Where do all my stories come from?

I recently had someone ask me where I get all my ideas for stories. The simple answer is that I make them up, but in reality, they’re snippets of individual ideas tied into a common storyline. The Heir to the Crown series started as a Fantasy Role-Playing(RPG) Game (think D & D), though the books have expanded on that considerably.

The Frozen Flame, on the other hand, was mostly made up from scratch. It started with a simple idea that two mages from opposite schools of magic (in this case, fire and water) would somehow find a way to combine their magic to produce an even more powerful effect. Athgar and Natalia had been minor characters in another RPG campaign but underwent a significant revision before making it into the books. Thus, the family was born, and the concept of Athgar’s inner spark being unleashed by the Orcs was all new.

As for Power Ascending? That also started with two background characters, Ludwig and Margaret, though I had to change her name to Charlaine since I’d already used the name Margaret for someone else in the Heir to the Crown series. Once again, the two characters were considerably revised, but the basic concept, a lord becoming king and a Temple Knight rising through the ranks, remained intact.
​
What’s next? My major series will keep me busy for the next couple of years, but don’t worry, I’ve plenty more ideas to explore in the future.