Wildflower Inspiration
the magic and beauty in the small and simple things
Hello, all! Welcome back to the blog. I’m so glad you’re here.
In my last blog post, I talked about the subversive power of creativity and the ways in which we are all connected by art. Today I want to touch on how we find our inspiration– and in how many ways, inspiration can be a choice.
It’s often said (I’ve said it, too) how we ought to just be receptive, and inspiration will flow to us. That’s true, to an extent. But what does it mean? And what happens when we somehow block inspiration?
In the past, I couldn’t see the beauty and magic in so many small, simple things in my life because I was constantly seeking out the next “mountaintop experience.” For instance, I couldn’t truly appreciate the beauty of my local city parks because I was only chasing the rugged mountain trails hundreds of miles away.
Now I know better the value of the little things, too. But I had to really cultivate a practice of noticing them– a practice of looking for them. Over time, I learned how to better see the wonders right under my nose. And only then did I find the inspiration waiting for me right outside my door (and often inside it, too!).
“Inspired by Wildflowers”
My Instagram bio reads, “inspired by wildflowers.” It sounds quippy, but I share it because it’s true. Over the last few years, as I’ve been leaning into living more in tune with the seasons, I’ve begun to connect with the flowers of each one. I now know which wildflowers and flowering trees bloom first in the spring, and how to tell when we’re shifting toward fall by the flowers, too. This knowledge has all been through cultivating this practice of noticing.
It has opened me up to noticing so much more, too. Like the ways each of my dogs’ noses twitch ever so slightly when they smell something interesting in the air. Noticing behavior patterns and the calls of wild birds. How we as humans are influenced by and connected to nature, too. How my energy levels are attuned to the moon cycle, and how stepping outside into fresh air and sunlight can make everything feel instantly better. It’s really incredible how our understanding can deepen when we choose to slow down and look around.
My novels inspired by wildflowers
One early spring morning a few years ago, our family went for a short hike at a local nature preserve called Ritchey Woods. This place is a hidden gem in and of itself, smack dab in the middle of suburban neighborhoods and business parks. But when you walk into the woods, you’re in a whole different world.
It was here that I encountered what first inspired my novel-in-verse Wildflowers in Watercolor. Inside the nature preserve, there’s a tiny pioneer cemetery alongside the trail above a creek. That day, someone had placed a small wildflower, a spring beauty, on one of the old weathered gravestones.
That was enough inspiration for me. Two years later, I released Wildflowers in Watercolor, a gentle coming-of-age novel-in-verse that was first inspired by a single wildflower and a small act of kindness.
My new book inspired by wildflowers
My upcoming novel Heirloom Rose was also first inspired by wildflowers– this one by daffodils! We don’t often think of daffodils as wild, but they can be. Once, when wandering the hills and hollows in and around Brown County State Park in southern Indiana, I learned something incredible about daffodils. The thousands that grow wild all through the area are mostly descendants of those in pioneer gardens from centuries ago.
I love what nature-inspired artist Kim Koehler recently wrote, “Daffodils are tenacious perennials. They multiply and spread on their own, often outliving the people who planted them. Have you ever seen rows of daffodils blooming in the woods? They are time travelers, marking the footprint of a garden that existed decades or even a hundred years ago.”
When I learned this about daffodils, I knew there was a story in there. So, I wrote it. Based on the history of the communities displaced by the construction of southern Indiana’s Lake Monroe, Heirloom Rose is a middle-grade novel about a family: a grandmother, a mother, and a young daughter, and how they reconnect with one another and with their heritage. And in the story, too, it all starts simply, with daffodils.
Heirloom Rose releases later this year.
Tell me: What small things around you tell a story if you look a little closer?
Well, thank you so much for stopping by the blog! For book news and writing updates from me, please subscribe to my monthly newsletter below. You will also receive a free resource on writing historical fiction for kids, plus a very special short story. And be sure to check out my books— inspired by wildflowers.
I’ll be back on the blog again soon!
