| |
 |
Because I'm one of those spastic
people who adores listening to music (and doing pretty much anything
other than writing...sigh), I thought I'd put together a little
something that explains what in the hell is going on in my head when
I come up with a story idea, and how I beat it into submission!
Before we get started, understand one
important thing...I am, in no way, witty when it comes to talking
about myself or my process, so proceed at your own risk!!
|
_small.jpg) |
Once upon a
time, many many moons ago (okay it was only 18 months),
I got it in my blonde head that I should try to write
erotic romance...I mean, I read it, I edit it (for
Liquid Silver Books)...why shouldn't I write it??
Yeahhhh, riiiight!! I was pretty happy with what came
out of my experiment (Blink of an Eye), and I fell
totally in love with Cassidy and Scott. Because this
was a totally new experiment for me, my musical material
varied widely...everything from
Tim McGraw (who's an Okie, BTW) to
Smashing Pumpkins. Because my brain
is feeble and old *g*, I couldn't possibly dredge up the
actual songs that made me tap my toes, but those were
two major players... |
|
 |
Baptism, and
the whole RuneQuest series, wasn't supposed to be
erotica. Instead, I'd envisioned it for my TL Schaefer
stuff. But I had so much fun writing Blink of an Eye, I
decided to give it a shot. I wrote the opening
paragraphs at my
OKRWA
writer's retreat, and it just kept picking at me until I
bowed in submission. Aidan was in my head first, and
Leanan followed soon after. When it came to music, I
listened to
Enya,
Amy Lee (from
Evanescence), some
Talking Heads (a fireman book MUST
have Burning Down the House...it's an imperative) and
the
Red Hot Chili Peppers (specifically,
Blood Sugar Sex Magik. I know, VERY
eclectic mix, but what can I say, I like a bit of
everything! |
|
_small.jpg) |
This one was
pure girl power! I was writing this simultaneously with
final revisions on
Saints (cover coming soon, promise!), and
it was all about the girls in both books. Ms.
MacLachlan (Mirrorball),
Ms. Lennox (Diva)
and Ms. Keys (Diary
of Alicia Keys), please step forward and
take a bow! Chloe came about from you! That's not to
say that Logan doesn't have his own inspiration, but
that was more tribal, and since I live in Oklahoma, it's
much easier to come by on a local level. |
|
_small.jpg) |
Wow, how do
you deconstruct something you wrote in 1999? I can
barely recall what I did on my LAST book, let alone my
first *g*. I DO remember being terrified, and wondering
if I totally sucked. There's a loooong, drawn out story
as to how I came by this idea in the
interviews section, if you're remotely
interested. All I can really remember was putting my
fingers on the keyboard and praying, which may seem muy
weird since it's a book about witchcraft!! Because I was
still developing my craft (and trying to figure out what
in the hell I'd inflicted upon myself), music wasn't an
option...I needed all my attention to go to the
book...and only the book. Needless to say, my husband,
while tremendously supporting, did throw a few of those
"are you coming out in this century?" questions in.
|
|
_small.jpg) |
I LOOOVED
writing this book! Maybe because I already "knew" some
of the characters from The Summerland, or maybe because
I love writing about my hometown of Mariposa so darned
much. By now I'd KIND OF figured out what I was doing
(hey, it only took my book of shame, that will sit,
forever unpubbed on my computer, to get that far), I
indulged in music. And I knew *exactly* what kind of
music I needed, even if Doug didn't listen to them *VBG*...George
Strait's Oceanfront Property,
Alan Jackson's Greatest Hits,
Dwight Yoakam's ORIGINAL Guitars, Cadillacs, etc,
Clint Black's The Greatest Hits (even
tho I already owned all of his albums), and the
irreplaceable
Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits.
|
|
_small.jpg) |
I've always
listened to music while I'm writing, but especially so
in this book, to take me back to 1989. Depeche Mode's
Personal Jesus, The
Cure's Lovesong,
The Smithereens' A Girl
Like You, the Red Hot Chili Peppers'
Higher Ground,
Living Colour's Cult of
Personality, Jane's Addiction's
Mountain Song and
Jane Says, The
Violent Femmes' Nightmares,
the Psychedelic Furs' House,
R.E.M.'s Stand,
and Concrete Blonde's God
is a Bullet transported me back. And although
Metallica's Enter Sandman
wasn't released until 1991, it was such a
perfect song for this book, I took the liberty of
incorporating it in. |
|
_small.jpg) |
This one was
all about the girls! Alicia Key's
Songs in A Minor, Annie Lennox's
Diva, Sarah McLachlan's
Afterglow and
Mirrorball, Sade's
Lover's Rock and ANYTHING by Bonnie Raitt!
I wrote this book long before I started
in on my erotic stuff, and I can definitely credit the
listening preferences I got here to helping me out with
Ends of the Earth! |
|
_small.jpg) |
I'm working
on this one semi-diligently right now (because my
critique partner Pat has threatened me with bodily harm
if I don't write Mikey's story). As I work through it,
I'm listening to harder stuff...and it's all because of
Fiona, the heroine. While I absolutely adore groups
like Seether (Karma
and Effect) and Disturbed (10,000
Fists), sometimes a girl needs a blues
break, y'know? No such luck. Fiona has taken over my
listening preferences...that bitch! Now hopefully she's
worth it! |
|
_small.jpg) |
-
Tongue, Seether ** Liam's Song**
-
Breath, Breaking Benjamin
**Rhiannon's Song**
-
The Gift, Seether
-
Fake It, Seether
-
Give, Dishwalla
-
Selling the Drama, Live
-
All She Can See, Dishwalla
-
Interstate Love Song, Stone Temple
Pilots
-
Lovesong, Cure
-
Stupify, Disturbed
-
Cumbersome, Seven Mary Three
-
Breaking the Girl, Red Hot Chili
Peppers
-
Scar Tissue, Red Hot Chili Peppers
-
One Step Closer, Linkin Park
-
I Alone, Live
|
|
|
|
