The Perfect Sound

Happy Thursday All,

I missed posting Wednesday, but don't worry, I'm okay--just busy!

There's a new release! Author of Nocturne, Syrie James, has teamed up with her son, Ryan M. James, to put together a Paranormal YA novel entitled, Forbidden. And, it looks intriguing! It's available on Amazon and Amazon Kindle, as well as Barnes & Noble and Barnes & Noble Nook.

I'm currently reading a novel by an author I hadn't ever read before. The premises really interested me because it's pulled from Shakespeare. I'm not very far into it, but I'm already curious as to what this novel will bring. So we'll see what happens.

On and off I've mentioned music on here. Especially music that sets a tone/mood for one's writing--or inspires. For me, it can be anything from AH-HA's Take On Me to Spin Doctors' Two Princes.  I like a lot of different songs, but those two came to mind because Two Princes always makes me want to dance, and Take On Me is one of my "happy place" songs.

There's a few collaboration songs I like...one such song is the collaboration done by John Waite and Alison Krauss, I Ain't Missing You. This was originally sung only by John Waite, but I think it came out lovely.

Speaking of music and collaborations, I've collaborated with one of my brothers before. He's a music composer and musician. When I was in high school he approached me and said, "Hey, Bethany, I think this piece needs lyrics. I can write music, but lyrics aren't really my thing, and I know you've written some, would you mind working on it?" I said, sure. Unfortunately my lyrics were definitely not on par with how beautiful the piece was, but I tried my best. We'd sometimes do our own version of Heart & Soul on the piano (he is far and away a better musician than me, but I never had the passion for playing instruments that he did). Then when I got married I had a set of lyrics that was a duet. I begged my brother to put the lyrics to music. He was going to play at my wedding, and I had a soprano from the church choir and my brother-in-law who's a tenor. Eventually he got the lyrics arranged and it was gorgeous.

Something music composers and novel writers have in common is the emotion they have for their work. I know my brother spends a lot of time working on his compositions so it sounds just how he wants it to turn out. When I sit down and work at a story I'm asking myself a series of questions, and going over each sentence to make sure it comes out just right--that it is what the character would say. I've sat and talked with my brother about this and I said, "It seems composers and authors have a lot in common in that respect." He said, "Oh definitely." He agreed that like novel writers, composers get attached to their work. They want others to enjoy it and fall in love with the piece as much as they did.

Novel writers are the same. They fall in love with their characters. They giggle over the jokes, agonize over the pivotal scenes, and contemplate whether or not the dialogue works. In music, they have to go over each phrase. Contemplating the key signature, tempo, what instruments would play it and what emotion it would invoke--what the purpose of the piece will be, not to mention a series of other concerns they have about what they're composing.

It's amazing what composers and writers have in common. I may not be able to play Liszt or dazzle with a piano concerto, but put me in with paper and ink and I'll be off on this idea or that idea. Either way...emotions, hopes, dreams, fears, joy, and sorrow all play a part regardless of whether it's Beethoven or if it's Shakespeare.

So, what music makes you happy?

Have A Top-Notch Thursday!