideas down to the bare bones while drawing readers in and somehow not giving everything away.

For my Reliance on Citizens trilogy, I finished the first book and started on the second, and I still didn't know what I was going to call it. To this day, it's the title I like the least. Meanwhile, Canvas Skies (book 2 in the series) was one of the titles I'd considered for book 1, and Heart of Humanity basically named itself.

Now, I'm stuck trying to name my new novella. Would you consider helping me out by taking the survey I've posted here? S.L. Wallace Official Website If you don't like any of the titles, can you think of a great one? If I end up using a title you suggest, I will send you free e-copies of all of my books, including this one when it's released. Thank you very much!

What is your favorite part of writing?

I love getting to know my characters. It takes me some time to get into their heads, but once I'm there, the writing flows naturally. It's one of the reasons I like writing from different points of view.

For my latest work, I absolutely loved doing research. I learned so many fascinating things about history. It was so much fun seeing how things just fell into place and finding gems under rocks. For example, when I was doing research on Connecticut colony, I stumbled across the story of the Wyllys Oak which was far more exciting than the story I had originally planned for that chapter of the book.

As part of my sweepstakes running through July 5, I now have a question for you...

If you could travel to any period in history, when would you go and why?
Posting a comment here will allow you to enter for +5 additional points toward the drawing. Images and details can be found here: http://slwallace.com/latest-news.html

Where can your books be found?

All of my books can be found at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Smashwords. My paperbacks can also be purchased directly from Create Space: Price of a Bounty, Canvas Skies, and Heart of Humanity.

Do you believe in ghosts?

I have had a few paranormal experiences in my lifetime. By paranormal, I simply mean that some things have happened to me that I could not explain. That is not to say that what happened cannot be explained or that it can only be explained by supernatural means. Today, I'd like to share an experience from my past. Take it to mean what you will. As for me, I'm content to let it remain unexplained.

When I was 16 years old, we took a week-long family vacation to Cape May, New Jersey. When we arrived, we learned that the town of Cape May was an historical landmark, and as such, all of the buildings there needed to follow certain codes. It was absolutely beautiful and, other than the cars, looked as if it had sprung out of a history textbook. Cape May is directly on the Atlantic coast. People rent bikes to ride along the picturesque streets and buy kites to fly on the sandy beach in the summer. They go sun bathing and body boarding beneath crystal clear blue skies. At least, they did when I was 16.

My parents had rented the right half of an old house. Inside, there were three narrow floors. On the ground floor was a living room, a dining room, a kitchen and a small bathroom. The second and third floors had only bedrooms. My younger brother and I ran to the top floor and immediately chose bedrooms up there. The room I chose was between the other two. To get to it, I had to climb the final flight of stairs, turn around the banister, take a few steps down the hallway and then turn left. My brother's room was farther down that same hallway, directly at the end of it. My parents chose a room on the second floor. I was thrilled to be up on the top floor. Not only could I see the ocean from my bedroom window, I could hear the surf. It was perfect!

The first night, nothing strange happened to me, but when I woke, I learned that during the night my brother had moved down to the second floor into a room that connected to my parents' room. I didn't really think anything of it. Maybe I was still holding a grudge from a few years earlier when I'd wanted to pitch a tent and stay out in the backyard, only my parents would only allow it if there were at least two of us out there, and then when my brother got scared and wanted to go back inside, my mom wouldn't let me return to the tent. Okay, maybe I'm still holding that grudge.

The next night, I said 'goodnight' to my family on the second floor and headed up to the third floor by myself. With each step as I climbed higher, it became more and more difficult to breathe and my heart pounded harder and faster. I rounded the banister and the feelings intensified, but as soon as I entered my room, those physical sensations immediately vanished. Because it creeped me out, I wore my headphones to bed that night and fell asleep to music rather than to the sound of the ocean waves pounding upon the shore outside my open window. The next night was the same. In fact, every night was like that for the rest of the week. But I didn't tell anyone. I'd learned my lesson well from that tent experience. I knew if I told my parents what was going on, they'd make me move down to the second floor too, and I was not about to give up my most awesome room.

Flash forward to the next summer. My mom and I went for a walk. Prior to the walk, she'd been listening to a CD she'd purchased at Cape May because one of the songs, "Cristofori's Dream" by David Lanz, reminded her of the beach. She asked me what I'd thought of that family vacation.

I answered honestly, "I loved it. All except for that one room."

Then she asked me a strange question. "Has your brother ever told you why he switched rooms?"

I said, no, and she suggested that I ask him about it sometime.

Sometime ended up being years later. You know how conversations drift from one topic to the next, and by the time we returned home, I simply forgot to ask him about it. It just wasn't that important to me, I guess. So years later, my husband and I invited my brother and his girlfriend over for dinner. One topic led to the next and we began to reminisce.

Suddenly, I remembered and said, "Oh, Mom said I should ask you why you switched rooms at Cape May."

His answer was interesting, to say the least. He said he'd woken up that first night from a terrible nightmare. Not only that, but his room was absolutely freezing, and it was so dark he couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. That is why he high-tailed it to a room on the second floor.

So there it is. Take it for what you will.

S.L. Wallace is the author of the Reliance on Citizens trilogy and Retrospection.