Blythe Gifford – Words & Music

I love words and music, though I can only create in one of those dimensions.  And even before I became an author, I loved books and music together.  Years ago, I remember deliberately reading GONE WITH THE WIND while listening to the movie soundtrack because I knew it would put me in the proper mood.

Now, I use music as a writing aid, not just for reading pleasure.  For every book, I develop a “soundtrack” that puts me in the proper frame of mind.  Because I write historical romance, I try to select music appropriate to the period, preferably without lyrics.  Since I write primarily medievals, however, lyrics are less of an issue, since they are usually in Latin or French and, therefore, easy to tune out.

But the first song on the playlist for my work in progress is not constrained by accuracy and it usually does include a lyric that tells a story.  The job of this track is to keep me company while I open my files and make my cup of tea, and while it needs to tie to the story, it can do so in a more tangential way than the rest of the selections.

When I began the Brunson Clan trilogy, I felt as if I needed every aid I could summon to put myself in the world.  The world of the Border Reivers in the early Tudor era was 150 years away from the medieval world I’d been writing and Scotland was still a relatively new setting for me.  I found the perfect entry point, a song called “Border Reiver.”  Never mind that Mark Knopfler’s song was about a truck.  Not only was the title perfect, the lyrics (“I'm just a thiever stealing time”) perfectly captured the world of a Reiver, who lived by his own code, not that of the law.  And the relentless, rolling rhythm reminded me of the galloping horses of the Scottish raiders who struck by night and then disappeared into the hills. 

The song list for THE WITCH FINDER was completely different.  The story, set on the Scottish Borders of the 17^th century, features a hero whose job it is to discover witches and a heroine who he suspects of being a witch.  Donovan’s “Season of the Witch” was a natural lead in.  The song, from the late 1960’s, has a dark, mysterious, baleful feeling which always left me ready to plunge into the dark world of my story.

In contrast, the kick off song for my Royal Wedding stories is bouncy and humorous, unlike the books.

SECRETS AT COURT, a March Harlequin Historical and the first of the Royal Wedding stories, is set behind the scenes of the wedding of the first Prince of Wales to a scandalous bride.  The heroine, Anne of Stamford, knows her lady’s secrets and is bound to keep them while the hero, Sir Nicholas Lovayne, is charged with uncovering the truth.  And the fate of the throne of England will depend on the results.

Still, “The Prince is Giving a Ball,” which sets up the Rogers and Hammerstein 1957 musical “Cinderella,” was a good choice for my first song slot.  It opens with an energetic trumpet fanfare, and, of course, the story of a prince searching for a bride is the perfect fit.  Its sly, 20^th century humor gives me a smile before I drop into a world in which a wedding could, literally, be a matter of life and death.

So, as a reader, do you like music or silence when you read?  Lyrics or no?  We’ll pick a random commenter to win a copy of SECRETS AT COURT.  

Here’s a bit more about the book:

Anne has long been the keeper of her mistress's secrets, but when Nicholas starts to uncover the truth about Lady Joan's past, Anne must do something—anything—to throw him off…. 

Longing to escape the intrigues at court, Nicholas hasn't counted on the way Anne attracts him—her refusal to accept pity for her clubfoot touches something deep inside him. Will he be able to follow his duty when every fiber of his being tells him to protect Anne? 

For more information, please visit www.blythegifford.com

***Blythe's winner is Fedora!  Please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com with your mailing details!***

Kate Walker : May Day

It's  the first of May - May Day - and while it's not quite the beginning of Summer, just the name of the month makes it feel as if the   winter is at last behind us and the beauties of Spring flowers are blossoming in the gardens.

Here in England there are lots of old traditions for May Day. There's  the custom  of going 'a-mayiong' - that is going out to collect branches and flowers to weave into a garland, to bring the spring indoors and decorate the  houses.  Also first thing on a May Day morning,  young girls used to rush out into the garden to wash their faces in the May dew. This was supposed to give them a beautiful complexion, with no spots or freckles for the rest of the year.

So many of the traditions and customs have to do with the return of spring - the sunshine, the flowers - fertility and growth. Thgere's dancing round the maypole which can be seen as a symbol of trees and  growth - or a less inocent and more masculine sexual symbol.   The men are also much involved in Morris Dancing which with its use of sticks or even swords can be seen as a mock battle amongst the men.

