Read In Bed!

Stranger will be out in January 2009 from Spice.

Trivia:

STRANGER was originally called Catch and Release. It was also originally the proposed third book of my first contract with Spice. However, after finishing BROKEN the idea for a book I first called Moments of Disarray, then called Perfect, and eventually called TEMPTED so took over my brain I proposed that, instead. I wrote Catch and Release after that and it became STRANGER.

It features Sam Stewart, who is Dan’s younger brother. It also features JACK from Dirty. Yay, Jack! Jack, who was in fact based upon a real person whose real name I do not know but who sure knew how to dance.

Sam sounds a lot like a combination of Joshua Radin and Thom Lyons.

Excerpt:

I was looking for a stranger.

The Fishtank wasn’t my usual hangout, though I’d been inside it once or twice. Recently redecorated, it sought to compete with a bunch of brand-new bars and restaurants that had opened in downtown Harrisburg, but though the tropical theme and aquariums were pretty and the drinks cheap enough, The Fishtank was too far away from restaurant row to really compete. What it did have that the other, newer bars didn’t, was the attached hotel. The Fishtank, “where you hook ’em” was sort of a joke with the young and single crowd of central Pennsylvania. Or at least with me, and I was young. And blessedly, purposefully, single.

Scanning the crowd, I wove my way through the closely set tables toward the bar. The Fishtank was filled, literally, with people I didn’t know. One would be the perfect stranger, emphasis on perfect.

So far, I hadn’t seen him, but there was still time. I took a seat at the bar. My black skirt rode up a little and my stockings, held up by garter-belt of wispy lace, slipped on the leather stool. The sensation whispered up my thighs, bare above the tops of my stockings. My panties, of even wispier lace, rubbed me as I shifted.

“Tröegs Pale Ale,” I told the bartender, who passed me a bottle with a nod.

Compared to many of the women in The Fishtank, I was dressed conservatively. My black skirt was cut fashionably just above the knee, my blouse silky and form-fitting, but in the sea of low-riding jeans and navel-baring t-shirts, spaghetti straps and hooker heels, I stood out. Just the way I wanted.

I sipped my beer and looked around. Who would it be? Who would take me upstairs tonight? How long would I have to wait?

Apparently, not long. The seat next to mine had been empty when I sat, but now a man took it. Unfortunately, it was the wrong man. A stranger, yes, but not the one I was waiting for. The guy had blond hair and a gap between his two front teeth. Cute, but definitely not what I wanted. Also unfortunately, he didn’t seem to take a hint.

“No, thanks,” I said when he offered to buy me a drink. “I’m waiting for my boyfriend.”

“You’re not waiting for your boyfriend.” He said this unshakeable confidence. “You’re just saying that. Let me buy you a drink.”

“I have one already.” I gave him points for persistence, but I wasn’t here to go home with a frat boy who thought “not” jokes were the height of humor.

“Okay, I’ll leave you alone.” Pause. “NOT!”

He laughed, slapping a thigh. “C’mon. Let me buy you a drink.”

“I –”

“Are you hitting on my date?”

Frat Boy and I turned, and both our jaws dropped. I’m pretty sure we each had different reasons. His was probably surprise at being wrong. Mine was in delight.

The man standing next to me had the dark hair and blue eyes I’d been looking for. The earring. The jeans, deliciously worn in all the right places and the white t-shirt with a denim jacket over it. I was seated on a high bar stool and he still towered over me. I guessed him to be at least four inches over six feet, if not more.

Very, very nice.

My stranger flicked his hand like he was brushing away Frat Boy. “G’wan, now. Go.”

Frat Boy, to give him credit, didn’t try to make excuses. He just grinned and got off the stool. “Sorry, man. You can’t blame me for trying, can you?”

My stranger turned to look at me, and his blue-eyed gaze roamed over my every inch before he answered. “No.” H sounded considering. “I don’t guess I can.”

