Thursday 15 March 2012

Can Imagination Exist Without Inspiration?

GUEST POST by Amy Lignor

Throughout my life, depending on the ‘stage’ I was in at the time, inspiration came from a variety of sources. Over the years I’ve been inspired by everything ranging from sunsets to puppies to Jane Austen (God bless her); to more intense inspirations, like my daughter’s first smile. At the age of nineteen she still has an incredible smile, and when she speaks about me to her friends and says that I am the ‘coolest’ and ‘best mom in the world’ she makes me lift off the ground like I have wings attached to my back. It was the love of books, movies, and the love I have for that incredible smile that led me on an exciting - sometimes frightening - path. And without these things, my imagination could never have ‘sparked.’

The baby was the challenge. That came with fear, doubt, and prayers galore that I wouldn’t screw up a human life that I loved this much. When they placed Shelby in my arms for the first time I told her: “We’re in this together.” Without so much as a cry or a shudder, Shelby looked up at me, took in the full picture of this odd, sweaty person who was going to be her mother…and proceeded to fall asleep. At nineteen she still looks at an oddly sweaty mother - especially after a day of pulling my hair out because this whole Facebook/Twitter/Big Brother/Cell phone craze is driving me nuts - and sends me that encouraging smile. Of course, now it comes with words like: “I’m so proud of you, Mom.” After which, she still goes to sleep. (Although now it’s at 1:00 am because of those demonic cell phones that allow her friends to text in the middle of the bloody night.)

The thought for Until Next Time first came to me during the period in my own life where I was a teen who still wasn’t quite sure if I was going to make it. I was bullied about being overweight, I was tired of it all, and I turned to books and movies for a way out. I didn’t have a Harry Potter (which was a shame), but I did have the wonderful John Hughes’ movies to tell me that I was okay. I could be the geek, prom queen, basket case, criminal, or jock - and everything was just fine. In fact, “The Breakfast Club” is something I passed down to my own daughter so she’d know that all of the above was all right.

It was during this confusing time period that I remember questioning ‘angelic’ beings. Why would they possibly want to come down here? What would they end up becoming if they were one of us? Angels were obviously stronger, but what if all these human emotions we have just got to them and they went home and said: “Those guys down there are way too messed up!” (I wouldn’t have blamed them).

In Until Next Time, Emily and Matt are a great deal like our beloved children - they want freedom. They are angels who’ve been trained to embark on journeys to protect, defend, or destroy. But they are also teens ‘out of the house,’ so to speak, for the first time. When I saw the trends moving toward the ‘winged ones’ in the literary world, I thought it was time for Emily and Matt to join us. It’s not about religion, or belief vs. non-belief, Emily and Matt are all about being young and trying to figure out what the next step is going to be; and how to keep their faith in each other while they stand in a world that’s trying to rip them apart.

My daughter’s eyes, and my own teenage ones that stared back at me from the mirror long ago, blended together to create the adventures of Emily and Matt. And they inspire me to continue their story each and every day.

In the end, whether it’s a child, sunset, or puppy, I hope all writers and readers can take what they see, hear and feel to heart, so they can enjoy the paths they eventually choose. Because without that inspiration, I just don’t believe that imagination would have the slightest chance of survival!
 
Until Next Time, Everybody.
Amy

Click HERE for Amy's Blog The Write Companion,
and


7 comments:

  1. Great post, enjoyed it immensely!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I found this inspirational and it touched me emotionally. Keep up the good work.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you so much for having me on your fantastic site. It is so great to be able to share my inspiration and talk about the angel/warrior team. I truly wanted them to be different from the dark YA's out there and prove to the world that you can believe! Thank you again!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you so much, Amy, for your truly wonderful guest post! It was wonderful to read of your inspiration and to hear about the angel/warrior team especially in the light of the current angel YA scene!!
    Thank you DRANyland and Joy McGeorge for your lovely comments!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey there!

      I hope you're doing well. You were so kind to be a part of the blog tour for Until Next Time and because of amazing sites like yours, an event has been put together for the book. I wanted to let you and your readers know about a really big event that's coming up with cash and book giveaways - if you want to stop by or post on your site. Thank you!

      Twitter Party
      Tuesday, May 8, 2012
      8 p.m. Eastern

      Follow hashtag #UntilNextTime as author Amy Lignor answers your questions for 90 minutes live on Twitter. A $50 cash prize will be given to the person who has a receipt confirming an ebook purchase of Until Next Time and tweets at least once during the Twitter Party. We'll also be giving away a variety of ebooks and print books throughout the event. Let us know if you are planning to attend by tweeting @TributeBooks or @HelloWritersAmy to RSVP

      Happy Easter! God bless

      Delete
  5. What a beautiful image of a daughter's current experiences blending with her mom's memories to create the characters of Matt & Emily.

    ReplyDelete

Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.