What's On Your Office Wall?

If you missed the Intrigue Authors' Newsletter, each month we ask the authors a question. 

WHAT’S HANGING ON THE WALLS OF YOUR WRITING AREA? Don’t forget to let us know why J

JANA DeLEON:  A television. :)  I started writing in cafes and acclimated myself to writing with noise. Now, I can't work if it's quite. I tried music, but I'm a classically-trained violinist and get distracted by music, so I queue up Netflix to something I've already seen and type away.

LENA DIAZ: Most of the wall space in my office is taken up by bookshelves crammed with research books, writing craft books, and of course romance novels. But I do have two areas not covered by books. The first is a collection of family pictures. My favorite is a silly one where my two kids and four of my nieces and nephews are lying on the floor like the petals of a flower, or the spokes of a wheel. The photo is taken from overhead. It's absolutely adorable. We had the same picture taken several years later to show how they've all changed and grown. Such fun and so very special. My other non-bookshelf covered wall isn't nearly as exciting, but it's still fun. It has some of my writing awards. It's my inspiration when I'm having trouble with a story.  

CYNTHIA EDEN: Currently, I’ve got a framed painting of the Eiffel Tower on my wall—it’s the work of my six-year-old son.  Every time I look at it, I smile…then I go back to writing about danger and suspense in my Intrigues!  

ELLE JAMES:  Most of my walls are taken up with book shelves, windows and my desk unit. The one wall I have room for pictures is covered with a map of the world. I love dreaming about the next place I want to go visit, or I look for the next location for the next Intrigue I want to write. I have a bucket list of places I want to go to before I die. I think I could live to be 200 and still not see them all! The map is an inspiration in many different ways.

MALLORY KANE: My office is a big room on the back of our house that includes my crafting area, my writing space and a conversation spot for friends. On the walls are a couple of prints and a poster from the Jackson, Mississippi Zoo that features 2 tigers painted by Walter Anderson. It hangs over the fireplace made of Crab Orchard stone. The reason the room is my writing and craft room is because of the windows. They make up the entire rear wall of the room and look out over our back yard.

I've included a picture of the print and the view. It's an incredibly inspirational place to work. I truly love it. I hope all of you have a happy and healthy new year.  

DANA MARTON: No office. I like to be in the middle of things, so I write in a corner between the living  room and the kitchen. Wishing everyone a very happy New Year! 

CASSIE MILES: On my wall:  Since I have the attention span of a 3-year-old and am easily distracted, I keep the walls around my computer mostly blank.  There is, however, one bulletin board with revolving photos.  Current postings: family pictures, Elvis, a sailboat, a flying pig and a leopard scarf.   

JULIE MILLER: I have lots of sentimental items in my office because I like to surround myself with things that are meaningful to me. When I go to work, it's like nestling into a secure place, rich with pictures, family heirlooms and collectibles that I find both comforting and creatively motivating, making it a place where I like to go and spend a lot of time (which is useful for getting work done!).  I have an antique child's bed that dates back to the Revolutionary War era that has been handed down through my family against one wall.  Above that is a Monet print from the Jeu de Paume in Paris.  Besides reminding me of a wonderful trip, I find Monet's use of color very soothing.  At a recent trip to the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, I studied a Monet painting and thought of how it just made me feel good to look at it.  

Another wall holds a bookshelf where I keep reference books, keeper books I've read over the years, and lots of knick-knacks and pictures.  Then there's a pie safe where I store my old manuscripts and other stuff related to my writing business. On top of that sits part of my Pepsi collection.  I also collect Beauty & the Beast memorabilia, dolls and antique toys.  So things don't get too cluttered, I rotate what's out on display throughout the year.  That makes it all seem fresh and new.

