HT12/07/04

Brenda answered all the questions correctly, as well as picked the exact tie-breaker number! She'll receive a signed copy of my extremely hard to find Loveswept, BODY LANGUAGE.

1. Where was Gina Vitagliano born?
East Meadow, Long Island (OVER THE EDGE, page 44)

2. What was the name of Alyssa’s sister who was pregnant? And what did she name the baby?
Alyssa's sister is named Tyra (THE DEFIANT HERO, page 151) & the baby is called Lanora (THE DEFIANT HERO, page 227)

3. What was Kelly Ashton’s mother’s first name?
Tina (THE UNSUNG HERO, page 18)

5. What caused Molly to engage in such dangerous behavior as attempted suicide, drinking and drugs?
Her boyfriend’s sudden death in a car accident (OUT OF CONTROL, page 220)

6. What was the last name of the senator that Charlotte (Charlie) was working for when she first met Vince DaCosta?
Howard (INTO THE NIGHT, page 107)

7. Teri says she’d rather be flying Stan any day than who?
Russell Crowe (OVER THE EDGE, page 197)

8. Who does Sophia call Mr. I’m Too Sexy for My Shirt?
Jimmy Nash (FLASHPOINT, page 237 in the hardcover)

9. What alias does Meg use at the Seagull Motel?
Joan Smith (THE DEFIANT HERO, page 301)

10. Where is Joan DaCosta’s tattoo? And what is it?
left hip & a tiny rose (INTO THE NIGHT, page 312)

11. What is the name of the comic book superhero that Mallory Paoletti poses for? And what is that character’s real name?
Nightshade & Nicki Sheldon (THE UNSUNG HERO, page 113)

12. What present does Ralph give Eve on their wedding night?
A box of letters (THE DEFIANT HERO, page 221)

Some writers can and do listen to music while they're writing. It helps create a mood or provide atmosphere or inspiration.

I'm too much of a musician to play music in the background while I'm doing anything that requires language skills. (Don't try to have a conversation with me while music is playing! LOL! Even musak distracts me. I'll be like, "What? No, shhhh -- Oooh, jeez, they really shouldn't have used oboes for the countermelody there..." <ggg>)

But that doesn't mean that music doesn't provide inspiration while I'm writing my books.

In fact, I tend to have "theme songs" for many of my characters. For example, Chief Kenny "WildCard" Karmody, from OUT OF CONTROL, had the Spin Doctors' "Two Princes" as his theme song.

While I was writing HOT TARGET, I listened extensively to a CD called BEACH TOYS WON'T SAVE YOU, by one of my favorite singer/songwriters, Michael Holland.

Three songs in particular stood out for me. The first was Everything in the Whole Wide World, which is a song about bumping into an ex-lover, after not having seen them in a long time.

I'm always awed at the way Michael tells an entire story and conveys so much emotion with so few words. I mean, check out these lyrics:

Who was that guy
He held your hand
Underneath our old umbrella at the taxi stand
I caught your eye
We both looked down
You know I'd never even heard that you were back in town

It felt like everything in the whole wide world
A little thrilling at first
And then a million times worse
It felt like everything in the whole wide world
After I hadn't felt a thing all year...
© 2002 Mike-O-Matic Music

There's tons of backstory in just those three little words: "our old umbrella." It says so much, doesn't it, describing an entire past relationship. The lyrics are so simple, so straightforward -- yet so poetic.

So yeah, you guessed it. EITWWW is the theme song for Jules Cassidy's subplot in Hot Target. The song doesn't tell his story, though -- see, that's not what happens when I use songs for inspiration. Instead, there's something about the mood and/or emotion of the song that feels similar to the story I'm trying to tell in my book. Listening to the song makes me feel a certain way -- which is, in turn, one of the emotions I'm hoping to make my readers feel when they read my book.

I like to listen to the song, over and over, when I'm away from my computer -- driving in my car or down in the kitchen making dinner. It helps me keeps all the emotions I'm trying to convey in my book close to the surface. It also allows me to experience those emotions on a different level, through the music.

(Does that make any sense at all or does it sound completely crazy? Ah well, it makes sense to me! <g>)

The other two songs that I played endlessly while writing Hot Target were (it came as) no surprise and firefly ix, both from that same CD.

Michael Holland's BEACH TOYS WON'T SAVE YOU is available on-line, from www.CDBaby.com (CDs make great holiday gifts!)

Recommended read in honor of the brave men and women who fought for freedom during WWII:

Coming Out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War II
by Allan Berube

Allan Berube chronicles the story of the thousands of gay men and lesbian women who were among those proudly serving their country during the World War II years. Coming Out Under Fire is an invaluable contribution not only to gay history, but also to an aspect of our military history that is often ignored yet still affects thousands of GIs and veterans.

That's all for now! Be sure to come back for tomorrow's installment in the Countdown to HOT TARGET!