Then there is the crowining of the May Queen where every year a  girl from the village is crowned as the May Queen.  When I was a child, this was always connected with the local church's May Processsion  to honour the Virgin Mary. I was never a May Queen but when I was ten, I was one of her attendants in a pale blue dress and white gloves!

Of course the other traditon for the coming of spring is that of Spring Cleaning, cleaning the house from top to bottom, throwing out everything that's old and doesn't work properly, washing and polishing and leaving the place ready to sparkle in the coming sunny months.

I always feel that Spring has so  much in common with the story in a romance novel  - after all, what are romances but tales of starting over, getting rid of the old, dead feelings, the problems that clutter a relationship and starting fresh and new. That's why I love writing reunion stories like my latest release The Proud Wife which is selling wonderfully in Presents Extra this month.

I love writing this theme because there is so much raw emotion in the idea of second chances, of the hope of starting again, building a new future from the shattered pieces of the old one. So this is a really appropriate time of year for this book to come out.

That’s why Spring has always been my favourite season and it’s the reason why I love reunion stories so much. In The Proud Wife, Pietro and Marina start out in one of the darkest times in their lives. When the love they once shared seems to have totally disappeared, been destroyed by the tragedy that tore them apart. Both of them believe that there is no future for them together – and they meet up in the lawyer’s office to put the final nail in the coffin of their marriage – and sign the divorce papers. But from their very first meeting, it’s so obvious that there is still so much between them – if only they can work through the pain of the past.

This spring of course we've had a perfect example of new beginnings and hopes for the future with last Friday's Royal Wedding where Kate Middleton married Prince William. It was everything a wedding should be - handsome groom, beautiful bride, gorgeous dress, stunning floral arrangements. It seemed to me to be a perfect symbol for the coming of Spring and the hope of renewal that brings.

This is why I write romance - I like to think of it as a reminder that when days seem dark and gloomy, whether it's the weather or the season or what life throws at you then you can always hope to  begin again, have a fresh start. Perhaps you need a little spring cleaning to brighten the place up but there is always the hope that today the sun will shine and things will start to make you smile.  That's what happens to Marina and Pietro in The Proud Wife - and it's what I'm trying to make happen between Carlos  the proud but embittered  Argentinian and  his heroine Martha in the book I'm writing now.

I love giving unhappy, lonely, cynical characters a whole new outlook on life, spring cleaning their relationships and bringing them round to their brand new Happy Ever After.

What about you?  What do you do to mark Spring  - do you do all the Spring Cleaning stuff or do you love to get out it the garden and plant new flowers? Or do you go for walks in the brigther sunshine - or just sit and read with the windows open to let the fresher warmer air come inside?

I have a signed copy of The Proud Wife to give away to one person who comments - to help you celebrate May Day and fresh starts with a brand new book.

You can read more about my books over on my web site and the really up to date news is all on my blog. Hope to see you there!


And the winner is Mary Anne

Mary Anne can you please email me kate AT kate-walker. com and let me know where to send your book.
Thanks to everyone for commenting - see yu next month (or over on my personal blog)

Popular Romantic Theme Comes To Life -- Michelle Monkou

Romance stories and day dreams go hand in hand. As a romance writer and an avid romance reader, I enjoy a story of opposites meeting and falling hard for each other. In my heart, it's a cause for celebration.

One of the biggest romantic premises is about to happen on April 29, 2011 (BTW, my 21st wedding anniversary) when a "commoner" marries a prince and heir to the throne. The event has taken on the trappings of a celebrity event opened to the world for viewing and commenting via social media networks. No matter how jaded we may feel with our realities, we can't turn a hard heart on the beauty of the romantic journey.


Cinderella kind of started this fantasy, right?

Then we had Hollywood A-list Grace Kelly turn into a beautiful stunning princess. Meanwhile, my fellow romance writers created and continue to write wonderful stories of the everyday-woman marrying the prince, king, or sheik.

This fantasy is beyond just a trend; it's the epitome of the romantic couple.

Our stories do have the implied happy ever after. So I'm purposefully not talking about the burden of the couple's new public status, the baggage of numerous failed royal marriages, and the work needed to make a relationship work. That's called women's fiction. LOL.

As a romantic at heart, I raise a celebratory glass to Kate and William (LOL - I'd written Harry). Cheers!

While we're in the full bloom of all things romantic this week, enjoy my free e-book at http://www.everyonesreading.com/the-millionaires-ultimate-catch/

Michelle Monkou