Inspiration is a funny thing. It can come to us like a lightning bolt, through the lyrics of a song, or in the fog of a dream. Ask any writer where their stories come from and you’ll get a myriad of answers, and in that vein I created the WHAT (What the Hell Are you Thinking?) interview. Always including in the WHAT is one random question to really dig down into the interviewees mind, and probably supply some illumination into my own as well.

Today’s guest for the WHAT is Kristy Boyce, author of Hot British Boyfriend, releasing Feb. 9, 2021. She lives in Columbus, OH and teaches psychology as a senior lecturer at The Ohio State University. When she’s not spending time with her husband and son, she’s usually writing, reading, putting together fairy gardens, or watching happy reality TV (The Great British Bake-Off and So You Think You Can Dance are perennial favorites).

Ideas for our books can come from just about anywhere, and sometimes even we can’t pinpoint exactly how or why. Did you have a specific origin point for your book?

I did! Actually, my earliest inspiration came from a multiple choice question I wrote for an exam. In my psychology class on “The Self,” I was teaching about how people are often pulled between showing their best self (self-enhancement) and their true self (self-verification). I wrote a question asking if a person studying abroad would use self-enhancement or self-verification when interacting with other students and then I sat back and thought, “That would be a fun YA to write!”

Once the original concept existed, how did you build a plot around it?

First, I knew I wanted to set it in England. I’ve always been a huge anglophile and I’ve been lucky enough to travel there multiple times. Additionally, my best friend taught at a study abroad program at Harlaxton Manor, which is a gorgeous manor north of London, and I was inspired to use that location for my school.  

Once I had the main premise and the location figured out, everything else started to come together. For Hot British Boyfriend, the setting plays a huge role in the plot. I was able to take virtual tours of the manor to help me and I also pulled from my own experiences in England and Europe. Compared to other books I’ve written, this plot came together (relatively) easily.  

Have you ever had the plot firmly in place, only to find it changing as the story moved from your mind to paper? 

Oh, definitely. I will have this whole manuscript laid out in my mind, but when I start to write I’ll sometimes find that the stakes aren’t high enough or the character motivations aren’t solid.

I like to fast draft at the beginning so I try not to get too caught up in these issues. Often if I keep writing then I’ll figure out how to solve the problems. Also, I’ve found it’s better for me to get down a full rough draft and then step back and look at it as a whole before making decisions or changes.   

Do story ideas come to you often, or is fresh material hard to come by?

I’m not someone who gets story ideas very often. I’d say maybe every six months or so I’ll be inspired by a new idea, but I don’t have notebooks of ideas sitting around or anything like that. It’s always a relief when a new shiny idea comes to me because I know I haven’t lost it yet! 

How do you choose which story to write next, if you’ve got more than one percolating?

Usually I have one manuscript I’m working on and one lurking in the back of my head that I know I’ll move to next. Choosing the next story has never been a hard decision for me. Plus, now I’m in the lucky position where I can talk to my agent and editor when making that choice.

I have 5 cats and a Dalmatian puppy (seriously, check my Instagram feed) and I usually have at least one or two snuggling with me when I write. Do you have a writing buddy, or do you find it distracting?

I have one elderly cat named Moogle (named from the Final Fantasy video game!) and she loves to be in my office because it’s sunny and she can sleep in peace. Honestly, she might be happier if I wasn’t there and she had the place to herself!