Inspiration with Debbie Manber Kupfer

I'd like to thank Debbie for joining me on my blog today to talk about this month's theme - Inspiration. It's a great thing, isn't it? To be inspired - there's no other feeling like it. Like we've mentioned before, it's unexplainable. Well, let's try to make a tiny bit of sense of it, shall we?

Tell us a bit about yourself. I’m a writer, puzzle maker, mom, and cat lover! I grew up in London, but today live in St. Louis, MO. I divide my time between writing fiction and creating puzzles for magazines and my website, Paws 4 Puzzles. I get through each day by drinking about a gallon of hot tea with milk and the occasional piece of dark chocolate. What inspired you to write P.A.W.S.? P.A.W.S. came to me in a flash in October of 2012. I clearly saw a young girl being handed a silver cat charm by her grandmother and knew instinctively that it was important. Over the next few days I mulled over the story with my daughter and it grew and then one day my daughter looked at me and said “Mom, you really have to write this!” It was just before National Novel Writing Month, so I took the challenge. What is the oddest thing that inspires your writing? Odd snippets of overheard conversation. I love people watching and spend a lot of time hanging out in cafes listening in to conversations. Sometimes you pick up the weirdest things this way and from those odd, out of context comments my stories are born.

Do you base anything in your stories on events or people in real life?

Oh yes, there’s a ton of real mixed in with my fantasy. The characters of Celia and Max (Miri’s omama and opapa) are based on my grandparents and like Miri I lost my omama when I was just ten years old. We were very close and lots of the stories she told me about life in Vienna and London make it into my stories. Even the cats, Kitty and Susie, she kept when my father was small have made it into P.A.W.S.

Also Joey Marks, the animagus kangaroo exchange student is based on my son, Joey, who shares a lot of his characteristics. Very bouncy and enthusiastic, but also crazy smart.

Tell me about a time when you wanted to write, but just couldn’t find the inspiration to do so. I often find it hard to get going; I’m a procrastinator (wouldn’t that be a lame super-hero?!) But once I do I usually find the words.

Do you ever get over-inspired where the story is flooding your mind, but you can’t seem to get it out fast enough? When I was writing the first draft of P.A.W.S. this happened quite a bit. I’d get so caught up in the story that I’d forget to eat and it would blend into my dreams.

When did you start writing? I’ve been writing ever since I was a child. I wrote a story when I was 8 about turning into a ladybug (see even back them there was a shapeshifter!) and sent it to the Puffin Post. I was so excited when I saw my name in the magazine; I’d got a special mention for my ladybug story.

Why do you write? Because I’d go crazy (scratch that, even more crazy) if I didn’t. And because I have a story to share with the world and myself – I want to know what happens!

Does your writing inspire you in other parts of your life? Oh yes, I’ve decided to become a cat in real life! Can I do that? No, seriously I think it’s more the other way around. Much of what I do inspires my writing and ends up in it somehow. The puzzles for example. In every book I’ve written so far there’s been a character or two who enjoys puzzles – and there’s a crossover in Paws 4 Logic, the puzzle book I wrote with my son, as several of those puzzles are set in the P.A.W.S. universe.

What advice would you give to writers who can’t seem find that little something they need to keep going? Chocolate helps! I bribe myself with mint chocolate M&Ms! Also try NaNoWriMo. It really really helped me get started and I still participate each November. This year I’m going to write the first draft for P.A.W.S. 4 (No title yet.)

Do you think finding inspiration becomes easier the more you write? Sometimes. But to be honest I’ve always had ideas for stories, it’s just sitting on my butt and making them happen that’s the problem.

Miri in P.A.W.S. is a strong character who has the ability to become an inspiration for your young adult readers. How do you write a character like that? There’s an awful lot of me in Miri. I was bullied at school and feel that the experience overall has made me stronger. I’ve gone through life wanting to prove my childhood bullies wrong and that attitude translates onto the page in the form of Miri.

Do you have anything more you’d like to tell your readers out there? Keep reading, keep dreaming, and take your time to stop and watch the world go by!

Thanks again Debbie! How can readers connect with you?

Paws4Thought Paws4Puzzles Facebook Twitter: @CiciCat42 Amazon

Goodreads

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September is inspiration month at MichelleLynnAuthor.com. I hope you’ll stick around to hear from other authors about finding what works for them. We’ve got a pretty great line up of posts coming your way. Here is the kick off post!

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