by Colleen Rowan Kosinski

I’ve always been a “treasure hunter.”  I’ll comb through yard sales, estate sales, and thrift shops searching for that piece of overlooked “gold.” Sometimes the treasure is not obvious, but if you surround it with a cloak of mystery and mythology then that simple walking stick can become a staff that was carried to traverse a mysterious land by a wizened wizard. Why, that cracked tea pot sitting all alone on the shelf. It was used to serve Hollywood’s biggest movie stars. If only it could talk! There are so many nuggets of stories all around us!

I guess in a roundabout way I am talking about imagination. Seeing into an object and creating a world for it. And, I would guess my specialty is creating stories about inanimate objects.

My last book told the story of an origami crane and how its life changed over the years. I love circular stories and this idea fit perfectly. But, back to inspiration. My daughter-in-law had made me a little blue origami crane. I’d nestled it on top of a piece of furniture in my bedroom. One night I was looking at the crane and thinking “what was its life like?” Did it like being stuck in this room? Did it wish to be a real bird? Ultimately, that was not the story I told but “what ifs” are a great way to get the imagination going. I finally landed on the idea that a child had made an origami crane and it had become the child’s best friend. But as the child grew, that relationship changed (as do most relationships.) The crane was forgotten for many years as the boy was occupied with life—and a girlfriend. Eventually, the boy proposed to the girl and used the crane’s paper to write his marriage proposal. Now the crane was also prized by the girl. Then the boy and girl had a baby. The boy used the crane in a mobile for the baby. The crane was then also prized by the baby. Although, their relationship changed, the boy and his crane always had love. The book is called LOVE MADE ME MORE.

In my book previous to LOVE MADE ME MORE, my inspiration was also an inanimate object—a house. How was I inspired? Well, my children are all grown and have moved out, so my husband and I were talking about downsizing. When we told our kids they were sad. They said they couldn’t imagine not being able to visit their childhood home. I was very surprised that our grownup children felt such a strong connection to our house. One day, while sitting out back looking up at the house, I started imagining how it would feel if we left it. Would it miss us? Would it accept new owners? These “what ifs” grew into an entire personality being created for a house, and led to my story A HOME AGAIN.

My obsession with making inanimate objects speak continues. I recently signed the contract for my next book. And, it’s about the relationship between a little girl and a fallen star. My agent is also currently shopping another book—told through the eyes of a boat!

My challenge for you:

Find an object. It can be anything. And start asking “what ifs.” For example, a glass of water. What if it remembers a time when it was a million raindrops. Or, what if it remembers the excitement of rushing around rocks in a river. Perhaps that was scary? Exhilarating? The possibilities are endless. Have fun! Maybe you’ll find your next story under a rock—or maybe the rock will be the subject!

Colleen Rowan Kosinski is giving away six copies of LOVE MADE ME MORE to be awarded to six random commenters.

You’re eligible to win if you’re a registered Storystorm 2024 participant and you have commented only once on today’s blog post.

Prizes will be distributed at the conclusion of Storystorm.

Colleen Rowan Kosinski writes picture books and middle grade novels. Her picture books include LILLA’S SUUNFLOWERS, A HOME AGAIN, and LOVE MADE ME MORE (2022). Her middle grade novel is titled A PROMISE STITCHED IN TIME. For the last year she has been working as an editor at Reedsy.com and teaching classes on picture book writing. She is also involved in her local chapter of the SCBWI, and the Rutgers University Council on Children’s Literature. Colleen is a graduate of Rutgers University, as are her husband and sons. Her daughter followed the bright lights to work in the film industry in LA. Colleen works from her Cherry Hill, NJ studio with her canine assistant, Sage. Visit her online at ColleenRowanKosinski.com and follow her on Instagram @ColleenKosinski.