I might have mentioned before (okay, a million times) that i generally have a theme song when I’m writing. Not me, my characters do.
For the first time in…well, at least 2 years, I’m working on something dark and moody. Very angsty. And I’m liking it. My heroine has been so damaged. Oh, she breaks my heart every single time I think about what she’s been through. And she’s been in that place where you have no more hope. That’s where I picked up her story.
My plan is simple though. I’m going to give her hope and a happy ending. She’ll never be able to forget what was done to her, or how she got to this point, but sometimes forgetting isn’t the answer. Sometimes we have to look at the scars our bodies and psyches have accumulated and realize they’ve made us stronger.
And that’s why Papa Roach’s Scars is Gyda’s theme song. I can’t wait to write her happy ever after.
I feel like such a bad blogger because I forgot to play a song last week for What’s Playing Wednesday. It doesn’t matter that I was at a convention. I need to plan ahead for these things!
Today is day 2 of life back in the “real” world. You know, the one where people don’t know me as Danica, where they wouldn’t understand if I suddenly lost track of conversations because the muse hits me upside the head with an idea and they have no idea what I mean when I say “I’ll electrocute your nipples”. Yeah, the real world. It sucks.
I really just wanted to go back to bed this morning. It doesn’t seem right to be jealous of pets, but I was. Both of those punks woke me up, made me feed them, let them do their thing and then they went back to sleep. What did I have to do? Get up and get ready for work because someone has to bring home the Kibbles n’ Bits. And that would be me. Of course, harkening back to the Ellora’s Cave party on Wednesday night, I have said on more than one occasion that “I will sell ass on the side of the road if I have to. Not my ass of course, but I have no problem selling yours. Or the cat’s or dog’s asses.” (I do, I just talk a good game.)
Anyway, today seemed like a perfect day to play Nazareth’s Hair of the Dog. I could use a little hair of the dog to get through the day, but that would require going back to Kansas City and I don’t think I want to do the security thing again. By the way, Jose from Da Hood (Cave Chaos radio) apparently has a thing about his nipples. Hence the “I’ll electrocute your nipples” thing.
Okay, I’m finished with my pointless ramblings. I need more coffee. Enjoy this while I start up a coffee drip straight to my veins.
Oh! And because I’m feeling cranky, let me tell you about Robert Friggin’ Quill. What? You’ve never heard of him? Well he’s an artist. Kind of like the Dread Pirate Roberts, except he doesn’t have a ship. I think. I didn’t see a ship and he didn’t mention it. No, instead he charmed me into spending money on a drawing that’s going to be awesome when it’s complete. And then he got Lea Barrymire. And Cassandra Carr (I think). And Regina Cole. And I have no idea who else, but if you get a chance, you should really check out his work because he’s quite talented. And charming. Friggin’ Robert Quill. And because of his charming, talented bull-shitting self, I can’t get the character I commissioned him to do a sketch of out of my head. She’s stuck right there *points to head* and she won’t stop telling me to write and to do her justice because she’s totally going to kick my ass if I don’t write her in the style he’s going to sketch her. Gee, thanks Friggin’ Robert Quill. You’re the best.
And I mean that. He is awesome. Except when he stirs my muse to become Diva Bitch. *sigh*
Welcome to the blog for another What’s Playing Wednesday!
RT is right around the corner and I’m starting to get the pre-trip panic. You know, making lists so I pack everything I need and a million things I don’t need. Like, do I really need to bring a cute stuffed squirrel with me? Of course I do! It’s not a real squirrel by the way. It’s a plush stuffed animal and oh so adorable. I think I posted pictures of it somewhere.
But because RT is creeping up on me and the frantic need to start packing has started to keep me awake at nights (I’m not packing until this weekend), I’m diverting myself with work. Work, work, work, work. I’ve been clearing off my desk and performing work audits this week and I still have a stack of work left to do. It isn’t that I put it off. I just postpone paperwork in favor of more pressing things. So far the more pressing things have been completed so I can finally concentrate on the annoying things. *mutter*
And yet, I don’t mind. Because come Tuesday, I’ll be on my way to Kansas City leaving behind the serious-minded employee. Somewhere between New Orleans and Kansas City, I’ll finally break free of the prison I force myself into when I’m not at conferences. For nearly a full week, I can be Danica. Wild, fun, carefree and a little crazy. Which is sad because I’d love to do it all the time. One day I’ll be able to let Danica out all the time, to be the person I want instead of the one I have to show the world.
