Today, I’m pleased to host historical writer and friend, Lisa Marie Wilkison. She’s just debuted her first book, Fire At Midnight, which has received some serious accolades. Anyone who comments today will be entered in a random drawing to win a signed copy of her book! So get to commenting. 😉 Here’s the blurb:
It is 1703, and Rachael Penrose is confined to Bedlam Insane Asylum in London after discovering her uncle Victor plans to kill her brother in order to inherit the family fortune. Victor leads a gang of criminals and uses French privateer/smuggler Sébastien Falconer as the scapegoat for his crimes. When Victor spreads the lie that Rachael informed the authorities of Falconer’s smuggling activities, Falconer vows revenge on the girl.
A dangerously ill Rachael finally escapes from Bedlam, only to find shelter in Sébastien’s carriage, and ends up in his care. It is a twist of fate that will alter both their lives forever.
Believing she is in danger from Sébastien, Rachael meets up with his estranged twin brother, Jacques, a customs officer intent on bringing his brother, the famous privateer, to justice. But the real criminal is still at large, and she and her brother are still in danger. Will she discover the truth and save both their lives . . . and her heart?
Have you noticed that one thing many avid readers have in common is a love of music? Authors will often cite favorite musical influences during interviews, even to the point of referencing the type of music they listen to when writing a certain type of scene.
My writing background includes a stint as a lyricist. Having had the experience of tailoring a song lyric to fit a melody, it occurred to me that there are some similarities between a well crafted song and a well written novel.
Take, for example, “the hook.” In a novel, the hook refers to those critical beginning pages designed to engage your reader and keep him or her turning pages. In a song, “the hook” can refer to any element that grabs the listener’s attention and makes the song memorable. Some songs hook the listener immediately with their opening bars. Remember the first time you heard “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen or “Stairway to Heaven?” In some cases the hook is a repetitive instrumental figure or lyrical phrase, but it’s what you remember long after the song has ended.
There are “light” content songs just like there are “light” content novels. Think of any novelty song that made you laugh, such as the Elmer Fudd version of “Blue Christmas” that gets dusted off and played every Christmas. Compare the novelty song to a classic like “Unchained Melody” and a difference in depth and tone will emerge. Both types of songs have value because most listeners like to vary what they listen to based to their mood, just as readers don’t necessarily want to stick to reading in one genre all the time.
Trends affect both the music and book publishing industries. Careers rise and fall on the whim of “what’s hot and what’s not” although it could be argued that it’s easier for a novelist to switch genres than it is for musical artists to reinvent themselves. Author Mary may switch from writing chick lit to paranormals while Pop Artist Mary might try pumping new life into a stale pop music career by switching to country.
Another similarity between books and music is imitation, (or outright plagiarism in some cases). Most writers find a formula and stick to it. There are classic themes in literature, and it’s generally agreed that little new territory is being carved out these days. The challenge is in finding fresh ways to explore universal themes. In music, artists “sample” each other’s work or acknowledge borrowing from each other, such as the bass line from “Ice, Ice, Baby” that sounds eerily similar to Queen’s “Under Pressure.”
Whether you’ve written a novel or a song lyric, success is measured by whether or not your work has resonated with your intended audience. In the case of a song, you’ll want to have left your listener humming the tune or remembering a bit of the lyric. As a novelist, you’ll want your reader to re-read favorite bits of dialogue or narrative.
And novelists take heart: a song has only minutes to make an impression. You have a few hundred pages. Make the most of them.
Fire At Midnight is a March 1st release from Medallion Press. For more information about Lisa, visit her website or her blog. She’s also a regular contributor to the Unusual Historicals blog owned by Carrie Lofty and can be found at http://www.unusualhistoricals.blogspot.com.
What a great piece. Thanks so much for sharing it!
Great post, Lisa!
I’ve also compared writing to comedians after once hearing Jerry Seinfeld say less than 1 out of every 10 jokes he writes make it into his act, all my rewrites made sense after that!
I had the opportunity to judge the first couple chapters of Lisa’s book in a contest. It was the best of the bunch by far! I’m not at all surprised to see it published. Congrats on your release!
Love what you’re written about the hook. So true!
Hi Lisa!