Katie
The Subversive Power of Creativity
Image: Nick Fewings@jannerboy62 on Unsplash
Hello, folks! Welcome back to the blog. I’m so glad you’re here.
Today I want to talk a little about creativity and its power to bring people together and create change. Perhaps like you, I have felt the brunt of the lies that my creative dreams are frivolous and silly. That they are simply child’s play and should be abandoned– which is kind of ironic because I write for kids and believe in the value of play.
And the sad truth is, I’ve almost caved to these lies… too many times. Let me tell you, I have been through the wringer when it comes to creative blocks and resistance. One creative drought of mine lasted years. It was a time of depression and grief, of living in survival mode. So when I say that I have had to fight for my creative writing, that is the honest truth.
Being Human & Making Space for Art
But there’s something I’ve come to realize (and need to remind myself often): creativity and beauty make us human. It’s what keeps us going. It’s what brings us together. Some of the earliest evidence of human society is artwork, after all. Talk about survival mode– even in prehistoric days, humanity was making space for art on cavern walls. Just like Robin Williams’ character said in the movie Dead Poets Society, “poetry, beauty, romance, love– these are what we stay alive for.”
I may never make what some may call a “big influence” with my creativity, but at this point, I refuse to deny that it does make a difference. I’ve also had to reckon with the fact that if it sustains me, the way it always has, it’s worth it.
I’ve seen a short quote by Toni Morrison making the rounds on social media lately, but I wanted to investigate it further. I thought I’d share it in more context here:
“I am staring out of the window in an extremely dark mood, feeling helpless. Then a friend, a fellow artist, calls... he asks, ‘How are you?' and instead of ‘Oh, fine... and you?', I blurt out the truth: ‘Not well. Not only am I depressed, I can’t seem to work, to write; it’s as though I am paralyzed, unable to write anything... I’ve never felt this way before…' I am about to explain with further detail when he interrupts, shouting: ‘No! No, no, no! This is precisely the time when artists go to work... not when everything is fine, but in times of dread. That’s our job.' I felt foolish the rest of the morning, especially when I recalled the artists who had done their work in gulags, prison cells, hospital beds; who did their work while hounded, exiled, reviled, pilloried. And those who were executed... this is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal.” – Toni Morrison, 2015
Read the entire essay here:
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/no-place-self-pity-no-room-fear/
Connected by Art
So, I want to ask you: how many times have you felt the warmth of connection and unity with others through art and beauty? Have you joined in a collective laugh or cry in a theater? Have you sung along with a crowd at a concert? Or even with family in the car on a long road trip? Have you read a picture book to your kids and enjoyed the story together?
We need art. And as author and artist Amie McNee says, “We need your art!” So I hope you never doubt that (your) art makes a difference, or believe the lies of the powers-that-be that it is unnecessary or useless. No.
I know that when I’ve felt alone or as if I cannot continue, it has been art, music, poetry, literature— the creative works of humanity— that have picked me up and kept me going. I cannot tell you how many times over the last decade that the musical Hamilton alone has been my best lifeline.
What works of art been yours?
Just as Toni Morrison wrote, “That (art) is how civilizations heal.” And as Jonathan Larson wrote in the musical Rent, “The opposite of war isn’t peace. It’s creation!”
And we need healing. We need art. We need creativity.
So I hope you keep creating. I sure will.
Thank you for stopping by the blog! For book news and writing updates from me (especially for very special book release news coming soon!), subscribe to my monthly newsletter below. You will also receive a free resource on writing historical fiction for kids, plus a very special short story. And be sure to check out my books!
I’ll be back on the blog again soon!
Katie
Hello, 2026!
Hello, and happy new year, dear reader!
I thought I’d do a blog post for the new year, just like the one I did in January 2025 — especially because I find it a little hilarious how things actually panned out. Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans, right? But to be honest, I’m glad for everything, because the way it worked out was pretty beautiful.
Reflecting on 2025
In last January’s post, I shared my vision for 2025. At the time, I was feeling a little wobbly after releasing three books in relatively quick succession and having nothing else near completion. I shared the book projects I planned to work on during that year, among other plans.