Frat Boy vacated the seat, and my stranger took it. He held out the hand not gripping the glass of dark beer. “Hi. I’m Sam. Don’t say Sam I am, or I’ll toss you back to that doofus.”

Sam. The name suited him. Before he gave it I might’ve imagined him as anyone, but once he did I could imagine him as nobody else.

“Grace.” I shook his proffered hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“What are you drinking, Grace?”

I lifted my bottle. “Tröegs Pale Ale.”

“How is that?”

I sipped. “Pale.”

Sam held up his glass. “I’ve got Guinness. It’s not pale. Let me buy you one.”

“I haven’t finished the one I have,” I said, but with the smile I hadn’t given Frat Boy.

Sam leaned in. “C’mon, Grace. It’ll put hair on your chest.”

“Uh huh. Do I look like I want hair on my chest?”

Sam blatantly eyed the front of my blouse. “Without seeing the chest in question, I’m afraid I can’t say.”

I laughed. “Riiiight. Try again.”

Sam gestured to the bartender and asked for two more bottles of the Pale Ale. “For when you’re done with that one.”

I didn’t take the second bottle. “I can’t, really. I’m on call.”

“Are you a doctor?” Sam tipped back the last of his beer from his glass and pulled a bottle toward him.

“No.”

He paused, waiting for me to say more, but I didn’t. He drank, swallowed. He gave the sort of manly grunt and lip-smack guys make when they drink beer from bottles and are trying to impress women. I watched him without speaking and sipped from my own bottle, wondering how he meant to do this. I really hoped he’d make it convincing enough for me to go upstairs with him.

“So. You’re not here to drink, then?” Sam eyed me, then turned on his stool so our knees touched.

I smiled at the touch of challenge in his tone. “Not really. No.”

“So…” he paused, as if thinking. He was very good. “So what you’re saying is, let’s say a guy, oh, bought you a drink.”

“Okay.”

“Before he knew you weren’t here to drink.”

I smiled again, holding back a laugh. “Sure. Let’s say that.”

Sam swiveled on his stool to fix me with an intense gaze. “Would he already have fucked up too bad, or would you give him a chance to make it up to you?”

I pushed the bottle he’d bought me toward him. “I guess that would depend.”

Sam’s slow grin was a heat-seeking missile sent straight between my thighs. “On what?”

“On if he was cute or not.”

Slowly he turned to show off his profile, then to the other side until he finally looked at me head-on. “How’s this?”

I looked him over. His hair, the color of expensive black licorice and spiked on the crown, feathered a bit over his ears and against the back of his neck. His jeans had rubbed to white in interesting places. He wore black, scuffed boots I hadn’t noticed before. I looked back up to his face and the quirking mouth, the nose saved from being too sharp only by the way the rest of his features came together. He had brows like dark wings, arched high over the center of his eyes and tapering to nothing at the outside corners.

“Yes.” I leaned closer. “You’re cute enough.”

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Since they sent me cover flats I guess I can share this with you all:

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I first “met” Thom Lyons via Myspace…2 years ago, I think. I don’t recall how we ended up being friends there, but I think he friended me (before I banned band requests.) Anyway, I fell head over heels in love, love, love with his song Talking About the Weather. At the time he allowed downloads from his Myspace page, as I recall, and I listened to it over and over. And then, BONUS! He re-recorded it and added CELLOS! WHEEEEE!

I still love that song. ;)

I bought his CD when it came out, had him sign it and send it from England and he did, the sweetheart. So I kept up with him via the ’space and when I was writing what was originally called Catch and Release but now is called Stranger, I asked Thom some questions about being a musician, and he totally came through for me.

Then I got sucked into Facebook and he was there, too, and when I decided to do this Music Monday thing, of course I thought of Thom Lyons and the Thom Lyons Band. I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing him perform live but if he ever comes here or I go over there, I would love to!

