Hey, everybody, say hello to my good friend Cat Schield! Some of you may recognize her from her Golden Heart win in Orlando last summer for A Case of Meddling, now titled Meddling With A Millionaire. She's a chapter mate of mine up here in the Frozen Wilds Where Spring Dare Not Bloom (otherwise known as Minnesota) and I'm delighted to have her with us today to talk about her debut Harlequin Desire, Meddling With A Millionaire.Without any further ado, I give you Cat:
Thanks so much to the Romance Bandits for inviting me to join them today.
When people in my life find out I'm a writer, I'm often asked where I get my ideas. I tell them I borrow a lot from television, movies and songs. Something I see or hear will trigger an idea and I'm off and running.
In my debut book, I saw my hero as a throwback to those wonderful movies from the fifties. Tuxedo wearing, suave and sophisticated, but with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, Nathan Case is a cross between Carry Grant and Errol Flynn. Because his mother loved Frank Sinatra, I gave Nathan a great voice and opportunities to use it. I wasn't sure if my heroine was all that impressed with his dashing charm, but it sure made me fall in love with him.
To celebrate the release of Meddling With A Millionaire, I decided to write a novella tie in called Her Secret Millionaire. (Available as a free read on my website. www.catschield.com.)The story is about Nathan's best friend, Cody, and his journey to happily ever after. For this story, I was inspired by Glee. The opening scene of Her Secret Millionaire is a take on Baby It's Cold Outside, sung on the Christmas show by Kurt and Blaine. I've always been a huge fan of this song. The playfulness of the seduction hints at more serious undertones and provides great sexual tension.
Another Glee inspired scene comes courtesy of Will Schuster. In an episode that focused on teen drinking, he gets intoxicated and calls Emma, pouring his heart out to her. Although I was cringing in sympathy through the entire scene, I knew exactly where something like that would fit in the novella.
So where do you get your inspiration? Don't be shy! One lucky commenter will receive a copy of Cat's debut novel Meddling with a Millionaire!
Cat Schield lives in Minnesota with her daughter and their Burmese cat. Winner of the Romance Writers of America 2010 Golden Heart® for series contemporary romance, when she’s not writing sexy, romantic stories for Harlequin Desire, she can be found sailing with friends on the St. Croix River or more exotic locales like the Caribbean and Europe.
You can find her on Twitter and on Facebook, as well as on her website where you can read both her novella Her Secret Millionaire and a blurb of her debut novel Meddling With A Millionaire.
25 comments:
i normally get my inspiration when i look around and my mind drifts. like today i was looking at the hills around me and i thought back to all the years before when there was no cement and what it must of been like. next thing you know im picturing england and bringing in a handsome guy and a beautiful woman just going off to daydream. and then for my photography i just see the beauty in every little thing. my favorite thing is sunsets with a body of water.
Welcome Cat,
I get inspiration from those around me like family, friends and coworkers. Sometimes I see something on the new about ordinary people who do great things and that never fails to inspire me.
Lindsey, the chook goes back to you?
Cat, what a great blog. And congratulations on your debut Desire. I LOVE a man who can sing - seriously I'm a sucker for a guy with good tonsils. So you kinda had me at hello. Have you seen the original movie version of Baby, It's Cold Outside? I've got a feeling it won the Oscar as best song of that year. If it didn't, it darn well should have! Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban and it's SOOOOO sexy.
thanks anna i was starting to feel lost without him. he gives me the warm fuzzies
Lindsey, I worry about you, I truly do ;-)
Congrats Lindsey - The GR feels at home with you - oh and those warm fuzzies - those are feathers, my dear. It's molting season. (grin).
Hi Cat - Welcome to the Lair. Congratulations to you on the Golden Heart win. Cool that you won in Orlando where dreams really do come true. Love the title of your new book. I won't mind meddling with a millionaire (grin).
The inspiration for my upcoming August release came from a bit of research I was doing for another book. But I often find inspiration in twisting a familiar movie plot as well. It's the characters that make the stories unique. This sounds like a fun read - I'll be watching for it.
I am inspired by those with a gift - anything creative or generous. It makes me want to have a go. Do my best, even though things may not work out to be perfect.
Well done lindsey he must have been missing you have fun with him
Hi Cat
Love the sound of this book and congrats on winning The Golden Heart.
As for insiration I get that fom reading books and my family
Have Fun
Helen
I don't write books (although I do write poetry for friends). That being said, I AM inspired on a daily basis. My girlfriends inspire me via emails and phone calls to save more money at the grocery stores with various sales and coupons, etc.; the TV show "Extreme Couponing" inspires me not to overdo it with spending; the TV show "Hoarders" inspires me to keep my house tidy; Rachael Ray inspires me to change things up with my cooking; my bathroom scales inspire me to keep my portions under control; and my friends and family inspire me to "be myself" and "speak up for myself", especially when others try to get me to do things I just don't want to do.
Hello Romance Bandits!! Thanks for hosting me.
Lindsey, just reading your description of the hills gets my imagination revved up. It's so interesting how the same scene brings each of us a different inspiration. My mind went to evil developers that need to be stopped.
Jane, I love pulling from those around me. I'm an only child and used my best friend's large family to craft the interactions for characters from my Golden Heart book
Anna, there's something sexy about a crooner. I am off to search for the Ester Williams/Ricardo Montalban version of Baby It's Cold Outside. He's so hot and she was always so sweet. I'll bet it's fabulous!
Donna, thanks! Orlando was a dream come true. Especially after all the years I spent entering the GH and not finaling.
Marybelle, i love writing about creative people. The heroine in Meddling With A Millionaire is a jewelry designer. I love visiting art shows and seeing the amazing unique designs. Oh, if only I could afford some of it!!
