Exploring the coolest place on Earth
People often ask me where I get my ideas. Well, if I told you…you probably wouldn’t believe me. But here’s my best answer:
Everywhere.
One of my favorite things about being an author is exploring places I’ve never been. I never know what will jump out at me. A strange detail in a museum. A conversation I probably shouldn’t be eavesdropping on in a café. An old building with a mysterious past. Or something that makes me stop and think, Hmmm…that would be a great place to steal a diamond.
Perfectly normal thought if you’re a mystery writer.
That’s exactly what happened when I traveled to Québec City to research The Ice Diamond. I went the first week in March—not because this Arizona girl had a burning desire to freeze her buns off, but because the Ice Hotel would soon start melting. I wanted to experience exactly what my characters would.
Clearly, I take this research thing too seriously. I wandered the snowy streets of Old Québec, explored the Château Frontenac, learned about Canada’s diamond history, and discovered dozens of details I never would have found sitting behind my desk. Then I visited the Hôtel de Glace—the Ice Hotel.
It may literally be the coolest place on earth.
The walls are ice. The bar is ice. The sculptures are gorgeous carvings of ice. Even the beds are ice.
And yes, I slept on one. All night. Did I mention I live in Arizona?
Naturally, while everyone else was oohing and aahing over the incredible beauty, my mystery-writer brain was busy thinking: How could someone steal a diamond here? Where would they hide it? And what happens when the evidence starts to melt?
Not exactly living in the moment. But that’s the fun of traveling as a writer. Inspiration has a habit of showing up in the strangest places—usually when I’m not looking for it.
What is your most memorable adventure? I’d love to hear from you
I know you have one. Because every diamond has a story…sometimes I just need to shut down my computer and look around.
Want to know more about our author CB Wilson? Visit her WEBSITE.
Be sure to return in November for more fun blogs, puzzles, and our next cozy mystery giveaway!
Posted in Let's Talk, with C.B. Wilson • Tags: CB Wilson, Let's Talk, The Coolest Place on Earth | 5 Comments
Love those statues
Hi C.B., my most memorable adventure was a trip to Jordan to visit Petra, one of the most famous Wonders of the World. It was magical.
No pun intended, but I think visiting the Ice Hotel would be very cool. As for ideas, I’m with you. Ideas strike sometimes with the smallest things. The idea for my McKenna series came about when I was looking outside through blinds, and I had a vision of an amateur sleuth in Hawaii. Go figure.
Not sure I can pick one most memorable adventure. As a college art student, I spent nearly a week in Florence, Italy, viewing in person some of the world’s most magnificent works of art. Pictures in art history books don’t come anywhere near to doing them justice. Same for finally getting to stand awestruck on the edge of the Grand Canyon about 30 years later. As an author, inspiration struck upon visiting Gaudi’s Parc Guell in Barcelona and resulted in Mosaic Mayhem, one of my Anastasia Pollack Crafting Mini-Mysteries.
I agree that ideas can come from anywhere. As for adventures, every day is an adventure! I have traveled widely and worked at different places in my first career as a nurse. But the biggest adventures have been getting married and having kids, and now it’s facing the future. You never know what’s around the next corner.