In the Back of My Mind

Like all writers, I have a dozen or so writing ideas in my head at all times. It's a real temptation to dive into writing some of them, but there's this inner conflict when you already have a big project (like, you know, a book series) to which you need to devote your creative energy.

I have written a bunch of ideas down in one of the 46 notebooks (only a slight exaggeration...this is another truth about writers. Most of us have a sizable stash of blank or nearly-blank notebooks and journals.) I have in my studio, and I thought I might share a couple of them just to see what you all think! Most of these are in VERY preliminary shape, but I"d love to see if any of these strike a chord. (I'm gonna trust you folks not to steal my ideas, please and thank you.)

Please comment below!

Idea 1: Madame Gladys:

A well-known TV psychic who is widely assumed to be an entertaining fake pleads with police to heed her most recent vision. The police are investigating a string of baffling murders, and Gladys believes she can help lead them to the killer by his/her/their unique clothing and other features of her vision, even though she cannot see the face of the killer.

Idea 2: Publish or Perish

A graduate student in Egyptology establishes a psychic link to a mummy's ka (spirit) while working on a remote dig site. The mummy agrees to share fascinating stories and details about life in ancient Egypt for her to publish in her doctoral thesis and later articles, but only if she lets the ka "borrow" her body from time to time so it can experience life again (what could go wrong?).

Idea 3: Lockbox

A carnival clairvoyant tells a young woman that the home she and her new husband just moved into is haunted...and her husband knows about it. "Look inside the chest he keeps locked," she instructs our protagonist.

I'm not sure if or when I might tackle one or more of these, but I'd love to hear your feedback. Are there any that you'd be excited to read? Comment below!