I never cease to be amazed at how my brain works. It seems that most of my ideas come at odd times–the most common would seems to be when I am doing yard work!  Perhaps the fairly mindless task of mowing the lawn allows my brain the time to wander down “the path less traveled by.”  Case in point: The Confederate flag has been much in the news and on social media of late; so yesterday I thought, “Had the Confederacy won, how would it use social media in 2015?”  While I mowed I developed the idea for a novel set in the present day, but in a world in which the USA and CSA existed side-by-side in an uneasy peace.  I have a strong urge to start writing it, but I know it would be very controversial, which makes me want to write it even more!