As it's National Poetry Day, I thought I'd share a few thoughts on Byron. The celebrity cult of Lord Byron began while he was still alive, boomed when he died, and still continues today. He remains an object of fascination, scandal, and appeal. I've been interested in him since I first read about him in a "Famous People" encyclopaedia. It was a children's book, so it did not explore the more infamous aspects of his life. But it was enough to inspire me to delve further into research on the man and the myth - including the puzzle of the mirror . Ultimately, Byron went on to become a major inspiration for my first published book Day's Dying Glory , right down to its title. His early poems (generally my favourite ones) feature heavily in the book, and I enjoyed weaving in lines and references which Byron-fans would spot where others might not even notice them. Poets and poetry have inspired hundreds of writers. It is fascinating that language can be so power...
One of the questions I'm asked the most about my books and stories is: where does you your inspiration from come? Well, it comes from all sorts of places, but one thing which has inspired all my writing are legends. That fine balance between truths and facts are where legends come into their own... and so do novelists!
One of my favourite legends is the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and I find the study which has gone into trying to understand this quite fascinating. I have incorporated this legend into a number of my stories, sometimes as itself, sometimes in the guise of something else - a little bit like fairy tale retellings.
But the Pied Piper is certainly not alone. In short stories, I've wandered into the realms of Norse or Roman legends. In books, with my WIP I've delved into Christian legends, and the Caledon series is seeped in Scottish legends and mythology, every detail woven into a historical truth (even if it is not quite fact!). And The Year We Lived? Seeped in superstition and legends!
I find legends make the very best starting point for stories, the reason being that they grow, evolve and adapt with every telling. It's in their nature. Therefore, what is to stop an author from taking that tale one step further and adding a larger backstory? Or an extra set of characters? Or another setting? These stories have withstood the test of time, they can handle a new direction from a modern pen!
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