Inspiration

I frequently gain inspiration for a short story or novella from chance sensory encounters; serendipitous connections made from snippets of conversation overheard, an illustration or a scene from a film. For example, my most recent novella, Making Her Pay, grew out of a liking for Ken Russell's deliciously camp horror movie, The Lair of the White Worm. Based on a novel by Irish author, Bram Stoker, best known for Dracula, the film includes a banquet of phallic symbolism and a cautionary tale of what happens to young men who accept rides from seductive older women in sports cars…