Back in the
day, I used to prepare a scrapbook style story board for each of my stories. They would be filled with cuttings from magazines and catalogues, key words, even scraps
of fabric. The boards were a bit messy and cumbersome and my skills with glue and
sticky tape left much to be desired—bits and pieces were always falling off!
Then along came
Pinterest! What a joy to make a digital scrapbook for each story. Inspiration
for every aspect of my book at the click of the keyboard—hero, heroine, their
clothes, their jewellery, their rooms, house, places they travel. I became a
big fan. Some might say an addict!
First I start
with inspiration for the hero and heroine. What an excuse to trawl through photos
of gorgeous males!
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| The joys of research! |
Equally fun to find my perfect heroine. Even more fun the
clothes she wears. As many of my books for Harlequin Romance feature a wedding,
I have a page just for beautiful wedding ideas, including spectacular gowns.
For my latest
book STRANDED WITH HER GREEK TYCOON, I researched inspiration for the hero
Cristos: Greek, exceptionally handsome, tall and dark (of course!) with the
kind of looks that made him an international model. After much pleasant
browsing, I settled on French model Nicolas Simoes.
For petite, blonde heroine Hayley, I went no
further than lovely actress Michelle Williams. Then there was the blue coat
Hayley wore—I found one that was just what I imagined. And her wedding dress of
course!
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| Michelle Williams - inspiration for my heroine Hayley |
Of course as the writing of the book progresses, the hero and heroine become people in their own right (in my imagination, that is!) and very soon they are uniquely themselves, and perhaps different from the images that inspired me.
Here’s a
screenshot of my Pinterest board for Stranded
with Her Greek Tycoon.
Why not hop
over to the site and see it in more detail. If you’ve read the book, I wonder
if it differs from the image you have in your mind of the characters and the
settings! https://www.pinterest.com.au/kandyshepherd/cristos-and-hayley-stranded-with-her-greek-tycoon-/
Do you use Pinterest for inspiration (I also have boards for home and garden!) Do you scrapbook? I'd love to see your comments.
Kandy
Shepherd’s Stranded with Her Greek Tycoon is a February 2018 release from Harlequin Romance in North America; Mills& Boon True Love in the UK; and Mills & Boon Forever Romance in
Australia and New Zealand.
The model on the covers of the UK and Australian editions is just how I imagined Cristos—and not dissimilar to the images I collected on my board!
Kandy Shepherd is a multi-published,
award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives on
a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her family and a
menagerie of four-legged friends.
Visit Kandy at her
website
Photos of male model and Michelle Williams from Deposit Photos.