Great post! I love hearing what authors go through to achieve their ultimate goal — a published piece of work. Congrats and may your success continue!! (BTW, the book sounds and looks great! Another to add to the TBB)
Dottie 🙂
Love the cover and the blurb certainly is enticing. Wonderful interview especially about the ‘hook’. Congrats on your success.
I never thought of a song and a book “hook” being the same before.
Wonderful blog! The story seems to be full of twists and turns, which I always enjoy. I’ll be sure to look for it the next time I’m at Barnes & Noble. 🙂
Just posted about this on Win A Book. No need to enter me.
Great post and Fire at Midnight sounds like a interesting book.
Wonderful post! I never really though about just how alike music and books can be before. You are so right
What a great blog. I never paid much attention to the hook before. You are so right on it. If you don’t have that hook in the begining of the book, lots of books wouldn’t be finished.
Paula
great blog and very interresting.
Hi Lisa!
You’re such a talented gal and I love how you compare novels to music. I always wanted to write songs…like poetry, they say so much in just a few words and invoke great emotion. However, I’m verbose, so becoming an author of novels was the right choice for me. 🙂
Best selling wishes!
Misty
Great post, Lisa! I’ve often compared books to movies before, but never books to music. It makes total sense. Congratulations on all the great reviews your book is getting!
It’s great to see these comments, thanks so much for stopping by! I appreciate the kind comments and encouragement and I’m glad so many of you didn’t think the music/book comparison was nutty!
Great blog. The comparison between music and books is very interesting and one I’d not thought of. Some of my friends are inspired by music when they write. Alas, I’m tone deaf. Your story sounds terrific. I hope I win a copy of your book.
Hi, Lisa Marie, I’m very familiar with Fire by Midnight through your numerous contest wins, in particular the Daphne, and now that I read the plot, I can certainly see why. What a fantastic write up. I love the era you chose. Well done. And I wrote one of my books based on a country music song, so I think I know what you’re talking about 😆 I read that Sandra Brown wrote Hello Darkness after listening to Simon and Garfunkel. Music in a universal language as they way. Well done on your success!
Great post! How talented Lisa marie is!
mj.coward{at}gmail.com
Hi Lisa Marie! Good post! I often hear songs that I think would be a great place to spin off for a story! And how true that a differnt tune (or literary tone) can set or change the mood. Your historical sounds very wonderful! I would love to win!
Hi LIsa Marie.
Since I won a copy of your book, don’t enter me in the contest. I just wanted to come over and say, ‘hi.’
Plus, your topic looked interesting. I like your analogy that ‘just as readers don’t like to stay in one genre, music listeners don’t listen to just one type of music. Boy, have you got that right! I love Bach, and I love Metallica!
The comparison between musical lyrics and books is not nutty at all. After all, they both deal with words and the way words are put together.
😛
Great topic for a blog.
Julie
It’s interesting that you liken writing books to song writing because I write books and my older sister writes songs, so I can see this from both sides. And you are right, novelists have so much more to work with – condensing a love story to a two minute song is a daunting task, in my mind. That’s why I admire my sister so much for it. It’s really quite something to behold – especially when she writes a song for you (which she has for me on at least two occasions, that I know of.).
Margay
Hope I’m not too late. Loved your comparisons with lyrics and a novel. Your book sounds interesting. Have a great day.
Wonderful interview and comments, I hope to get to read this book, it sounds great. I love books with a strong historical setting.
Very interesting article! I really enjoyed reading it! 😀
I can honestly say I’ve never thought about the parallels between songs and books before. Interesting review.
Wow – you have me hooked. This is going straight to the top of my To-Read list! I love history and the symbolism Lisa uses is very powerful.
Lisa, this article definitely touched a chord for me. When I’ve read any of your writing, There is always a faint melody that lilts within the words and chapters of your books and all writing. I am not surprised that you were a lyricist, as I believe this is what helps to make you such a phenomenal writer. And like a finely tuned instrument, your craft is ever-emerging in perfect pitch! More please ….
Hi Lisa Marie! This book does sound so wonderful. I do love historicals and I think I’ve only read one other with a lighthouse theme in it (Susan Wiggs early historical romances). I’m thrilled about yours.
I’m deaf so I am unable to hear music, but I do love to read lyrics of them that some let me know about. Some will give me goosebumps, others I smile, others sad, so they give me a great deal of emotions when I do understand them. I don’t do well with understand most poetry but with lyrics I seem to more often be able to find the meaning within.