Do you know what kind of humor makes you laugh? I had a vague idea when I was writing my novel. Poppy Mackenzie is a quirky character, a 'fish out of water' kind of gal, who has a subtle skewed view of the world that some find amusing. I was almost shocked, in a pleasant way, at how many reviews mentioned how funny they found my book.

So I've been thinking about this for a while, like how different we are when it comes to our senses of humor. Growing up, I was not the funny one, I was the one who laughed at other's jokes. My brother was the clown who told stories and jokes and everyone laughed. I was the quiet one in the corner who either laughed or scowled in disapproval if his remarks were derogatory or hurtful.

As I became a teen I discovered that boys found me funny and attractive. I still couldn't remember a joke, but my off-track view of the world seemed to entertain them. It was a bit of a mystery, but I liked it. I think sharing a sense of humor is one of the important things that keeps a marriage alive and satisfying for decades. And I found myself attracted to people who found me amusing and I gravitated to the authors who amused me.

Is it spontaneous or can we find ways to create it?

For years I thought I was a good writer but couldn’t come up with inspiration for fiction. I could write newsletters and educational content. I often wrote poetry inspired by a broken heart, a new love, or a donut shop closing after 30 years. But the idea of writing a novel with interesting characters, facing a villain or other obstacles, and all the essential components of a good read were beyond me for decades. 

I’d read a thousand books and over and over I told myself I could write something even better than them. But the ideas never materialized or they sounded like they’d been done too many times. Sometimes they were too close to my reality which wasn’t that entertaining or exciting.

Then one night Poppy arrived in my half-awake brain...