“Where do you get your book ideas?” people always ask me.

They don’t seem to believe me when I say, “They just pop into my head.”

But that is the truth.

Authors get their ideas many different places. There may be a news story that sparks a plot. It might be a place they vacation. Perhaps it’s a dinner companion that announces, “Hey, I’ve got a great story for you.”

Several years ago, as a Hospice Volunteer, I was sitting with a patient who had her walls literally covered with photos of herself and her husband. They had been in a troupe of dancers in the early days of their marriage. Story idea?

Once I was reading a children’s picture book to my granddaughter and it became a catalyst for an intense drama—nothing like the children’s story, but there must have been a thread there…

One of my books was sparked by a recurring dream.

Book ideas can come from anywhere. But if you’re in the middle of writing something else, do what I do. Jot the idea in depth in your idea notebook for later on down the road.

Authors, where have you gotten your book ideas?

Readers, do you have ideas you think would give rise to the next bestseller?

Care to share?