Before If I Die Before I Wake was a novel, it was a shared daydream scribbled in the margins of high school notebooks. My friends and I would trade chapters like secrets, each one filled with magic, mystery, and multiverse mayhem. The story grew out of one late-night “what if” conversation: what if our dreams were real glimpses into another dimension…and sometimes, people didn’t come back? Fueled by sci-fi, fantasy, and a dash of Stargate SG-1 inspiration, that idea became the first book I ever finished.

Writers can find inspiration just about anywhere: chatting in the grocery line, wandering down a hiking trail, or battling pixelated monsters in a video game. But let’s be honest: books are the ultimate fuel for the creative mind. They shape how we write, spark new ideas, and occasionally make us rethink every word we’ve ever put on a page.