It’s All About the Love – Cate Masters

Inspiration can be a tricky thing. Sometimes it strikes at inopportune times – say, the shower. Or while driving. Or yes, in the middle of the night. (No, I don’t follow my muse out of bed. I’m too lazy.) When I’m very lucky, entire stories will practically fall out of my head, no assembly required. Those are the very best kind of stories, for the writer and hopefully for the reader.

That’s what happened with Seventh Heaven. It coalesced inside my head and all I had to do was write as quickly as I could (and revise afterward, of course!).

My oldest brother served in the Vietnam War, and one of his letters told of an incident involving a Vietnamese boy. That incident never left me, and plays a central role in Seventh Heaven, though my brother’s experience was less tragic, thankfully.

I had researched the Sixties for a novel. Though I grew up in that era, I was too young to fully appreciate its impact. When you’re just a kid and the first man walks on the moon, it seems like an everyday occurrence. I didn’t realize the extraordinariness of the Sixties until I’d grown up (if I can truly claim that ever happened).

The music of the Sixties had a huge impression on me. I was one of the youngest Beatlemaniacs, and in fact, named the hero in Seventh Heaven after Paul McCartney, who dropped his real first name of James. My story’s soundtrack includes the incomparable Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, Janis Joplin and others -.the music that shaped my life and inspired me. No story from that time would be complete without it.

The setting is actually my hometown of Lambertville, NJ and New Hope, PA (if you’ve ever been there, you know it’s like one town separated by the Delaware River). The Music Circus flourished then, but sadly exists no longer. At night when I was young, I could hear bands like Chicago echoing through the woods. Now that I no longer live in the area, I miss its artsy feel.

Adding real-life events and settings and historical details adds authenticity to a story. But while I use certain elements from real life, I never base characters on actual people. There’s a T-shirt that says something like: Careful or you’ll end up in my novel. Funny T-shirt slogan, but not a good idea. If a person has an interesting trait or quirk, I sometimes apply it to a character, but never in a way that resembles the actual person. I do like to name my characters after people I love or admire, though. In the historical novel I recently finished, the character’s names are Samuel Langhorne and Livvie, named after one of my literary idols, Samuel Langhorne Clemens (also known as Mark Twain) and his wife Olivia. Livvie’s niece’s dolls are Annette and Julian – my sister and her husband. Other stories contain similar references.

But those are fun little story details. I’m a big believer in karma, and I try to only put good stuff out there, so only good will come back. (So goes the theory, anyway.) It’s all about the love.

Today, to celebrate its release from The Wild Rose Press, I’m giving away a PDF copy of Seventh Heaven to a random commenter who can tell me which musician makes a cameo appearance in my story. The answer is here.

http://catemasters.blogspot.com/2008/10/value-of-authenticating-details.html
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy Seventh Heaven. I’d love to hear back from you.

The author of four novels, Cate Masters’ short stories and flash fiction have appeared in various web zines and press sites. Visit her online at http://catemasters.ning.com/ or http://www.catemasters.blogspot.com or friend her on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1307236931&ref=name