When I first sat down to write this series, 'The Tales of the Magic Piano', I had no idea how or why it would or could develop from a simple idea into two series of fantasy books comprising ten novels of which six are completed. It seemed daunting at first, but the memory of my father's magical piano playing has stayed with me when I think of his fingers dancing over the keys of his precious instrument. A true artist, his need was to always find the next beautiful series of notes and the next melodic mastery of his musical arrangements. It's funny. We artists are a strange bunch. Inspiration seems to come from nowhere, often for me in the middle of the night when I suddenly wake up to discover that I finally thought of a character's name or a plot development. It's actually amazing. It seems that when your mind is at rest, that is the moment when artistic ideas seem to manifest themselves most clearly in one's mind. And it happens regularly. Case in point, I recently watched a you tube video of the famous, Australian guitarist, Tommy Emmanuel, who makes similar claims, and I quote' there's a sense of electricity around me'. I, too, have felt this electricity when I have felt most inspired to begin a creative journey. Call it inspiration from a divine source or channelled from some wonderful directing medium, I definitely feel there is an energy that originates from the cosmos, a kind of guiding light if you will. So I am inspired by this guiding light to encourage and develop the characters, the plots, the twists and turns, the complicated imagery and the expansive dialogue that formulates the comprehensive mix of artistic expression that formulates these novels.
It would be remiss of me if I didn't mention that much inspiration has come from my beautiful mother. A wonderful musician herself , I have very fond memories of her beautiful singing in concerts all over the world. My grandmother, a wonder oil painter in her own right, has also been part of the genetic engineering that has influenced my creative writing. Finally, I remember very distinctly as a child lying down on my next door neighbour's trampoline and staring up into the sky. The clouds seemed to drift by slowly unimpeded by time and space. It was though they possessed some intangible freedom to express themselves. I just connected with them when I observed the changing shapes, the faces and the endless characters that seemed to appear magically before my eyes. I knew then that I would be able to write these novels all these years later. If you would like to share your experiences for the inspiration of your creative writing, or any experiences in life for that matter, feel free to drop me a line. I hope to hear from you soon.......Damien.