"Where do you get your ideas?"

To be honest, nobody has asked me this. It makes me wonder if I have failed in creating my writer's mystique. But I will go on as if someone has asked me this, because I have answers to this question that I have meticulously rehearsed ...

1. My dreams. I am a believer in both the symbolic meaning of dreams and their esoteric imagery. I attribute at least two of my (yet unpublished) novels to dreams.

2. People, those I know and those I have merely observed. I watch mannerisms, listen to voice, study motivation, listen to stories, and take note of personality.

3. Reading. More for the shape of stories than specific ideas.

4. My experiences. Sometimes the most outlandish plot twists come from my experiences.

5. My schooling -- I have a PhD in Family and Consumption Economics plus a lot of classes in Psychology and a handful in Economics. I also have a BS in Foods in Business, so I can have fun with food in my stories. All of this makes for thorough world-building.

6. My imagination, which likely gets its inspiration from 1-5.

So if anyone ever asks me this question, I can answer it (and give examples if pressed).