Guest Post: Olivia Kelly talks music

Thinking about Thursday

Olivia Kelly Talks Music 

Olivia Kelly

Today we have a guest post from Regency romance author, Olivia Kelly. Olivia is a stay-at-home mom of two very active little boys, as well as a classically trained chef whose last job was working in the banking industry instead of a kitchen. She writes stories that focus on the relationship between the hero and heroine, the society they moved in and their families. You can find her on twitter @oliviakelly_.  

Olivia, I give you the blog.

Hello everyone! First, I’d like to say thank you to Dawn for having me here today. I appreciate being able to come by and talk about two of my favorite things in the entire world: Regency England and music!

Okay, so now I know some of you just rolled your eyes and considered hitting that little X in the top right corner of your screen, but STOP! I am not here to extol the virtues of tatted lace vs. Belgium lace, and I’m certainly not going to debate the merits of Mozart vs. Handel. (I can see your eyes glazing over already.)

 

Nope.

Here’s where I’m going with this. When I write, (and I write romance novels set in 19^th century England) I must have music. I have tried to work without it, and it is slow and painful. I’d rather poke a fork in my eye than listen to the ticking of the clock or that high pitched whine from the TV that no one else ever seems to hear. I’ve tried to write to what I think of as “era appropriate” music -like Chopin, which is quite lovely, but doesn’t usually do it for me either. Maybe it’s my generation, maybe it’s just the way my warped, little mind works, but I tend to do my best work to the tune of Foster the People, Tracy Chapman, Aloe Blacc, Kina Grannis, The White Stripes and Adele.

I also like to assign my characters theme songs.

In my novella, It Could Only Be You, (from the anthology Summons from His Grace) my hero Harry has been to hell and back. Having survived the deaths of his parents and young wife, and having fought in one the more vicious battles leading up to the American War of 1812, he then travelled to England to confront the grandfather who had disowned Harry’s mother, leaving Harry without family for most of his life. Still recovering from battle wounds, he literally collapses at the feet of Lily Beauchamp, the local vicar’s daughter, and learns that sometimes, if you are very lucky, life will give you a second chance. It’s up to you to grab that chance with both hands and not let go.

I chose the song More Than Life by Whitley for Harry. It is a beautiful, quiet song. I think the potent mix of acoustic guitar and the raw emotion of the singers speaks perfectly to the yearning that Harry feels for a home, and peace.
     More Than Life by Whitely

As for Lily, well, I just loved the song Stars Falling Down by Kina Grannis. Again, it’s a soft, acoustic guitar that accompanies the sweet, light voice of Kina. The lyrics are so hopeful, and I feel like Lily wants to be hopeful. She’s not a young girl anymore, but she’s still searching for love.

I don’t always choose soft songs for my characters, though. One of my heroes has “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns n Roses as his theme song, and Taio Cruz’s “Break Your Heart” seems almost like he sang it just to inspire another character of mine. If a song fits, it fits. Rock, blues or pop –as the song says “Anything goes!”

Do you like to write or read to music? Do you hear a song and it reminds you of a character, or a book you’ve read?

 (If you leave your email address in the comments, then you will be entered for the
Regency  Summons Anthology Prize Extravaganza 
drawing that will take place on December 15^th. Some of the awesome prizes include a Kindle, gift cards to Amazon and Barnes and Nobles and free books! And who doesn’t like free stuff?)

Thank you so much for visiting with us, Olivia.

Also, tomorrow we will be having a musical Friday Plot Swap! So think of your characters theme songs and come swap with us !