Helen, every once in a while I pick up something published a decade earlier and see a really overdone plot and think, what if this scenario were reversed.... That's lots of fun!
Laney4, oh, don't even get me started about home improvement shows. Or how I go grocery shopping after watching a couple hours of the Food Network.
I think it's great to stay open to all sorts of things. You never know when it will change your life!
Enjoy GR Lindsey
Welcome Cat... I don't write but I sew and I get my inspiration from books and blogs .....even while I am in the shower LOL
Good Morning Cat!
Wow, what a cool twist on heroes with them singing and all. I can almost hear Nathan belting out "New York, New York" next month at the conference!
Looking forward to reading these!
Lindsey, congratulations on the GR!
Cat, welcome to the Lair, and congratulations on your award-winning debut!
I get inspiration everywhere. "What if" is a fun game. One of my historicals was inspired by a visit to a particular castle in England, but everything from news stories to conversations overheard in restaurants can be springboards for ideas.
When it comes to translating, I get some good ideas from the internet. For my hobbies, like knitting and baking I get ideas from the internet, tv, books...
Hey Cat -
Love to hear your call story - call to share?
Hope everyone is enjoying this long weekend!
Hey, everybody! Greetings from the beatiful north shore of lake superior! I'm getting a boatload of inspiration from the views & the stories of people who lived & worked up here years ago. No easy life, tell you what. Access to the web is sketchy at best so I'll be scarce til we get home but I'm loving everybody's sources of inspiration! Keep 'em coming!
Hello Cat and welcome to the Lair. Susan of the Spring Doesn't Come that Far North...Do you want me to tell you that it's 90 degrees again today in Dallas and the pool will be getting it's inaguratorial use today? hehehe
Where do I get my ideas?
I like to play the "what if" game. What if my heroine's father abandoned her to a life in a gilded cage and was living out west? What if she arrived in town to find him and discovers not only has he recently died, but that while he didn't want to raise her, he raised five orphaned men on a ranch? What if she was attracted to one of those men? What if he was of mixed race? What if it was 1880's Texas?
Congratulations on your debut release, Cat! It's good to have you visit the Lair.
We must be kindred spirits because I get a lot of my inspiration from TV and movies. Some little scene or comment will set my fancy flying!
Whew, taking a break from cleaning house to pop back here and see what's up.
Barb, I often hop in the tub if I'm looking to have my mind expanded. Something about hot water and candlelight brings me all sorts of great insights.
Hi Joan, it was fun to make Nathan a singer. I wish I hadn't had to cut out all the lyrics, but you know how copyrights go!
Nancy, what if is definitely one of my favorite games. It sure can springboard me to some pretty out there ideas, but you never know what might actually work.
Minna, I have a guy I work with who sends me pictures of houses that catch his interest on the internet. Nothing like visualizing a house to imagining the sort of person that would live there.
Hi Susan, hope you're enjoying your time out of town. Wish the weather was better for you. Thanks for inviting me today. This is such a fun group. I'm having a ball!!
Suzanne, you are a terrible tease about the warm weather in Texas. It's been so unseasonably cool this spring. I bought a convertible Mini Cooper in March and have only had the top down twice. ;-(
Jo, I think TV is one of my favorite places to get ideas for character. With a series, the writers really have the time to explore a character's strengths and weaknesses. One of my favorites is House. Talk about complicated.
Donna, my call story was a long time in coming. I started submitting to Harlequin in the mid 80s. Gave up for a while. Tried again in the mid nineties. Got closer. Gave up again for ten years. Then in 2006, I decided to try one more time. I won the WisRWA Fab Five with Meddling With A Millionaire and had a request for a full. By the time I got it done, the editor that requested it had quit Harlequin and after attending Nationals in 2007, I knew the book wasn't what Desire was looking for.
So, I turned my attention to other stories while I contemplated what to do with Meddling. In 2008 I had another request for it off a contest final. I still wasn't sure the book was right, and by the time I felt good about it, that editor had left.
By now it was mid 2009. I pitched to my agent at Nationals with a different book. She liked it, but wondered if I had anything else. After reading Meddling she offered to represent me. A brand new editor had come on board at Desire and she sent Meddling to him. He liked it and suggested some changes to even out the tension.
8 months after I turned in the revised story, he bought Meddling for Desire. My agent called me on a Monday afternoon as I was walking out of work. It had been so long a wait that she had to repeat herself twice before I understood Harlequin wanted to buy my book.
Needless to say that moment in time will be etched into my memory in sharp detail forever.
Cat:
Congrats on your debut - I've been really looking forward to this book!
Inspiration is everywhere - I think that's one of the most fun things about being a writer. We just *see* the world in stories. :-)
Addison
Cat - LOL - Nothing in this business every happens quickly, does it? Except the moment you accept the long-awaited offer, life goes into hyperdrive! At least that's the way it seemed to me Yay for your perseverance and hard fought battle. Now, you just have to repeat it, and repeat it, and repeat it...
Hi, all. So sorry I was completely absent yesterday! The weather turned lovely up north & my husband wouldn't be talked out of stopping in Duluth on the way home.
Anyway, thank you all for turning out to say hello to Cat! I'm so excited for her deubt and I know you are, too! Thanks for coming out to play today, Cat!
Hi, Cat! Congrats on your writing success and on getting such beautiful covers.
Writers are sponges, soaking up everything around them. I keep a notepad handy because I'm always seeing someone or something that I see potential for including in a book. Autos, clothes, shoes, crazy shop names, wild characters (I live in the boonies, hon!), animals, oops church marquis msg... Inspiration is everywhere!
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