Easter is coming! But this post isn’t about the eggs you decorate for the holiday. No, it’s about those little extras like the ones you see on DVDs. You know what I mean—you go to a certain spot in the DVD, click on it, and then you access something not listed in the menu.

Writers have them, too. At least, I do. Every now and then, I’ll pull a small detail from an event or a conversation and use it in a story. Take this scene, the first two paragraphs of Battle.

“You’re in a precarious position.”

Mélanie Laurent stared at the contents of the slim flower box. One long-stemmed, thorny black rose. There was no card. “Precarious, Simone? Hardly.” Amusement filled her voice. “Dangerous is the word I would use.”

Mélanie’s statement is a nod to a friend, who said during a conversation, “That’s not the word I would use.”

My Easter eggs are always small moments like this one. Generally they go by unnoticed by all but me—and maybe one or two other people. They are fun to use and always make me smile when I read them.