Nicholas C. Rossis is the award winning author of a number of books, including the superb Pearseus series that cleverly blends the best of Sci-Fi with elements of mythology and philosophy, as well as the delightful Runaway Smile, a children’s story in which a young boy discovers that the only smiles that matter are the ones that are shared.
Nicholas’ blog is a popular one; full of informative articles on writing, publishing and marketing, often tinged with humour and with links to a number of stories to read free online. Quite apart from that, he is a genuinely supportive writer and a nice guy.
Finding Inspiration
Like many authors, I’m asked on occasion where I find inspiration for my stories. The answer varies. Many of them stem from a dream. Others, from something I’ve read, or even a song that I’ve heard. Usually, the initial idea bears little resemblance to the final story.
This is particularly true of short stories; one of my favorite genres. To illustrate my point, here is how I came up with each of the stories in my recently published collection, Infinite Waters: 9+1 Speculative Fiction Short Stories.
The Things We Do for Lust
Beware of Greek gods bearing gifts
As a Greek, I grew up with ancient Greek myths. I was listening to some theories about Greek gods the other day. Everyone seems to have their own theory about them, describing them from anything between aliens to Atlantis refugees. “The Things We Do for Lust” offers a light-hearted alternative. Trekkies will probably enjoy the many Star Trek references.
The Twist in the Tale
A confused woman meanders through a sleepy town. But not all is as it seems…
“A Twist in the Tale” came to me while reading on Alzheimer’s. What if the warped reality of those suffering from this terrible disease is actually based on fact? What if we pity them only because we can’t see the full picture?
James’ Life
A man with nothing to look forward to but oblivion, discovers it’s not that easy to escape his life.
“James’ Life” is lighter in nature, despite the heaviness. I was reading about advances in 3D technology. What if video technology evolved to the point of the characters having their own feelings about what was happening to them? How happy would they be repeating the same mistakes night after night?
What’s in a Name?
A cruise has an unexpected ending…
I thought of “What’s in a Name?” while listening to Little Blue by The Beautiful South. I wrote two versions of this story; one in a tropical setting, and a second in a science-fiction one.
The Lucky Bastard
How far will the luckiest man alive go to escape his luck?
I was going through a rough patch when I thought of “The Lucky Bastard.” Life can throw us a whole lot of curveballs, but where would we be without them? I started wondering how important these times are to us. Would we be able to appreciate a life with no hardship whatsoever? Would someone who has led a perfect life be happy, or deeply miserable, unable to enjoy and appreciate any of their achievements?
Two’s a Crowd
Blood runs thicker than water. Especially when you spill it.
The idea behind “Two’s a Crowd” came to me from a comic I read as a young teenager, and that I was thinking about the other day. A man has a recurring nightmare. Every single night he fights axe-wielding monsters in a bloodied battlefield. When a monster kills him and the police find his body, they are baffled as to why anyone would commit murder with a large axe. However, once again, it is the nature of reality that’s really questioned here. “Am I a butterfly dreaming I am a man, or a man dreaming I am a butterfly?”, as Chuang Chou put it.
Is There a Doctor in the House?
A high school student just loves to experiment…
A late-night special lies behind “Is There a Doctor in the House?” It is the tongue-in-cheek story of a well-known doctor’s son. What would he be like, as an awkward teenager? Would he continue his father’s experiments?
Sex and Dinner
A timeless combination. Or is it?
“Sex and Dinner” was a Valentine’s special I wrote for my blog, stemming from a discussion with a couple of friends about the strange ways species use to procreate.
Would You Like Flies With That?
Nothing’s scarier than a supermarket.
“Would You Like Files With That” is pretty much copied verbatim from a strange dream I had. I simply added the Halloween aspects when I published it on my blog as a Halloween special.
Infinite Waters
A woman seeks her future at a carnival. She discovers more than she expected.
Finally, I wrote “It’s in the Cards” as a contribution to the Rave Soup for the Writer’s Soul anthology. It comes from another dream, and was published there in December 2014, and became the container for these other stories under the new title, “Infinite Waters”.
Author at Work
As you can see, an author can find inspiration in pretty much anything. So, if you see me sitting on a chair, listening to music and staring at a wall, please keep in mind that I’m not lazy: I’m actually hard at work!
Who is Nicholas C. Rossis?
Nicholas Rossis lives to write and does so from his cottage on the edge of a magical forest in Athens, Greece. When not composing epic fantasies or short sci-fi stories, he chats with fans and colleagues, writes blog posts, walks his dog, and enjoys the antics of two silly cats, one of whom claims his lap as home. His children’s book, Runaway Smile, earned a finalist slot in the 2015 International Book Awards.
