Discord's Apple

My kids go back to school, Monday. I cannot claim to be sad about this. In fact, I'm kind of counting down the hours right now. It's not that I'm sick of having them around; we've had a lot of fun this summer. I'm just looking forward to a little solitude again. Time to write without having to stop to answer questions every five minutes. Time to sort through broken toys without having to fight off desperate little hands and frantic promises that, "We'll play with it! Honest! Don't throw it away! It's special!"

Time to browse those parts of the library that don't have child-sized chairs.

In celebration, I plan to get my hands on a copy of Carrie Vaughn's latest, Discord's Apple. I like the character Kitty Norville from her werewolf series, so I'm looking forward to getting to know Evie Walker, the main character of this new book.

Evie's father has cancer, and it has metastasized. From the first chapter:

"He hadn't asked her to come home. He'd called to tell her he was sick, and she'd just come. That was what you did. He didn't argue or try to tell her she didn't have to. Which, when she thought about it, was another sign that he really was sick. He hadn't yet said, I'm fine, don't worry about me. Nothing to worry about.

What neither of them hadn't explicitly said, what she hadn't understood until she was lying there in the dark, nested in the bed that made her feel like a child, in the room next to the room where her father lay dying by increments, was that she was here to help him die."

Eventually Evie finds out that she has inherited a family responsibility, a room where powerful magical items from legend are stored until they are needed. The room's magic only lets in those who are meant to carry one of these items - but every security system has its weakness.

I can see myself kicking back with that for a couple of hours next week.

Book: Discord's Apple, Carrie Vaughn
          Kitty Norville, Carrie Vaughn

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

Kitty Norville and the KNOB Playlist

An increasing number of writers are talking about the music they use for inspiration, and even suggesting music they think goes well with their books. One of my favorites is Carrie Vaughn, the author of the Kitty Norville books.

Kitty is the host of The Midnight Hour, a call-in radio show talking to and about the supernatural community. (Think Dr. Joy Browne for vampires, werewolves, witches and were-alpacas.)

"'Hi, Kitty.' His voice was tired, flat. 'I'm a vampire ... I was attacked and turned involuntarily about five years ago. I'm also—at least I used to be—a devout Catholic. It's been really… hard. All the jokes about blood and the Eucharist aside—I can't walk into a church anymore. I can't go to Mass. And I can't kill myself because that's wrong. Catholic doctrine teaches that my soul is lost, that I'm a blot on God's creation. But Kitty—that's not what I feel. Just because my heart has stopped beating doesn't mean I've lost my soul, does it?'

I wasn't a minister; I wasn't a psychologist. I'd majored in English, for crying out loud. I wasn't qualified to counsel anyone on his spiritual life. But my heart went out to him, because he sounded so sad. All I could do was try."

"Kitty and the Midnight Hour"

Kitty is herself a werewolf, struggling to find her way in the competitive supernatural world.

"Hands thicken, claws sprout, think about flowing water so she doesn't feel bones slide under skin, joints and muscles molding themselves into something else. She crouches, breathing deep through bared teeth. Teeth and face growing longer, and the hair, and the eyes. The night becomes so clear, seen through the Wolf's eyes.

Then she leaps, the Wolf is formed and running, four legs feel so natural, so splendid, pads barely touching soft earth before they fly again. Wind rushes through her fur like fingers, scent pours into her nose: trees, earth, decay, life, water, day-old tracks, hour-old tracks, spent rifle cartridges from last season, blood, pain, her pack. Pack's territory. And the One. The Leader. Right behind her, chasing.

Wrong, fleeing him. But fleeing is better than fighting, and the urge to fight is strong. Kill her if she doesn't say she's sorry. But she is sorry; she'd do anything for him."

"Kitty and the Midnight Hour"

Each book comes with a playlist, which caught my attention right away. The playlist in the book I just finished, "Kitty Takes a Holiday",  has 14 songs on the playlist. Some worked better than others. I especially liked "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers (a fantastic fit for an important plot twist) and "Kingdom" by VNV Nation (I saw it as voicing the prejudice and fear the locals express toward Kitty), but Blondie's "Hanging on the Telephone" didn't really do anything for me.

"I'm coming out of my cage
And I've been doing just fine
Gotta gotta gotta be down
Because I want it all
It started out with a kiss
How did it end up like this?
It was only a kiss
It was only a kiss

Now I'm falling asleep
And she's calling a cab
While he's having a smoke
And she's taking a drag
Now they're going to bed
And my stomach is sick
And it's all in my head
But she's touching his—chest
Now, he takes off her dress
Now, let me go

I just can't look
It's killing me
And taking control"

"Mr. Brightside"

You can find the playlists for each book at Last.fm and at Blip.fm at knobradio (KNOB is Kitty's radio station), as well as at the beginning of each book.


Book: Kitty Norville Series, Carrie Vaughn
Music: Mr. Brightside, The Killers
           Kingdom, VNV Nation
           Hanging on the Telephone, Blondie