Dreams and things coming round

I'm almost always surprised by life.  Haven't you ever found that you can think of something utterly random and then somehow it keeps popping up (usually in threes?).  Anyway, here's what's amazed and surprised me today...

A while back (over a year, actually) Kristin Nelson posted on her blog a video of Paul Potts singing Nessun Dorma for Britain's Got Talent (you'll want to watch that video -- it's utterly amazing and uplifting).  This led to me spending almost a morning looking up information on him, watching him sing, buying his album, falling in love with another song he sings, Time to Say Goodbye, and downloading about four different versions of that song.

It also led me to look up the lyrics in English which are just beautiful.  But not only are they beautiful, they really resonated with me, especially the following lines:

on ships across seas

which, I know,

no, no, exist no longer

One of the things I loved about those lines, why they stood out to me so much, is because I was just starting to write The Dead-Tossed Waves.  I loved the question those lines raised to me -- is it the ships that no longer exist or the seas?  And why don't the seas exist?  It just reminded me so much of my characters and their struggles.

In fact, I loved the song and lyrics so much that I ended up writing a small scene from another book set in that same world as FHT but that I was pretty sure I wouldn't end up writing because it wouldn't fit in well.

Fast forward a year -- I've written The Dead-Tossed Waves, I'm revising it and I get the go ahead to write a third book set in that world.  Last night as JP and I were coming home from the store I was telling him my ideas about the third book so we could start brainstorming titles and I remember that little scene I wrote.  And suddenly I realize that it will now work!  In fact, it's perfect and opens up all these amazing ideas!

So when I get home, I race to the computer and start looking back at the lyrics to Time to Say Good-bye and listening to it again.  Once again I could remember that swelling inside of hope and dream that I felt when I heard it the first time (and also a little twinge of despair when I remembered what the lyrics meant).  I'm stoked about using it -- stoked about the whole thing.

This morning the rest of the story fell into place in my head -- the characters, the setting, the story arcs.  It's all there -- this has almost never happened to me before!!  (and of course it happens when I'm so slammed with other things that I don't have time to indulge...)

And what do I see first thing when I sit down to work?  A link to YouTube from Libba Bray's blog about dreaming dreams.  I have too much work, I shouldn't play it.... but early morning is ripe for procrastination and so I click it.

Wow.  Just... wow.  Not only is Les Mis my number one ultimate favorite ever (and can make me cry at the drop of a hat) but this song is one that just pulls at everything inside.  And it fits my character.  I've already teared up twice this morning watching it.

Another amazing song on Britain's Got Talent is what fuels my next book.  Funny how everything seems to come round in the end!