"I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free." —Michelangelo

Last night I had dinner with a good friend who also happens to be one of my favorite writers. As friends tend to do, we discussed everything from pizza to pets to projects we're working on. Somewhere in-between my blathering on about how excited I am to have landed the literary agent of my dreams and about the new public forums for Cottages & Bungalows and Romantic Homes (see the sites listed below), my friend told me about an idea she had for an article.

My ears perked up, I leaned forward, and everything else in the room faded away. All of a sudden, in the middle of my Girls' Night Out, I donned my editor's hat and all I could think about was this great story idea. I had to know more.

And I had to get my friend to write about it for Victorian Homes magazine.

Right then, when I was supposed to be enjoying every luscious calorie of my deep-dish pizza, I found myself thinking about you—the reader of this magazine. I was thinking about how much you would enjoy something new and fresh, something encouraging and uplifting in the midst of our current economic storm.

In other words, I was inspired by my friend's idea.

I never know where or when or how I'll find inspiration: an editorial meeting, a reader's letter, a long commute that triggers the whole left brain-right brain phenomena. And while I may not know where or when it's going to stumble across my path, I do know what to do once I find it. I have to catch it. Tame it. Be careful not to break its spirit. I have to listen to its heartbeat; I have to hear its song. And sometimes, when I'm really fortunate, when I've caught an absolutely marvelous idea, I realize that I might be able breed it so it will give birth to even more ideas later.

All of this is done with a little help from my friends. And that includes you. Thank you for every suggestion, every idea, every letter, every e-mail. I sincerely appreciate your input and couldn't produce this magazine without it.

Merrie Destefano
Editor

Don't forget to check out the new forums:
Cottages & Bungalows
Romantic Homes