Places that inspire me

I am often asked how did I come up with the idea for my first novel, Magnetic Reverie, the first book in The Reverie series. It was years ago, I was traveling by train from Ljubljana to Zagreb, where I worked at the time. It was a two-hour trip and usually, I would read, admire the view, listen to music, deal with job emails or sleep (when I was traveling at a very early hour). But that day, in October 2013, I didn't do any of the above. Out of nowhere, an idea was struck! I picked up a pen and wrote it down in my notebook. That was the beginning of my first novel.

I used to write here and there in the past, but nothing to a length of a novel. I was so excited about it. I didn't even ask myself questions: Why did I get this idea? What did that mean? No. Even though I had never thought I would ever write a novel, the first thing I did when returned home was to write some more. Next two or three days in a row I continued writing in the evenings after work, and I came up with 15-20 pages. Then, I had to stop. It wasn't because the idea left me. Or that I've got bored. Or that I thought this wasn't for me. Not at all. It was because I was too busy with my day job and I didn't have time to continue.

Luckily for me, the initial idea stood by. A few years later, I moved closer to the beautiful city of Šibenik, Croatia, on the magical coast of the Adriatic sea. Being close to the sea was what I wanted at the time. With its proximity, and having the time on hand I continued writing my novel. And finished it within few months. The story essentially travels back and forth between the main character Lana’s romance with her husband Greg, and a mysterious woman in Slovenia known as Claire. While one of the relationships appears to be based on reality, the other one only comes to Lana in her dreams. Throughout the story, Lana is emotionally torn between her two loves: a handsome, loving and supportive husband and the fantasy woman of her dreams. As I was living in Slovenia when I’ve got the idea for the book, both of my main characters were Slovene. While developing the plot I felt I should include Croatia too, hence my characters had a vacation in Šibenik and the surroundings. The descriptions of the places though were not added just as mere filler. They were integral to the storyline and weaved into the powerful emotions which the characters were experiencing.

For one, I was perfectly aware of what inspired me the most. It was the beautiful transcending places I lived in. The places that I visited at that time not only offered me great views, relaxation, peace of mind but also inspired me. I had to include them in my novel. I wanted my readers to get to know about this part of the world. I wanted them to see the beauty through my eyes and if they wouldn't believe me, at least to come and see for themselves.

Reverie Girl is the second book in The Reverie series. I started writing it at the same location. While it began with a trip to in India, and I did use a lot from my own traveling experience, then it continued with a holiday in Croatia. I was still living in Croatia by that time. While still working on my book I moved back to Slovenia. It was funny to see how the events moved to those location too. And everything fit again perfectly. At the time, I wasn't aware but looking back I can tell it.

My latest book Lessons in Life: Achieving a better you through self-reflection was entirely influenced by the events that took place in my life, people I've met, emotions I lived, lessons I've learned, and places that I visited. I know that life itself is my main inspiration for writing and that my ideas come from my experience combined with imagination, especially when I write fiction.

I wish I could write a book in every country of the world as I am sure that each and every one of them would inspire me differently. Hopefully, I will never be stuck for too long in a toilet or in an elevator as I am not sure what story I would come up with. LOL. You know what they say 'When life gives you lemons, make a lemonade.'

"...if the stones that we walked on could talk, they would surely tell our story." - Magnetic Reverie