In the meantime, I can watch this video and sing, “I’m-a do the things that I wanna do, I ain’t got a thing to prove to you…” Yup, it’s Weezer’s “Pork and Beans”. I love the message behind this song. And then there’s the video. This is quite possibly one of the best videos ever. They cover everything and yet make it look cool instead of the embarrassment it was at the time it came out.
Do you remember watching any of these clips on youtube? As my Tudor England professor used to conclude every lecture…”Thoughts? Questions? Clarifications?”
I think I’ve mentioned about a million times now that I finished Primal Flavor last week. Can I get a “Woot-woot!”? Because yeah, it’s that bloody exciting. I just have to wait now to see if my lovely editor accepts it. I hope she does! *Fingers crossed*
I have books planned to write now. I sat down and counted all the works I have with more than 5k words and as of right now, I have six books I could hop on and start writing, possibly even finish. But I have a problem. I have characters slapping me senseless with their personalities and the back and forth between them. Yup, I have characters demanding their story is told now. Not later. Now, dammit.
*sigh* To quote my stepdad, if this is the only problem I have, I’m doing well.
But that’s a problem I’ve decided I have to solve. Now. The story I was going to write for my buddies in the cabal is going to have to wait because Coltrane and Kanda are demanding they get their story. NOW. And to be honest, I can’t wait. OMG. Yes, I just said OMG because y’all…Coltrane is my kind of hero. *swoon* My heart is pounding just thinking of his story because it’s going to be that bad ass.
And thinking of bad ass heroes, the song that immediately pops into mind when I think of Coltrane is this song by Pop Evil called Hero. So that’s today’s song. I really like Pop Evil’s music. They have kick ass guitar riffs, compelling lyrics and Leigh Kakaty has the rough, rugged voice I adore in my rock music. I hope you enjoy the song. I’ll be over here writing my poor little fingers to the bones.
As y’all know I love my music. I have to have it. Which means when I can’t get data through my phone and can’t listen to my satellite radio, I get pissy. The way it’s been doing all week.
Music feeds my soul, fires my imagination and relaxes me. Even when it’s stuff that’s fast-paced and hectic sounding, sometimes it calms me. Which is why I need it at the Evil Day Job, dammit! *seethes* Of course, even though I don’t have my satellite radio, I still have music. I carry an MP3 player with me everywhere I go and have music on my phone that isn’t connected to the internet. But I like having variety, like being able to say “I’m kind of tired of Slipknot. How about some Niel Diamond?” What? How can you not like Neil Diamond?
Mostly though, I like my satellite radio because it allows me to discover new bands that aren’t on the local radio stations yet and probably never will be. Like today’s group. 3 Pill Morning. There are a lot of bands with the number Three (3) in the name, but these guys have a great song I’m sharing with y’all today. I Want That For You is a song I crank up whenever it comes on because it has catchy vocals and sounds passionate. I’ve been listening to it a lot while writing Primal Flavor.
I had a completely different song planned for today. Then I remembered this song.
I know y’all probably get tired of me talking about how much music means to me. But no matter what’s happened in my life, what I want to happen, music has always been there. It’s my faithful friend, my rock and my shoulder to cry on. Music never cares about my mood, but it affects it. It can calm me, soothe my soul, feed my muse and lift me up. It can fire me up, fill me with determination and motivate me beyond what I believe my threshhold is.
Today’s song is one that does all of that and more. It inspires me. Maybe it’s the moody guitar riff at the beginning, so simple and unadorned. Or maybe it’s the actual lyrics, or the vocals that reaches into my chest and causes my heart to soar. Whatever it is, I adore this song. It makes me feel both heavy and light, captured and free. How melodramatic, huh? But that’s what music does for me. It’s the most important component in my writing arsenal. Without it, I’m lost and unorganized.
When Corey Taylor of Slipknot and Stone Sour, Dave Grohl of Nirvana and Foo Fighters, Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and Krist Novoselic of Nirvana came together to celebrate Sound City Studios and performed this song together. From Can to Can’t is an amazing piece of awesomeness. At least I think so.
This week I’m trying my best to finish a project that’s taken me a lot longer to write than I’d like. Normally (which sounds weird since I’m not a plotter), when I start a story, I can finish it in a month, maybe two at the very most if I have to stop for some reason. But sometimes, like now, my story stalls. The characters refuse to speak to me. In this case, they refused to speak to me for six months. Yes, you heard me. SIX MONTHS!
With the end of March approaching and the end in “sight”, I’m not letting them boss me around anymore. This story is going to end. It’s going down, Jack! This determination means all the lovely books I bought on Tuesday will have to go unread until I write “The End”. Yes, I’m putting aside my burning desire to read books I’ve waited to get my grubby hands on for months and months and if anyone tells me what happens, I’ll cut a bitch!
