The inspiration behind stories, like a recipe, is often a combination of different sources: pictures, experiences and even conversations. My story, Good Food Budgie , was loosely based on two of my mother-in-law’s budgies. One that was too terrified to leave the cage, but would often aggressively peck at his reflection in his mirror as if he was picking a fight with an intruder, and another loved flying around, dropping poos and small plastic ornaments on you as he did so. The aboriginal origins of the word budgie came from a small information plaque on a budgie enclosure in a Girvan public park. Black Wings Are In was inspired by a photograph by Jerzy Górecki at Pixel Images posted by a writer friend, and having just finished reading the YA novel, Out Of The Blue by Sophie Cameron, where angels mysteriously start falling to earth. Even going for a short walk in the countryside helped me to decide what to write in this blog. So, look around you, listen, reach out, taste and sm