I never planned on writing a 125K word novel about the Amazon rainforest. My writing experience consists of grocery lists, Facebook posts, and a small notebook penned with a multitude of angsty teenage poetry. One day, a story entered my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about it. The people in my head would not go away! So I began writing. I'd write while breastfeeding my youngest throughout the day, and on my iPhone note section at night. It all began with this image that came across my Facebook feed.
My first thought: That guy back there is kinda hot. My second thought: Wow, these people are incredible.
I didn't know they were the indigenous people of Brazil. I thought they had merely dressed up for protesting this Belo Monte dam. Needless to say, I kept scrolling down my feed and soon forgot about the picture. Later that day, after my husband got home from work, everyone decided to take a nap. We're professional nappers in our household. Don't judge us. My husband insisted on listening to a white noise app while we slept. He chose jungle sounds. Within minutes, he was happily snoring.
I couldn't sleep at first. I found the noise too bothersome. Eventually, I began dreaming of a woman walking through a jungle. The man in the above picture was there with her. Where were they going? How did they get there? I don't remember much of what happened in that dream, but when I woke up, I knew I had to figure out the answers to my questions. Thus began my journey.
Now that I've shared what inspires me, I'd love to know: what inspires you?