Which brings me back to today’s song. I’m hoping, with all of my being, that I can fulfill this promise to myself. March 31 is my deadline. 15k-20k words by midnight on Sunday to finish my book. I can do it. I can push the pretty, awesome, readable books to the side until I’ve climbed this mountain. Right?
I just hope I’m not lying to myself. Like I do nearly every weekend. “I’m going to write all day Saturday.” I end up running around town with my sister. “I’m going to write on Sunday.” I end up visiting with family, napping or watching House Hunters for hours on end. This time though, I’m serious. I’m writing on Friday. I’m writing on Saturday. And I won’t make a liar out of myself.
Woot! I love Release Day! I’ll love this one even more if I manage to avoid jury duty, but that’s a story for another day.
Right now, it’s all about my hero Dean and his bevy of beauties. We all have fantasies. I think I talked about this somewhere…*frown* I feel as though I wrote that line in an interview or a guest blog…oh well. But we do. Like, I keep having this recurring dream that the Wayans brothers will knock on my door (as well as every other lady in the Cabal) and ask if they can make a movie out of our Fondled and Gobbled spoofs. And our stories will be on the big screen in all their messy, hilarious glory. Either that, or we’ll be banned from a dozen countries for being too outrageous and then we’ll become notorious and everyone will want us to write more spoofs and I’d finally be able to hire a pool boy. I don’t have a pool, nor do I plan to have one but I want a pool boy.
Okay, I have more realistic fantasies. I have sexual fantasies, I have rich and famous fantasies, I have Please-let-me-sleep-until-6-in-the-morning fantasies. But the bottom line is I have them. I don’t act on all of them, or many of them, but I have them as does everyone else. Dean and his women act on his fantasies. And theirs. They live them out in vivid, sexy detail and I was just the hapless writer who got it down on paper.
So here’s to Dean and his women *toast* I hope everyone who decides to give this story a chance, enjoys it in the same spirit it was written. And to get us in the mood…here’s a little Ludacris to enjoy while you tell me: What is your fantasy? (It doesn’t have to be sexual or naughty, just something simple.) Don’t forget I’m taking part in THREE, yes three giveaways this week! The What In The World Is Danica Thinking giveaway (win Danica Avet swag), the Big Cocks and Shamrocks Blog Hop (Swag, books and a grand prize!) and the Dean’s List Scavenger Hunt ($50 gift card and a copy of Dean’s List). Stop by to enter!
Just in case y’all think I’m entirely anti-female front singers, I’m not. I’ve seen several bands in concert with great female leads and for them, it’s about the music. Throwing tattoo and dark makeup on a woman who can scream doesn’t a good lead make. She has to make you forget about the fact that she looks cute. Because lets face it. Most of the time the lead singers are going to look good in a short skirt. I actually kind of like the same qualities in my male lead singers, but if it’s okay for guys to be biased, I can too.
Anyway, there are a few bands who severely rock and they just so happen to have a female lead singers. Notice I say “They just so happen” because that’s how it should be. It shouldn’t be about what equipment the singer is sporting, but the music they provide. One of my absolute favorites is Straight Line Stitch. I did a workshop at the FF&P Conference, Fantasy on the Bayou in 2012 about music and this is one of the songs I picked because it has power. I mean, I feel this song.
Then there’s the all woman band, Kitty. I remember when this song came out, I was like…there’s no way those are all girls! I saw the video and had to revise that statement. Yes, girls can growl and play every part in a band and still be cool and cute. In a kick-your-ass kind of way.
And if you think I only like rock bands with female leads, I’m throwing this one at you. I like the vocals, I like the beat. I like that it’s a little different from what I normally listen to.
It’s been a very stressful, hectic two weeks. Between traveling for work, a panic attack that lasted for several days and ended with me being put on beta blockers, and then my mom going in the hospital, I haven’t had a minute to really think about anything. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself. Somehow in the middle of all that, my brain has decided it knows what it wants to do about a book dilemma. We’ll see if it actually works. I hope it does because with all the time I’ve been missing from work, I’ll need the moneyz!
Enough about the drama. Although, it is helpful sometimes. For instance, today’s song is dramatic and thought-provoking. When I hear it, I instantly blank out and imagine every line of the song. Well, not really blank out. I sort of zone out the chaos going on in my head and concentrate on the song, the melody and the lyrics working together to soothe me. It’s almost become a theme song, I listen to it so much. It’s a great song and I hope you enjoy it as well.
The band is called Thousand Foot Krutch and I’ve been enjoying their music for a few years now. Great lyrics, catchy riffs and rhythms make them a good driving down the highway band. Here’s Fly On The Wall.
