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When it was time to begin work on her latest novel, Cult Classic, the author Sloane C. Crosley didn't find the inspiration she needed in one location. She knew she wanted to take a meaningful study of dating and love, but aspects of the novel were sourced from all over the world, including personal research and the disused synagogue located in Manhattan's Lower East Side.

That combination of resourcefulness and creativity is also what helps Sloane cope with the variety of demands of being a professional writer. Discover the ways that Cult Classic was able to get the benefit of her studying the cult manifestos. Also, learn her method of balancing both administrative and writing work as well as how her website helps her maintain her online presence--while giving her the creative ability to add some fun surprises for those who visit.

Finding creative inspiration from everyday life

Cult Classic tells the tale of Lola who is a journalist located in New York who, though she's just engaged, is feeling a sense of dissatisfaction with her relationship. In the course of a night, she runs into an ex-boyfriend, followed by another. Lola quickly realizes the existence of a cult led by her former boss intentionally putting the exes of these men within her path as part of an research project. The story that follows is an entertaining and thoughtful narrative about revisiting the past, and perhaps getting over it.

Sloane isn't able to pinpoint an exact "aha" moment to explain this novel's concept However, her own personal experience with wellness and modern-day dating informed the novel. "I suspect that anyone who reads this is themselves a dating and wellness experts in the present," she says. "We're completely absorbed by these topics, that they can take the form of satire within the novels."

Sloane did some specific research on cults to get those particular details just perfect. "I needed manifestos or instruction guides from inside the cult to draw on the language for comedic purposes," Sloane says.