Today, author C.C. Harrison shares where she gets her story ideas from.

Where do your story ideas come from? I'm asked that all the time. My stories are mostly inspired by my personal experience which I then inflate, expand, glamorize, and fictionalize into an acceptable novel format.

I wrote my Native American novel The Charmstone after I'd spent a year living on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Monument Valley. I wrote my child finder novel Picture of Lies after I'd spent time as a child advocate in a family court system. I've often suspected that my Old West Historical Sage Cane's House of Grace and Favor was based on one of my previous lives in a fledgling Colorado mining town back in the mid-1800s. (It could happen.)

The idea for my ukulele themed book Death by G-String came to me in a most unexpected way.

One night I saw Zooey Deschanel on television playing a ukulele. I stopped what I was doing and watched, fascinated. She looked so darn cute. Not long after that, I saw someone's ninety year old grandmother on television playing a ukulele, and again something compelled me to stop and watch. Not long after that, I read in my local newspaper that Heidi Swedberg was coming to a local library to give ukulele lessons and she was bringing the ukuleles to use. You may remember Heidi as George's girlfriend on the TV show Seinfeld? She now has a touring ukulele group called Heidi Swedberg and the Sukey Jump Band.

Anyway, I signed up for the ukulele class at the library. When I walked into the room where the lessons would be held, I was surprised to see only one seat left. I quickly claimed it.

Heidi walked in pulling a huge cart full of ukuleles. She walked around handing them out, taught us a few chords, and by the end of the class I could play a song! I was so excited!!!

And at the end of that class when Heidi came around collecting those ukuleles . . . I didn't want to give it back.

I did, though, and the next day I went out and bought a soprano ukulele, a chord chart, and a book for beginners. I eventually joined the Phoenix Ukulele Club, and a small Wednesday ladies group. I learned one song by heart and made my solo coffee shop debut not long after.

It was about that time that I began telling people that I was born to be a rock star, but I write books instead.

I now own 5 ukuleles, 2 guitars, a hand made Black Mountain dulcimer, and a minstrel dulcimer which is a small dulcimer that you play like a guitar.

At the time, my first 4 books had been published, and I was taking some time off from writing, but it wasn't long before an idea for a ukulele themed mystery started swirling around in my head. The result was my book called Death by G-String, a Coyote Canyon Ladies Ukulele Club Mystery. (Later, when that book won a Colorado Humanities Book Award, I felt that empty seat in the library had been divinely inspired just waiting for me to claim it.)

Now ukuleles have four strings, one of them is a G-string, and that led to the title of my book, because one of the characters in the book is strangled to death with a ukulele G-string.

I fell in love with my book cover the minute I saw it, and I thank my publisher and the graphic artist who came up with it.

The title of the book is predominantly featured in big yellow letters. Underneath the title it very clearly says Coyote Canyon Ladies Ukulele Club Mystery. There's a picture of a music stand with a sign that says UKULELE PRACTICE 7 PM TONIGHT, and practice chairs set up around a music stand. It shows a picture of a ukulele right there on one of the chairs.

The back cover copy gives a summary of the book and says "The Coyote Canyon Ladies Ukulele Club is gearing up for a ukulele competition when their flamboyant star player, Kiki Jacquenette, is found strangled to death with a G-string."

And, that is the information my publisher and my agent sent to Amazon. So, clearly, anyone would be able to tell that it's a ukulele themed book. Right?

Well, Amazon thought it would be a good idea to put my book in the same category . . . as UNDERWEAR!

Oh, yes, I was peeved at first, but quickly realized that the placement there would get me a whole slew of new readers!! Proving once again that ". . . in all things God works for the good of those who love him."

Here's a little poem I wrote during the actual writing of Death by G-String. Some of you may be able to identify with what it describes.

A BOOK IS BORN

by

C. C. Harrison

I sit at the keyboard and type Chapter One

Then wonder who has seen my latest Facebook post.

So I take a moment to check in.

Oh! A survey. This will only take a minute.

Do I take selfies it asks me.

No.

Well, maybe I do.

Sometimes.

Next question: Do you have a dog?

No.

Do you have a cat?

No.

What kind of a writer am I, no dog, no cat.

Oh, look here! Something new on Netflix.

Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh.

Back to the keyboard to write the opening line of the book.

"Pia's back in town,

"I never thought she'd show her face around here again."

Oh, wait! Did I remember to put half and half on my grocery list?

I jot down "1/2 and 1/2" and pour a cup of coffee.

Dunkin Donuts medium roast.

 Almost out, so I add that to the grocery list, too.

Back to Chapter One. Next line.

"Me, neither. Not after what happened to Carly."

I pause.

What did happen to Carly?

Hmmm. I haven't figured that out yet.

I get on the treadmill until it comes to me.

So, really, where do you get your story ideas? How is your book born? I'd really like to know. You can tell me at arizonaauthor2@gmail.com.