While my favorite song is still Talking About the Weather, all the songs on his album Make It Up As We Go are good. I haven’t had the new EP This Is How It Goes as long, so I haven’t picked a favorite song yet, but I think it might be Something I Can Do.

So. Yeah. I dig Thom Lyons AND his band. :)

You can find him on Facebook and Myspace and his website. You can also find his music on iTunes and a bunch of other places I can’t figure out how to link to, but if you hit his website you can find out how.

However — ONE lucky winner will receive a copy of the Thom Lyons/Thom Lyons Band CD Make it Up As We Go…AND a copy of the EP This Is How It Goes. I’m not cross-posting this stuff any more because let’s face it, I’m too lazy. So one commenter to THIS entry will get both CDs for your very own.

And while I’m on it, Amy from the Chris Winters blog entry…I have a copy of Dirty for you per your request, but I can’t get in touch with you. Email me!

And without further adooooooooo…..

Here’s Thom Lyons.

1. Could you please tell us a bit about yourself? How you got started, how long you’ve been playing, anything you’d like the world to know about Thom Lyons (and the band)…here’s your chance. :)

Singer/songwriter Thom Lyons hails from London, England, and first picked up the guitar in 1995. Cue years of playing along to every record he owned, teaching himself to sing and play one CD at a time.

While Thom had been playing and writing songs for years, it wasn’t until 2003 that he started playing in public, venturing out to open mike nights and acoustic showcases.

It was at such a show in 2006 that Thom met Thomas Quillfeldt (bass, cello, vocals) and forged an instant connection. After playing together for a couple of months, and countless requests from audiences desperate for a record they could take home, the time came to expand the line-up and create the filled-out sound that Thom was looking for with his music. So in came Oli Felton (guitar, vocals) and Andrew Shannon (drums), old school friends of Thomas and remarkably talented musicians, to help record their debut CD, “Make It Up As We Go”. It was a diverse and assured debut, with songs ranging from the epic to the fragile, upbeat grooves to string-laden anthems.

The first half of 2007 saw Thom Lyons Band playing all over London employing a combination of amazingly crafted songs, a beautiful voice, and great band dynamics, winning over both audiences and promoters alike. In May, Thom headed to the US to play his first shows on foreign soil with dates in New York City and Chicago. On his return, the line up expanded again with the addition of Emily Rice on Cello, and the end of the year saw the band back in the studio to record the next EP, “This Is How It Goes”.

2. Do you write your all your own songs? Music and lyrics?

Everything we have released is written by us. At the live shows we very occasionally break into a random cover during a song (“I Will Survive” seemed to surprise a few people!) but at the moment the showcase type shows we’ve been playing mean the time we get on stage can be a little constricted, so we tend to concentrate on our own material.

When I play solo shows covers come up a little more often. I tend not to write a set list if I’m playing a show by myself so I might throw something in if I feel like it. When I first started playing I didn’t have that many songs of my own I felt comfortable playing so the sets would be much more cover-heavy while I taught myself how to play in front of people and find my own voice.

3. Do you have a process you follow for each song, or is each a different journey?

Most of the time it is a solitary process to begin with, in that I don’t usually present any material to the band until it’s at least partially written, so they all start with me and a guitar, and then once I have the majority of my part written I’ll play it to them and we’ll throw ideas around. Sometimes I’ll have a very clear idea of what I want them to play, other times I won’t have a clue so I’ll bring it in and we’ll experiment until something sticks.

One thing I’ve learned is that songs are never really finished. A song like “Time To Make A Change” sounds so different live compared to the recorded version, because we constantly look for ways to improve them. Each show you ask yourself what worked and what didn’t.

4. Do you often take your inspiration from outside sources, or are most of your songs based on what’s happened in your life?

