Hitting the right notes
(Warning: mild spoiler alert)
As an author, an often asked question is “Do you write with
music?” Readers ask authors this question. Authors
ask authors this question. It even shows up in author interviews from time to
time.
My answer is no, and yes.
I’m really not being intentionally obtuse here, I swear. The
truth is, I’m not a musician and I can’t read a note of music, but I love music and it’s fundamental to my
writing.
So, why do I say no? I’m one of those writers who craves
absolute quiet when I’m writing. No kids running through the house, no
answering the phone when it rings, and no music to interrupt the flow of my
thoughts-to-the-page. Sounds pretty boring, huh? It’s not, trust me. There’s
plenty of noise going on in my head as each scene plays out. As I type I can
“hear” it. The sound of boots running through the corridors of a spaceship, the
thump of stones thrown into a muddy bank on the far side of a rushing river,
the deadly whisper of a Matiran telum
being shot.
Here’s the yes part: During my plotting phase I do listen to music to help set a mood or
inspire a scene. Those tunes stay with me when I write. In the first book of my
SFR series, Prophecy, the heroine and
hero (Alex and Gryf) experience a spiritual and literal bonding of their souls.
The song, Deora Ar Mo Chroi by Enya captures
this moment beautifully. Another Enya tune, Tempus
Vernum, can be attributed to the villain, Vyn Kotas. And when Alex and her
brother, Nick, finally go into space for the first time I hear The Longships, also by Enya.
You’re sensing a trend here, aren’tcha? Lol. But wait,
there’s more! The song I refer to as Alex and Gryf’s theme song is I Won’t Give Up by Jason Mraz. So, as
amazingly ideal as Enya’s music is to my series, she’s not exclusive. Check out
some of what’s on my iPod at the end of this blog.
Not only does music inspire me, it inspires my characters.
There is a scene in Prophecy where
the humans are bonding around a camp fire. My character Bodie Jones—a R&B/new-age
singer—and Nick lead the group in a little sing-along. Being a professional performer,
Bodie understands how music can unify people. He uses his talent to rally them
together, to give them another bond beyond their shared experience of having
survived a devastating alien invasion. He helps them grieve and gives them
hope.
The importance-of-music-in-our-lives thread continues in Salvation, the second book in the
Prophecy Series, in which Nick embraces his inner musician to the detriment of
his true calling as a healer. The guitar Bodie gave him in the first book is
his most treasured possession, and it’s with him—aiding him at the moment of
his epiphany. By the way, Heaven Can Wait
by Meatloaf is Nick’s theme song, no question.
Do I refer to music that has personal meaning to me in my
writing? Sure! One of my favorite songs is Come
Take a Trip in My Airship (Natalie Merchant’s version, of course. Best one
out there.) Ask any member of my nerd-herd (the collective name my husband gave
our five children while on a hike one day) and I’m pretty sure they know all
the words by heart. During their younger years I played it quite often at home,
on road trips, and while running errands. (Super secret note for all those who
have stayed with me this far: “The Airship Song” will make another guest
appearance in Collision, the third
book in the series coming out later this year.)
Now, I have a question for you. Readers, do you listen to
music while you read? Why, or why not? Authors, how about you? Music when you
write, yay or nay? Leave your answers in the comments, I’d love to read them
and respond.
Finally, as promised, here is a small sample of motivating
music on my iPod (besides all the Enya music):
Deep Peace Bill Douglas (This is the
song Flora sings for Alex and Gryf’s wedding, and this version is exactly what
she sounds like in my mind)
Desperado The Eagle’s (Who else
thinks this is the perfect theme song for the “other couple” in
Prophecy?)
Anthem of My Heart Robin Spielberg
(Amazingly talented pianist! I have almost as much of her music on my iPod as I
do Enya’s)
Bonus reveal:
Chasing Cars Snow Patrol – This is Flora and Fander’s theme
song for
Collision (yes, really!),
and frankly the most perfect song ever, imo. This is the acoustic version.
There are more, but I’ve reached my word count limit. Lol. Thank
you for dropping by, and thank you to PNR for hosting me on your blog today!
SALVATION, Book Two of the Prophecy Series
A blessing and a curse…
Seven years ago, a single moment changed the
course of Nicholaus Bock’s life forever—the moment his preternatural Gift to
heal awakened in him. A gift that made him an invaluable commodity to the known
galaxy. Now his mentor’s intriguing and secretive new student goes out of her
way to challenge his loyalty to everything he values.
A dark secret…
After facing death and destruction during the
Anferthian invasion, Sakura Yamata revels in her new-found Gift to heal.
Helping Earth’s survivors keeps her mind off the loss of her family, and the
memory of the terrible choices she made. Nick could penetrate her defenses and
discover what she’s hiding. She must not let the handsome healer close enough
for that to happen.
A race facing annihilation…
When a mysterious disease strikes the hidden
sanctuary of the Anferthian dissenters, Nick and Sakura are called in to help. But
someone is going to great lengths to ensure the dissenters don’t survive. Nick
and Sakura must set aside their differences and work together to save them
before the fragile peace between three worlds is shattered.
~*~
Excerpt
Nick clenched and unclenched his fists. “I’m doing my part to
help.”
Graig quirked one ruddy eyebrow at him. “What do you hide from,
Nicholaus Bock?”
He blinked. “As if you don’t know.”
“Tell me.”
What the hell? “I didn’t ask for this…this…Gift, you know that. If I choose not to use it, then no one has the
right to say otherwise.”
“Do you have the right to deny those in great need who would
benefit from your Gift?”
Well, shit, Graig had just played the humanity card.
“Tell me where you’d be, where all
of us would be, if your sister had run away from her destiny,” the Matiran
said.
And now the guilt card. “Obviously, Alex is a much better person
than I am.”
“No, she’s just not a selfish child.”
Ooh. Low blow. But what was wrong with trying to recapture normal?
To be the person he’d been before his Gift to heal had awakened in that wide
field somewhere in the highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. His
work here in New L.A. had given him the autonomy he’d craved. And it was
helpful, sort of.
“The request also comes from Dante,” Graig added quietly.
Nick’s breath caught in his throat. The Matiran healer was only
fourteen years his senior, but had been mentor, brother, and father to him in
his hour of need. Not to mention his magister in the healing arts. Without that
guidance, Nick would have been lost, his Gift potentially out of control. Scary
thought: a rogue healer. It’d happened before. Not in his life time, but he’d
read accounts of healers who’d used their Gift to play God, deciding who lived
or died based on their whim. Even worse were the ones who’d turned mercenary,
hiring out their Gift to governments or other groups. A shudder ran down his
spine. Matirans could control the known universe, but their social structure
kept a tight rein on its people. Is that why they were calling him back now?
Were they afraid he’d go rogue?
He flattened his palms over the cushioned back of the recliner and
leaned forward. “What do they want from me, Graig?”
~*~
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Lea Kirk loves to transport her readers to other worlds with her science fiction romance stories. In 2016 she released Prophecyand Salvation, books one and two of her Prophecy Series, as well as All of Me, a short story set in the same universe. Another short story, Space Ranger, also came out as part of the Pets in Space Anthology. GraveTells blog named her Debut Author of the Year for 2016. Her third book, Collision, will be released in 2017.
When she not busy writing, she’s hanging out with her wonderful hubby of twenty-six years, their five kids (aka, the nerd herd), and a large Doberman who thinks he's a people.