What readers are saying about Nick’s fantasies:
“Philosophical ideas woven into science-fiction stories that read like classic stories by the masters, often with a delightful, thought-provoking and unexpected twist at the end.”
“Phil K. Dick is up on a cloud laughing with glee”
“From the very first sentence I realized I was not reading a book, I was going on an adventure.”
For more on Nick or just to chat, visit him on:
Blog: http://bit.ly/1G79bQS
eNovel Authors: http://bit.ly/1JZEQct
Facebook: http://on.fb.me/18lyLr5
Twitter: http://bit.ly/1dKgsPT
Google+ : http://bit.ly/1IkzR22
Sue Vincent's Daily Echo 
Reblogged this on Barrow Blogs: and commented:
“What if we pity them only because we can’t see the full picture? “A quote from one of Nicholas’ short stories – The Twist in the Tale. Having lived with two of my relative who’s suffered this dreadful desease, this question made me stop and think. A great interview..
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m so moved by your comment. Thank you!
LikeLiked by 2 people
From the heart , Nicholas, from the heart. It was thought-provoking.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Great idea for a post Nick! Your shorts sound fabulous, I wish you the luck of the Irish with this new book!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you so much, Ali! 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks for the nod Sue 🙂 I am putting this on my to read pile, looks good – Thanks to Esthers book of short stories – I’ve come to really enjoy them so I’d love to read Nicholas’s especially given its genre 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much, Sacha!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are a few to read free over on his site too 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for reminding me, Sue! Yes, you can read them on http://nicholasrossis.me/short-stories/ . I hope you enjoy them 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Smorgasbord – Variety is the spice of life and commented:
Sue Vincent hosts Nicholas C. Rossis this morning as he launches his new book Infinite Waters.. Finding Inspiration.. very interesting for all of us.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on Anita & Jaye Dawes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you so much for the guest post, Sue! It’s been great being with you today 🙂
LikeLike
It is my pleasure, Nicholas, and you are welcome back any time 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Always fun to see behind the curtain. Though I’ve noticed many people expect an answer that is a story in itself. When you say it was a dream or that it came out of thin air, you sometimes get sad looks. Guess authors are expected to have adventures to create their adventures, so they can regale people with the tales.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We do have adventures! They may be in dream or imagination… but that’s good enough for me 🙂 I get a lot of my inspiration from watching fish or doing the housework…
LikeLike
Fish is a good one. Every time I think of what I would want my future/imaginary office to look like, there’s always a fish tank for relaxing.
LikeLike
I have my son’s pond every morning… full of fish from small ones to the sturgeon which are huge… and always ‘pond-cam’ if the weather is too bad 🙂
LikeLike
A fun alternative. 🙂
LikeLike
And you get to sit with your coffee and ponder in the warm 🙂
LikeLike
Very true. I should probably start making up stories about how I came up with the ideas for a story. I just hope no one asks for the inspiration behind those, too…
LikeLiked by 1 person
It will be an endless cycle created by your own hand. 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Or head, in this case 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I really enjoyed your interview with Nick, Sue. How wonderful to have such a fertile imagination, gaining inspiration from the most unusual things. ‘Infinite Waters’ looks like it is going to be a great read. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s such a sweet thing to say; thank you! 🙂
I love it when I wake up with a story in my head. In one case, the story was so vivid I wrote it down half asleep. One of my best ones so far, if I do say so myself 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
It must be great inside your head with all those stories 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
It’s like there’s a well whence they spring. I often wonder what lies in there, but I’ve never been able to find the entrance, so I just wait patiently for them to appear 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
I enjoy Nick’s writing 🙂 I think most of us find inspiration in the little, everday things .
LikeLiked by 2 people
Yes that true, but some people manage to do a lot more with it!!! 🙂 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
Aw, that’s so sweet! Just for that, I’ll post a free story tomorrow morning from Waters. I hope you enjoy it 🙂
LikeLike
Now that’s a lovely thing to look forward to 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting to see where your creative head goes. Do you find that it gets easier to come up with ideas? For me, they have to pop into my head complete, and that doesn’t happen very often.
LikeLiked by 2 people
For me they pop up all the time.. anything can spark on. Making them work is different.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Diana, that’s very true with my short stories (the ideas have to come in a more-or-less complete format), but not for my longer works. Having said that, I’ve had this idea for a short for ages, and I just don’t know how to write it up. So, technique is also crucial.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Reblogged this on oshriradhekrishnabole.
LikeLike