Words & Music

I know, I know - I’m the world’s crappiest blogger.  Wit and witticism seem to escape me when I need to call it up on demand, but put me in a social situation where snarky sarcasm is bound to get me in trouble and – tada! - you’d be amazed at the foolishness that flies out of my mouth. 

Tonight, though, I found myself sitting here getting distracted while I tried to write. My mind kept wandering off to random tangents, flitting from one subject to another faster than a hummingbird’s wings. Focus had left the building. Typically, I blame any lack of focus on my ADD meds wearing off, but this wasn’t the same. Then I realized, I hadn’t queued up any of the playlists that I use when writing. 

Playlists, you ask? What are these playlists you speak of? 

Simply put, whenever I am writing, I create a group of music that somehow inspires the story I’m trying to tell. For my upcoming short novel, The Price of Valor, I’ve already dropped the entire Top Gun soundtrack into a list, along with several other songs that reminded me of the military, deployment, separation, and waiting. When I wrote Smoky Rooms over the winter, I had a cache of songs about lost love and second chances. 

It’s not that the lyrics necessarily inspire me (I’m not a Hugh Grant/Drew Barrymore movie, people!), it’s more that the music itself sets a tone or ambiance that I’m looking for. It’s a little extra piece of stimuli to help draw the pictures in mind with the words I need to convey them. Imagery plays a big part in my writing, and music has always figured prominently in my life. I suppose it’s only natural that in order for me to to do one well, the other needs to be present. 

Music and Lyrics -- cheesy, sweet movie. Check it out!

So, now that I’ve avoided writing for another thirty minutes while I put this post together, let me dart off to youtube and see what I’m inspired to work on next. Drop a comment; let me know how you receive your inspiration.

Also, the lovely author DeAnna Felthauser has featured me on her blog today. Go give it  a look-see and leave her some love! 

Parasouls' Shane Bradley Stops By

We are stop number 17 on the Easter Egg Hunt sponsored by  Read2Review. It’s not to late to join the fun! Follow the link back to their site, check out all the participating sites, and get busy collecting the eggs to fill your basket! 

The Easter Egg Hunt Letter of the Day is: E

I’ve got a special treat for my readers today. I asked Michele Richard, author of the Mocked series, if she could persuade Shane Bradley, from her new supernatural romance series, Parasouls, if he could drop by and tell us all a bit about the unique link that was created when he first met his soulmate, Angelique Collette. He graciously agreed. I hope you enjoy learning a little more about parasouls and the interesting concept of soul links.

Hey, everyone! My name is Shane Bradley. I’m the male main character in the Parasouls series. The first book is releasing April 3, 2012. So Laura invited me here to tell you about the divine connection between me and Angelique. 

First you may be wondering what a parasouls is exactly. We’re one step above humans, older, and genetically more superior. You wouldn’t be able to see the difference between us and the humans we co-exist with. Ever wonder why the lady down the street seems to never age? Maybe she’s one of us? Who knows? I’m not telling, that’s for sure.

Soul linking to our species was a folk lore, a childhood bedtime story. No one had ever witnessed it personally, and if it weren’t for the vaulted scriptures, we wouldn’t have even known about it. The thought that there was a mystery soul out there that would complete us was a ridiculous idea, right? Well you’ll have to read the book to learn more about the scriptures and soul linking.

You can imagine my surprise when it happened to me one night, while out hunting for a soon-to-be new parasoul. Having it happen with a soul who was my sworn enemy? Yeah, that was a little mind blowing. How could it be that one of the souls we hated, I couldn’t live without? 

It’s hard to describe the feeling of a bolt of lightning hitting you in the chest. Well, the heart, really. The pyrotechnic display alone left me breathless. Opalescence flashes ricocheted in the sky. A sizzling hiss filled the space between us. Every fiber in my being suddenly came alive. The electrically-charged air had the hairs on my body standing on end. 

The jolt itself was painless. Once the bolt splintered and collided with our chests simultaneously, I could feel everything shifting. I tried to fight it. It was a useless venture. My soul craved to hold her, make her mine.  The gift of producing scarlet flames from my palms had left me unable to touch anyone in years. When I touched Angelique for the first time, she was the first person I didn’t scorch or scar. I wanted more, so much more.

Angelique fought it longer and harder than I did. She refused to accept it wouldn’t change. Each day the draw grew stronger. I could feel us on the edge of crumbling. Her attempt to separate us had a devastating effect. One I have no intention of letting happen again. 

Well, that’s it for now. Hope you’ll check out Parasouls ~ Divine Intervention. There will be a chance to win an ebook on a guest post on Renaissance Romance Publishing Blog on April 6th. Don’t miss it!

http://renaissanceromancepublishing.blogspot.com

My thanks and appreciation to Michele Richard for allowing Shane to elaborate on that for us!

I have a special giveaway for visitors to my blog.  Between now and April 8^th, you can register to win an eBook copy of Life is More Than Candy Hearts. I will announce the winner on April 9^th.