Inspiration for a story can come from anywhere. A random conversation can spark an idea. Or a news article. Or the scene outside the office window. The idea for the opening scene in Dancing in the Purple Rain came from a report of an internet challenge hoax that scared me as a parent. And my writer brain just wouldn't let go of it, even though I knew it was a hoax. My writer brain did what it does best: It took that seed of an idea and asked the famous "What if…?"