Author Interview: Christine Feehan

Christine Feehan is impressive. A New York Times bestselling author. Mother to 11 children. (11!)  Five  series. Over 40 books. And she's only been published for the last 12 years. In case you're counting on your fingers, I'll do the math for you. That would be two to four books every year, with another four coming out this year. (OK - I cheated and looked up her publishing dates. Hey, I write and I read. I don't do math.)

Me? Impressed? Oh, don't be silly. I only dream about that kind of success, that's all...

She very kindly agreed to share her thoughts on music and books with us.

You are probably aware that Stephenie Meyer has a playlist on her site for each of her books. Carrie Vaughn, similarly, has a playlist at the beginning of each of her Kitty Norville books, and other writers have started talking more about the influence of music on their writing process. Do you have any particular pieces of music that you associate with any of your novels? Do you ever listen to music as you write, or use music for inspiration?

I always listen to music when I’m working and the playlist is different for the various series. I prefer music with lyrics playing very low in the background. I wrote for years with my children around me and a great deal of noise. Perfect silence makes it difficult for me to write. Lyrics are often an inspiration, but so is the way the song is sung. Bon Jovi comes to mind. *VBG*

You have a number of characters who are musicians, and in several of your books music plays an important role in the story. Carpathian magic, for instance, depends on chants; in Dark Symphony music is what initially brings Antonietta and Byron together, and later is an important element in their relationship. Is music an important part of your life? What type of music do you listen to the most?

I listen to almost everything. I’m not a rap fan and can only listen to one or two heavy metal songs, but I love music. Phantom of the Opera is a must of course. But even my playlists are wildly eclectic. I probably listen to love songs the most.

You commissioned a song for your character Joley, in Turbulent Sea. Obviously, you felt this was important for that book / character. Can you tell us how that came about? What led you to pursue the creation of an actual song to serve as Joley's theme?

I like to provide interesting and different things for my readers. Joley is a singer and I thought it would be very fun to make a music video. To do that we needed our own song. I thought the song told the readers a lot about the heroine in the book and the way she felt about the man she was falling in love with. She was very torn because she believed him to be someone who would kill for money and she could never allow herself to love someone with that kind of amoral behavior. The song and video hopefully portrayed her conflict.

Are there any songs that bring to mind a certain book for you? Are there any books that bring to mind a song?

Each book I write has a song of its own in my head for personal reasons. The Dark books have more of a gothic or alternative sound. The GhostWalkers are always far more action oriented. With the Drakes I play songs that feel like love songs to me—love of family, friends and their man. The Leopards are wild and the music has a more jungle beat to it. Of course Phantom of the Opera works well for anything! Water Bound needed songs that represented someone broken or shattered. Music is so diverse and can create moods so I utilize it as a tool whenever I write.

Turbulent Sea, the song, was written by CORVO, a romantic horror rock group. You can download a free MP3 of the song at their website.

(No math equations were injured in the making of this post. And if any were, it's my parents' fault. They gave me the faulty math genes.)

Books: Dark Symphony, Turbulent Sea, Water Bound, by Christine Feehan
             Stephenie Meyer
             Carrie Vaughn
Music: Bon Jovi
             Phantom of the Opera
             CORVO