Well, wouldn’t you know it? Only a few days after that post, a new story idea swooped in and completely took over both my mind— and my year.
This story ended up leading me to go back to graduate school to finish my MFA, something I had not planned. But now, I’m finishing up this semester, and I have completed the first draft of this story: a middle-grade novel called “Heirloom Rose.”
I was unfortunately unable to go to my writer’s residency with Write On, Door County in Wisconsin. I was so bummed, but I still hope it’s something I can make happen in the future.
One thing that did in fact happen as planned: I reached my reading goal for the year! I read (at least) 25 middle-grade novels in 2025. Also, another wish I shared last year worked out even better than I’d expected: not only was Wicked: For Good brilliant, but my oldest daughter and I got to see Wicked on stage here in Indianapolis. :)
Looking into 2026
I am committed to devoting much of my time and energy to revising “Heirloom Rose,” and hope to release that book later this year. I’ll be drafting other book projects, too— and as I’ve learned my lesson: I will now always allow space for a new idea to come in anytime.
I will be returning for the next semester of graduate school this summer. And I will also be hosting writing workshops for kids and teens at various locations across Indianapolis, including my neighborhood library branch and a couple local parks. I also hope to be at a handful of local author fairs again this year, too. I hope to see you if you’re in the area!
I’ll be adding a calendar to the website for my events soon, but for more news and events, plus subscriber bonuses, be sure to sign up to my monthly newsletter below. You can always connect with me over at Instagram, too.
Thank you for stopping by the blog. I am wishing you a beautiful 2026!
Katie
Family Historian to Historical Fiction Author
Image: my grandfather Glenn Andrews as a child, and sister c. 1920
Hello, folks! Welcome back to the blog. I’m glad you’re here.
In my last blog post, I wrote about my unconventional neurodivergent writing practices (and earlier, how I write neurodivergent characters into my historical fiction). This time, I want to turn toward the ways my autistic special interests support my writing.
My Special Interest in Family History
My special interest in family history came to me long before I knew I was autistic. I first ventured into this world as a teenager. I soon became that girl who could tell you her ancestors’ dates of birth right along with her friends’ birthdays. (True story: I can clearly remember realizing excitedly– in the middle of gym class one March day in 2003 that it was a great-great grandfather’s birthday. He was born in 1866.)
As comical as that is, I also learned quickly that nobody cared about these things nearly as much as I did. I began to wonder if it was simply useless information wasting space in my brain. I learned to keep quiet and felt embarrassed about my interest.
But now, looking back, I can see how much this knowledge and my understanding of family history have supported my writing. I took what I couldn’t talk about and poured it into my writing. Today I write historical fiction, so I draw on this knowledge to write my books.
I can tune into my characters and their worlds in unique ways. The smallest details build my stories brick by brick, and I also have a wider and more nuanced perspective on how my stories fit within a greater whole. I know how and where they belong.
Writing My Special Interests into my Books
As an example, I called upon my deep knowledge and connection to my home state of Indiana’s history and natural world to write my book, Little Bird Woman. I could write about catalpa trees and red-tailed hawks in that story because I’ve lived alongside them my whole life. I could write about pioneer gardening and old cemeteries because I understand them by experience and my heritage. I poured my heart into this book, and I could not have done it without my special interests.
All of our stories hold meaning– every last one. By telling our stories, we remind ourselves of our innate worth. By telling our stories, we understand one another better; we learn to live with more love and compassion. Stories teach us our humanity.
I cannot tell every story, and I’m not meant to. But I can and must tell the stories that are mine to tell. And we all have stories to tell.
Tell me: What story are yours to tell?
Thank you so much for stopping by the blog. For book news and writing updates from me, subscribe to my monthly newsletter below. You will also receive a free resource on writing historical fiction, plus a very special short story. And the best way to connect with me is on Instagram, so make sure you’re following me there, too!
I’ll be back on the blog again soon. Until then, take care and be well!
Katie
P.S. Starting in November, I’ll be facilitating writing workshops for teens in Indianapolis. Be sure to subscribe below to find out more!