ANGI MORGAN: I’m fortunate to have my own office in the house. I’m surrounded by my husband’s support as he built the desk and cabinets and also keeps me up-to-date with electronics. The walls and shelves are full of pictures of where I’ve traveled, mementoes, writing prizes or awards that spurred me to keep writing while waiting to sell. The first copy of my first book hangs there, too. The one unusual thing hanging on the wall, is an old shelf my grandfather made. As a kid, I’d carefully dust all the little knick-knacks my grandmother had collected. When she passed, she left the shelf to me. I haven’t had the heart to re-finish it yet, so it still has the paint streaks from when a cousin painted around it, instead of removing it from the wall. LOL 

ROBIN PERINI: I'm lucky enough to have an office. Above my computer area I have way too many books, including a dictionary, a thesaurus, an emotional thesaurus and the coolest book ever, Word Finder. It's out of print, but it will give you lists words that modify other words. I was able to find a 1947 edition. If you come across a copy and are a writer...grab it!

Above my desk next to my reference books is a 2x3 foot white board, that I use as a plotting board/story board. If I'm writing an Intrigue, the story board has four rows, with 3 boxes in the first and last rows and four boxes in the middle two rows (14 chapters). Inside each box I have post-it-notes with scenes from my current book. (Yep, I plan my books out). Of course, the great thing about post-it notes is I can move them around. I will admit that sometimes things just happen. In Christmas Conspiracy (October 2012), Deke came out of nowhere and ended up being a really important character.

I also have my favorite writing reminder quotes...and of course, one of my mottos...'Put on your big girl panties and deal with it!' A verbal kick in the pants can come in mighty useful!   

JENNA RYAN: What's hanging on my office walls? Two large and very soothing abstracts, and directly in front of my desk, a totally kooky impressionist cat. She's snooty and smug, and I have her there because every time I look at her, she makes me smile. Stress just slides away. I wouldn't part with her.   

AIMEE THURLO: When I look at that wall, I see memories, and life. The cuckoo clock was an incredible find for me. I lost my mother when I was six and my grandmother and I would travel to the US from Cuba (my birthplace) and have many adventures. Finding a cuckoo clock was one. I always like the Swiss girl types. To me it was almost enchanted, since Cuba and snow... well, it wasn't happening.

Next to that is the quote I received from Tony Hillerman when we wrote Black Mesa for Intrigue. Tony had helped me a lot with that book, including sharing some of his sources. When it was done, I called to thank him, and he asked me to send him a galley and if he liked it, he'd give me a quote. Tony was larger than life, and the thought terrified me. I hemmed and hawed, and finally said, "Tony, it's not a mystery, it's more like a romance." His answer?  "What? You think I read only Hemingway?" He gave me a wonderful quote - two in fact - and I've kept and framed his handwritten note.  In the center is a plant that represents life. It was given to us as a gift after a talk at one of the state libraries, and represents the present and ongoing renewal.   That's what I see when I look at my wall.

JOANNA WAYNE: The largest thing hanging on the wall of my office is a poster of Hugh Jackman. It's one I got when I saw him in New York in person last year. If you've ever seen him, you know why he's there. He's HOT! Great inspiration for writing my sexy heroes. I also have pictures of my grandsons because I love seeing their smiling faces. I have the cover of Alligator Moon hanging there because it's one of my favorite of all my books. And I have a picture of my hubby and me to round everything out and to remind me that I'm loved even when I'm in a terrible deadline mood. 

REBECCA YORK: I take my laptop and work all over the house.  On cold evenings, I love to work in bed, and cats just have to crowd in and make it difficult to type.  Here I am with Ozzie and Harriet.  I might also work in the sun room which is full of plants and flowers.  It’s also a great spot on cold winter days because the greenery is a respite from the frigid air outside.  I’ve got various outdoorsy things on the walls like a ceramic lizard and a parrot sitting on a vine plus some primitive farm scenes I picked up in China a few years ago. In summer, the cats and I go out on the screened porch or “catio” which I made so we could all enjoy the great outdoors together without being able to escape.  We’ve got one geranium flag picture hanging up to block the sun when it comes in from the east but basically we look up and see birds and squirrels.   

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READERS, WHAT'S HANGING ON THE WALLS OF YOUR WORK AREA?