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Hi everyone!

I’m a pantster by nature, but I do use an outline. For the Indigo trilogy, I had to know precisely where it would end before I could put a word down on the computer. But no matter how much I tried to stick to an outline, the story kept tugging me in a few unexpected directions.

The first thing I had to do was to choose an origin story. In college, I wrote a paper on the Fourth Crusade and knew without a doubt this dramatic historical event would be the cornerstone of the trilogy.

The inspiration for the character of Justin Hamilton was based on the actor Jamie Dornan. I’m a huge fangirl, so basing a sexy rock star on Jamie was a no-brainer.

Lucy Bianchi’s character inspiration was based on Hayley Atwell. I’m not as familiar with her work as an actress but when I stumbled upon her photo on Twitter one day and knew she was my Lucy.

Be sure to check out my Pinterest page for photos Jamie, Hayley, and other inspirations of the Indigo Trilogy.

Besides the hero and heroine, I needed an object; something that would anchor the trilogy and also functions as a third character. After researching art objects from the Byzantine era, I stumbled upon a medieval cross while doing a search on the internet.

As soon as I saw the cross, the entire trilogy unfolded for me. The cross is small in size, engraved, and blue. The color blue became one of the primary themes of the trilogy. It’s the thread that connects the main characters throughout all the books.

The trilogy includes two of my favorite things: art and music.

Lucy’s world is filled with art, and the trilogy mentions many styles of art that I hope readers will enjoy learning about. Colleen, Lucy’s best friend, is frustrated by how many of her students love Thomas Kinkade. He’s famous for the many romantic renditions of cottages, landscapes, and cityscapes. As a former art history teacher, I share Colleen’s frustration with trying to encourage her students to look beyond Kinkade and discover other artists.

Justin expresses his feelings and yearning through music. I’ve been a fan of The Moody Blues for years. Many of their songs suggest searching or longing for a distant time and place that would be a perfect foundation for the trilogy. It was fun to delve into some of my favorite Moody Blues songs to find ways to incorporate them into Justin’s musical world.

Music and art have had a big influence on my life, and I’ve enjoyed incorporating them into the trilogy. I hope you enjoy it as well!

Happy autumn.

Best,

~~Kate~~

Hi everyone,

The date was 11/1/2015. It was the first day of National Novel Writing Month. I had been working on a medieval historical fiction novel for a few years, but I was restless. I didn’t feel like climbing back into fourteenth-century France, not to mention the Black Death.

I wanted to write a story with a happy ending.

The inspiration for The Indigo Series evolved from a conversation I had with a friend many years ago. She believed in soul mates and tried to convince me that once two soul mates saw each other, they would be immediately drawn together and live happily ever after.

I was too cynical to believe this kind of fantasy. It’s impossible, right? But I started to mull the idea around and asked myself, “What if it was true?” What if two people were destined to meet? Would circumstances from their past make this possible?

“Discovering You,” is about Justin and Lucy, two unlikely soulmates finding each other. It lays the foundation for the trilogy: how they meet, their irresistible attraction to each other, as well as their connection to a mysterious medieval cross are like pieces of a puzzle that wants to be solved. And like all memorable love stories, Justin and Lucy must overcome obstacles to be together.

In the coming months, I will be posting blogs about some of the behind-the-scenes stories, character inspirations, the music and art included in the book, and other insights.

Writing the Indigo Series was a profoundly personal experience for me. I had to work through some dark themes that were not intended to shock readers but to provide an unforgettable experience to demonstrate the resilience of the human spirit and the power of love. I promise there is a very satisfying happy ending to the trilogy.

I hope you’re swept away by Justin and Lucy’s story and enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

— Kate