I’ve always been inspired by nature. Even if a nature scene doesn’t feature in what I’m writing on any given day, I still find my mind both calmed and awakened by a garden full of flowers, a shady path in a forest, a line of majestic mountains. 

Earlier in May of this year, I was inspired—and awed, amazed, stunned, impressed—by an unusual natural view. I—and much of the rest of the planet—witnessed an incredible aurora display, the result of one of the most powerful geomagnetic solar storms in the past twenty years. Many people at latitudes that normally don’t get to see aurora got to see the Northern and Southern Lights. 

I’ve seen the Northern Lights a few times, and I’ve been grateful for each opportunity. The aurora is an important plot element in the fantasy book I published last year, and also in the next book of the series, which I’m working on right now. I’ve done a lot of research for the books (and made up a lot of stuff, too, because they’re fantasy books, so it’s magic aurora.) But getting to see such a dazzling display of aurora was like living in the magical world of my stories! 

Here are a few pictures of that night. I’m not a professional photographer, and all I had was my Samsung phone set on the auto night setting. These photos have been edited only very slightly, mostly just to make them a little brighter. The vivid colors captured by the camera were not quite as distinct to the naked eye—but even so, I could clearly see the shifting shades of green, red, and violet without a camera. It was such an amazing night! 

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