The vast majority of the earlier songs are very much based in situations or emotions I was going through. But what I’ve come to realise is that can be quite limiting. Right now my life (luckily I suppose in some ways) is not that dramatic, in that I’m not having to deal with any great tragedies or massive life changing situations, and I loathe returning to subjects I’ve already covered too much because I figure I’ve already written that song. In that respect, I’ve tried to write more about outside situations. I find one way that seems to work is using the song as a conversation, whether with one person in particular or with a group. In a way they still remain personal and about things that have happened in my life because they are about my reaction to something in my world, to a situation or a person’s behaviour.

5. Do you set aside specific writing time, or do you scribble on the backs of napkins when the mood hits?

The initial germ of a song quite often comes from a line or an concept, so quite often I’ll jot that down (normally by writing myself a text message on my phone since I never seem to have a notebook handy!) but I tend to let those sit for a little while until I have a clearer idea of what it is I want to write lyrically. At the same time I’ll constantly be trying to come up with new melodies or chords and save all those up until I find a lyrical idea and a musical one that will mesh and then I put the two together. I don’t like to labour over songs too long, I won’t really draft much. The problem with lyrics is that they are supposed to be heard rather than read, and sometimes you’ll look at a line on the page which works fine but it doesn’t read all that well. So I find that if I try as much as possible to write the whole thing in one go because it stops me editing myself too much. Then once it’s pretty much done I’ll take it to the band and we’ll all arrange all our parts and finish off anything that needed tinkering.

6. Is there anything else you’d like my readers to know about any specific songs, your music, or you?

It’s difficult to talk about the meaning of songs because unless it’s obvious what the song is about, people can bring their own ideas to them and I love that. I’m a strong believer in this idea of authorship where meaning is made by the consumer rather than the creator. You can’t really dictate what a song means to somebody so you just have to put it out there and see what happens.

Thanks so much to Thom for the answers AND the generous donation of the CDs…seriously people. Go buy his music. Buy it, I command thee!

And when I go over to London to promote Taking Care of Business I will totally have to meet you, Thom!

M

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 …ringing like a bell!

Ok, so I love my computer, right? Except it keeps having kernel panics and it’s really pissing me off.

It’s raining today and I have only about 3k to write on a new short story for Spice Briefs, and I really hope to finish.

I just got three boxes delivered and I haven’t opened them yet but it’s going to be fun.

And, because the story for Spice relates to an upcoming release (Catch and Release, don’t know when it’s coming out and the title might change, but it’s the male escort/funeral director book) I’ve been reading Catch and Release to make sure a few details are correct.

And I came across this line: Besides, I didn’t feel right sending him off in the rain on a motorcycle with a pizza.

And it really cracked me up! in the rain, on a motorcycle with a pizza. Think about it! How is that not a funny vision?

Bwah!

Also, this book features Jack (you might remember him from Dirty) and hawt damn but I lurve me some Jack. And Saaaaaammy…a long, tall guitar player with an earring who’s Dan (from Dirty)’s brother.

In other news, don’t forget to enter my video contest! Check out my website for details. The winner will be picked by the end of November, so get your entries in now! WIN WIN WIN an Amazon.com gift certificate, signed books, good swag!

I’m getting insanely excited for RT as well.

M

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Maybe it would be a good idea for me to write something writerly, like some advice or something. Or, well, maybe I’m procrastinating. But c’mon, I  get a number of hits to this blog searching for Dean Winchester Sex (and again, I say yes, please!) and Megan Padalecki (still not her) and Freaky Things To Do In Bed (…depends on what you think is freaky, I guess) and Bad Megan (haha, ok. Maybe.)

But what this blog really should be about is writing. I can’t help it that I don’t feel qualified to lecture; I can’t help it if I don’t really want to stroke myself constantly and be a self-promotion hooor. I think I have more to offer this blog than just constant self-gratifying blather about my own awesomeness. Heh.

But today I will talk with you about finding your voice. I have been thinking about this because I am re-reading The Stand. And yes, it’s taking me a long time to get through because it’s freaking a zillion pages long and I only read it in the bathroom. (TMI?) I am also reading The Deathly Hallows while I exercise, so that’s taking a long time to read, too.

