The Creative Journey Continues, The Sequel (Oh and a Book Giveaway, too)

The author, Joseph conrad, said that "a creative imagination is one of the most important attributes we can possess. Imagination, not invention, is the supreme master of life.

Marcus Arilias, an ancient emperor of Rome, revealed that creativity profoundly affects a person's life. In his words: "Man's life is dyed by the color of his imagination".

What does this mean to us as authors? Maybe it means that we have to be open-minded. Not so open-minded that our brains fall out, but enough that we are able to listen to and accept new, original, and innovative ideas to stir the imagination.

So how do we know if we are really open-minded? History has proven that most people are not. For example: In the beginning the railroad was regarded as useless by many. People claimed that the trains frightened the cattle and started fires.

The British Association for the Advancement of Science claimed that the horseless carriage would fail because the human driver did not have an advantage for the intelligence of a horse in shaping its path.

I could go on but I think you get the idea. So how do we know if we are opened minded? To find the answer, I went in search of a key to unlock the door of a closed mind and I found 'curiosity'. Now curiosity is a close relative to creativity, and though I didn't have time to research its roots, I would say it is most likely a sibling. Its responsibility is to fuel the imagination.

As I was writing my second book, "Journey of the Promise," I became curiously aware that I was communicating with the characters. By the time I finished the third chapter I had gone back and completely re-written the first two because my main character, Callie McAllister, didn't want to be a grandmother as I had envisioned her. So, out of curiosity, I decided to find out where this story would lead if I let Callie tell it. I found that once I stopped trying to control the story, new characters began to introduce themselves, and I watched, and I listened, as they became part of an incredible story leading Callie through secret rooms and hidden caves to fulfill a promise she had made in another time. It was a plot and a story I had never intended.

I want to share this book in a book giveaway. Now, I'm not sure how one decides who gets the book, but I hope lots of you respond to my blog so that I can use my open-minded curiosity to create a great idea in giving away my book.

Thank you.