Goodreads asked Lisa Shea:

How do you get inspired to write?

Lisa Shea I love to write books that are set in a particular place. So for example with my cozy zoo mystery series I go to a local zoo. I walk around taking lots of photos, exploring the nooks and crannies, and watching the people. I look at the animals which are fairly unique to that zoo. I then develop a mystery based on what I see.

Another mystery I write involves art museums. So I go to the museum and explore what it has to offer. I think about what kind of art is at that museum which is unusual. I then think about a storyline based on that.

I write a mystery series set in diners - the traditional "train car" looking building that's long and rectangular. I'm fortunate to live near Worcester, MA where the Worcester Lunch Car company operated, so we have a number of these historic diners in the area. I love bringing them to life.

I highly recommend living and breathing the world as much as you can. Don't just read a Wikipedia page and then write based on someone else's dry words. If at all humanly possible, to go the place and breathe it in. You'd be amazed at the things you discover.

If you simply can't for some reason, do the best research you can. Go to as many places as you can which are similar. But the real deal is always best.

Also, consider writing books that are set close to home! Thousands of authors can write about "Vegas" who live in Minnesota and have never been there. Those books can seem cookie-cutter. But if that Minnesota author wrote a fabulous mystery or romance or whatever set IN Minnesota, the way they bring the story to life can make the result head and shoulders above anything else on the market.

Write what you know!

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