Anyway. Voice. I’d mentioned in my earlier post about how SK’s voice is so familiar and so constant that most of his books sound a lot a like. Many of his characters sound a lot alike, too, both internally and in their dialogue. I notice a great difference in Harold Lauder’s speech (haven’t gotten to a section in his POV yet, so I can’t say for sure what his internal monologues  are like.) But mostly everyone else sounds very similar. That’s King’s voice, and it works well for him, obviously, since he’s a bazillionare and I…am not.

When I started writing, lo those many years ago, I am pretty sure I mimicked King’s voice. I had no clue what the down home folksy phrases meant, but dadgummit, I wanted to write like he did. Reading The Stand now, some of those phrases leap out at me because I’ve read them so many times, and I remember wanting to use them in my own stories (even though they didn’t necessarily fit.) I emulated him because I admired him.

I’m pretty sure  I don’t do that any more.

Do I have a voice? I’ve had people who know me and who read my work say they can *hear* me in the writing. I do put a lot of myself in my work, whether it’s pet phrases, or the use of my own experiences (for example, in Catch and Release the characters go to Horror Fest. I’d just gone with my sister when I wrote that.) I can look back at a book and see what was going on in my life at the time by what details I chose to use. But I’m not sure that’s voice.

It’s hard for me to say what my own voice is. You know how you sound different to yourself when you listen to a recording? Reading my work is the same. I know I wrote it, I can remember doing it, but sometimes, I marvel at how it sounds.

Yet I’m sure I have a voice. I know that when I write a book it sounds like me; it sounds like the others I’ve written. I’ve managed to find a way of stringing words together, phrases, cliches and descriptions, that is mine. I know which phrases or descriptions I tend to use in every work — now I have to root them out because they might have been great the first or even second time, but dammit, I don’t want to be too repetitive.

So if I have this voice, how do I make sure that all my characters don’t sound the same? How is the voice of a novel or short story or novella different than the voice of the characters? I guess I try to get inside the heads of the characters, really deep inside. They don’t all think alike, so they shouldn’t all sound alike. And they shouldn’t all sound like me. Men don’t think or talk the way women do. Mothers don’t think or talk the way non-mothers do. Children have their own viewpoints as well. In creating a character I try to figure out how they’d think or feel about something. If I’m writing in that characters’ Point of View (POV) I want to make it sound like they’d think. If they’re talking, I want them to sound the way they’d sound.

I don’t know if I succeed with this, but it’s my goal. And I know that all of them still, in some part, sound like me because they have my voice, the voice of the work. I can only hope and try to make them stand out, so that if you were to flip open the book to any section without knowing at once whose head you’re in, you could figure it out in a few sentences.

I called this post finding your voice but the fact is, I don’t have any advice on how to do that. I started off using someone else’s voice and eventually figured out my own. I think we all have to do that. I think a good writer will inevitably do it — you won’t be able to stop yourself. You can’t help it. You’ll be writing and writing and it will happen. Because no matter how much you emulate someone, you’ll eventually find something you want to do differently, and when you do…that’s when you start finding your voice.

I used to pay a lot more homage to King when I was younger. I don’t think I do it so much any more. Not because I love his work or admire him less, but because I don’t have to weigh the value of my work on the scale of comparison to him. I’m not Stephen King. I never will be. I don’t write the way he writes, and even though I really want to write a horror novel, and even if I do, it won’t be like his. Because I have found *my* voice. I couldn’t describe it to you, or explain how I know it. I just do.

M

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And lookit what my mama bought me!

Skulls and hearts! Yay!

So, today, I do errands. Read some things for crit (yayyyyy!!!) Clean my house. Typical Friday.

Then on the weekend, I run around like crazy.

Monday…SECOND VERSE.

M

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