Inspired by beauty and youth

I remember the first (and only) time I saw Peggy's Cove. It was about six years ago in what friends might call my "lighthouse phase." Not only did I have a small collection of lighthouse figurines, mapped out a plan to visit 100 lighthouses at some point in my life and read all about the coolest ones, I also dreamed of converting a lighthouse into an inspired writing den. In particular, I wanted to live in Peggy's Cove.

I imagined myself sitting in the watchtower as the waves lapped against the rocks, and anxious ocean water churned and frothed below.  I'd weather each storm, furiously tapping at my keyboard while thunder echoed in the vast Nova Scotia sky and lightening crackled right. before. my. eyes.

Sadly, there was no For Sale sign on the lighthouse during my first visit, and there isn't one there now. Shucks.

But you don't have to hang out in a lighthouse to be inspired in Nova Scotia. It's a stunning province, similar, I suppose to British Columbia, but somehow different. More laid back.

The weather hasn't been stellar - June is the start of hurricane season and while I've been lucky to avoid rain, the wind is cool. I'm certain the sun is saving itself for Saturday (my sister's wedding) but even the cloud cover can't disguise the sheer beauty of the landscape. In the small city of Bedford, where my sister lives, there are 25 lakes - which translates to several beaches, gorgeous rock formations and cottage-style homes. (If I was here as a tourist rather than my sister's wedding, I could do an entire picture blog of dream houses.)

Ironically, it isn't just the beauty that makes me want to sit at my computer and write. I'm hanging with my two nephews whom I've only just met (blended family) and who I absolutely adore. Aside from being cute, they're also full of youthful energy. I love to listen to the sound of them having breakfast, the way their laughter winds up the stairs as they talk about last night's Stanley Cup game and admit to being dog-tired after staying up way too late to watch the winning (anticlimactic) goal.

As part of my day job - which seems slightly removed while I'm sitting in the red kitchen of my sister's amazing home - I judge youth writing submissions for the Martyn Godfrey Young Writer's Award. I have a four-inch thick stack of them in my bag to be read on the plane ride home. But this morning, when I wondered whether my nephews would choose cereal or Dino Eggs for breakfast, and I caught the youngest boy peering around the corner of my guest room to see if I was also dog-tired after watching the game, I couldn't help but drag out my computer, and the contest entries.

My muse avatar this week is definitely hot, but it isn't his face that inspires me here. Instead, I'm caught up in the energy of two young boys and the revised dream of writing from the watchtower at Peggy's Cove.

The Book In My Bag Today: The Girl Who Played With Fire, Stieg Larsson