Ever wondered where stories come from?
My first visit to Durham Cathedral was an overwhelming experience. High atop a rocky plateau that is one of the most ancient places of worship in England, the early Norman cathedral rises at one side of the green, with William the Conqueror’s castle at the other end. Far below, the River Wear bends around the thickly wooded promontory while the city of Durham straggles up the hill.
Barely inside the massive cathedral door, I came upon the chapel where the Venerable Bede is buried. Yes, “The Father of English History,” the inventor of the footnote. My head was whirling as I knelt.
Then on up the aisle, past the parade of massive pillars to the high altar.
And behind that, I met St. Cuthbert. It seems incredible now, but I had never even heard of Cuthbert, the most beloved saint of the north of England.
The more I learned, though, the more I became fascinated with his life: A soldier who became a monk. A monk who became a hermit on an island in the North Sea. A hermit who became a bishop. A bishop who transformed the north of England by his sheer holiness. I knew I had to tell his story.
But that was the problem. A hero whose claim to fame is his holiness is a wonderful thing in real life. In a story it provides very little plot.
It was several years later that our daughter went to England to study and wound up in a monastery in Yorkshire where the monks ran a theological college. I visited as often as I could manage a trek across the pond from Boise, Idaho, and quickly found myself gripped with the very special atmosphere of the place. I grew to know the brothers and their unique way of life. I walked the grounds, researched in their library, and worshipped with them.
And, slowly, it dawned on me. I had my setting for my St. Cuthbert story.
Not primarily the misty Isle of Lindisfarne, nor the majestic Durham Cathedral—although those, of course, would figure in the story, but rather, a modern-day monastery with a very modern young woman as the heroine. A young woman who needs to know stories like St. Cuthbert’s in order to grow her own, rather shallow, faith. But with a ripping good mystery, a brutal murder, and a lost treasure to keep the pages turning.
And so, A Very Private Grave, the first of my Monastery Murders series, was born. In the course of the so-far 6 books, I have been able to tell the stories of a dozen or more of my favorite British saints, solved several murders, and, yes, helped Felicity grow up.
You can see the complete series here.
Thanks for sharing Donna its always interesting what can inspire an author. I know one author was inspired by something that happened on an airplane. I had a friend of mums who I use to visit and was like an aunt. I use to call her Mrs D and she use to enjoy people gazing at the shopping centre. (She knitted for an Aussie designer) She liked seeing what people wore and wonder about their stories. Makes me wonder does something I do or see end up as inspiration for a book or scene.
Great examples, Jenny! I hope other readers will share what inspires them when reading or writing. I think I am often inspired by places–often where something historical happened, of course.
I can understand that. Like seeing a building and wondering the history or in the case of an author from here they used it as inspiration for a historical here.
We do have people reading the blog who don’t respond but would be good to see there ideas too.
And, in my case, seeing a building and thinking how a murdr could be committed there. Mystery writers’ minds can take some strange tangents.