People often ask me where I got the idea for the ‘tiny eyes’ that watched Bernie in the opening chapter of Bernie and the Putty. They turned out to be one of the most popular elements in the story.
Originally, the ‘tiny eyes’ were nothing more than an attempt to introduce an element of other-worldliness to the story. That changed when one of my author friends (Linda Watkins) said, “I want to know more about the ‘tiny eyes.'” When I tried to explain they were nothing more than an element of the description, she said, “That’s not good enough. You need to write more about them.”
So, the tiny eyes were born. For me, I like to be inspired by pictures. A good picture helps me to visualize something so I can better incorporate it into the story.
This is the picture I chose as my inspiration.
These are meerkats, small carnivorians belonging to the mongoose family. They’re native to deserts in South Africa. If you haven’t checked them out, please do. Their pictures are amazing. I had a chance to see some at the San Diego Zoo and still remember their curious and friendly antics.
They were the inspiration for the lookies in Bernie and the Putty.
