TODAY'S GUEST : AUTHOR OF THE BLUE NOTES SERIES : SHIRA ANTHONY!!

I've put the kettle on and opened the cookie jar as I have a special guest today. Shira Anthony has popped in to talk about Prelude, part of the Blue Notes Series, so I'm going to sit back and let her take the floor... enjoy.

Fictional Characters and Real Life

Thanks, Lisa, for hosting the Prelude Blog Tour today!  Thanks also for letting me talk about the fourth book in my Blue Notes Series of classical music themed gay romances, Prelude, which was just released by Dreamspinner Press on May 6^th.  The Blue Notes Series  are spinoff novels, so the books can be read in any order.  Prelude is chronologically the first, even though it’s the fourth book in the series.

A few days after Prelude was released, a friend of mine posted a photo of a dangerously sexy violinist on Facebook.  Long hair, tattoos, and the kind of smolderingly intense eyes that just make you want to meld into a puddle of goo where you stand.  I figured he was one good-looking model.  Wrong!  My friend sent me a link to a video. (Check it out – it’s amazing!)  Not a model.  Try “good-looking and super talented crossover violinist” David Garrett.  It was one of those “holy crap!” moments.   Why?  Because other than the fact word has it David is straight, he could have literally walked off the pages of Prelude.  Let me explain...

Prelude is a story of apparent opposites.  David Somers, a world-renowned conductor who grew up in a wealthy New England family.  Sophisticated and a bit of a classical music purist, David meets violinist Alex Bishop when Alex fills in for an ailing soloist and plays with the Chicago Symphony under David’s baton.  Alex has tattoos, long hair, and is a popular crossover artist.  He plays Bach, Beethoven, and Mozart as easily as he plays the Stones or Led Zepplin.  Alex grew up as a foster kid on the rough Chicago streets and nearly died on them.  Underneath it all, Alex and David have the strongest bond: their love for music.  And that’s where the story starts:  when David hears Alex play.

Alex is a fictional character, obviously.  But I drew on my love of crossover violin music and specifically Jean-Luc Ponty, who I grew up listening to, to create Alex.  I’d never heard of David Garrett.  Which is why I was so stunned when I saw his photograph and then watched the video.  In Prelude, David Somers notices how comfortable Alex is with his audience, and how much he responds to their excitement when he plays for them.  That same intensity of connection between audience and performer is there when you watch David Garrett play.  Alex is an amazing violinist.  His tone is beautiful, and his sense of the music natural.  I see the same ability in David Garrett.  In spite of the fact that he’s rocking out to Led Zepplin or playing Vivaldi with a rock beat, David’s tone is beautiful and his technique incredibly solid.

So if you read Prelude, I suggest you take a look at one of David Garrett’s videos.  Enjoy the view (he’s stunning!), enjoy the sound, and enjoy the intensity of his focus.  That’s exactly what I had in mind when my co-author, Venona Keyes, and I wrote Prelude. 

If you haven’t read any of the Blue Notes Series, you can dive in with any story and in any order.  I hope you’ll enjoy reading them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them.  Want to read an excerpt from Prelude? Click on this link (my website) and scroll down to the excerpt tab, or you can read a second excerpt on the Dreamspinner Press book page (same deal – scroll down and click the excerpt link). -Shira

PS:  Want to win some Blue Notes swag?  I’ll be giving away winner’s choice of a paperback or ebook of one of the Blue Notes novels as well as a Blue Notes Series t-shirt (winner’s choice of cover) at the end of the Blue Notes blog tour.  To enter, comment on this post and the other blog posts to win!  I’ll be drawing winners at the end of the blog tour.  If I have a lot of entries, I’ll add a few more prizes to sweeten the pot!

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Summary:  World-renowned conductor David Somers never wanted the investment firm he inherited from his domineering grandfather. He only wanted to be a composer. But no matter how he struggles, David can’t translate the music in his head into notes on paper.

When a guest violinist at the Chicago Symphony falls ill, David meets Alex Bishop, a last-minute substitute. Alex’s fame and outrageous tattoos fail to move David. Then Alex puts bow to string, and David hears the brilliance of Alex’s soul.

David has sworn off relationships, believing he will eventually drive away those he loves, or that he'll lose them as he lost his wife and parents. But Alex is outgoing, relaxed, and congenial—everything David is not—and soon makes dents in the armor around David's heart. David begins to dream of Alex, wonderful dreams full of music. Becoming a composer suddenly feels attainable.

David’s fragile ego, worn away by years of his grandfather’s disdain, makes losing control difficult. When David’s structured world comes crashing down, his fledgling relationship with Alex is the first casualty. Still, David hears Alex’s music, haunting and beautiful. David wants to love Alex, but first he must find the strength to acknowledge himself.

NOTE: Each Blue Notes novel is a standalone story and books in the series can be read in any order.

Want to buy the Blue Notes Series books? You can find them all here: http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php?cPath=54_673  

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In her last incarnation, Shira Anthony was a professional opera singer, performing roles in such operas as Tosca, Pagliacci, and La Traviata, among others. She’s given up TV for evenings spent with her laptop, and she never goes anywhere without a pile of unread M/M romance on her Kindle.

Shira is married with two children and two insane dogs, and when she’s not writing, she is usually in a courtroom trying to make the world safer for children. When she’s not working, she can be found aboard a 35’ catamaran at the Carolina coast with her favorite sexy captain at the wheel.

Shira can be found on:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shira.anthony
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4641776.Shira_Anthony
Twitter: @WriterShira
Website: http://www.shiraanthony.com
E-mail: shiraanthony@hotmail.com

Thank you, Shira, and I wish you many, many sales which there will be, I have no doubt!

Well I don't know about you, but I am rushing hot-footed to my Kindle to buy Prelude!

Don't forget to comment to get your chance of participating in her wonderful giveaway - good luck!

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW ABOUT WILL & SCOTT?

Will and Scott from Laurel Heights are going to be visiting me next week, and I thought it would be fun to ask them some of the questions you, the readers, really want to know the answers to.

They were a little reluctant at first, especially Will, who likes to keep his cards close to his chest, but Scott managed to talk him round, so I think it's going to be quite an interesting interview.

So if there's anything you want to know, why don't you leave me a question and I can ask them for you.

I know there are a few things I'm interested to find out...

THE TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS OF INTERNET DATING

This is me... well a variation of me in an alternative universe where I can get my laptop that close and there is no two ten pound children belly in the way... trawling through the too many to count messages I receive daily from the couple of internet dating sites I am registered with.

I am becoming more and more disheartened with these sites. Not because they don't work, hell, I met the man who would be my soul mate for thirteen years, until he decided his soul should spread it's wings.

I'm not saying there aren't wonderful men out there to be met, I'm just a little concerned about the amount of frogs you have to trawl through to find your Prince. For instance...

While I'm not that bothered about looks, I like to think I'm a little less shallow than that (especially when I'm not exactly Jennifer Lawrence - I had to update that from Meg Ryan so I don't show my age), but aren't we all secretly hoping the guy on the other end of the email looks like him (see right)?

I don't mind if you don't want to meet me because I'm not your type, we have nothing in common, I'm not Jennifer Lawrence etc, but to find your interesting waning because of my chosen profession? I kind of take offence to that.

Take, lets call him Bob, who I'd been chatting to for a couple of weeks. We seemed to have quite a bit in common, he only lived a couple of miles away, worked in traffic control (a grown up job) and didn't mind kids, having some of his own, albeit grown up. I'd decided to look for a slightly more mature man for a change in the hope of finding someone a bit more grounded and less likely to have the need to be attached at the hip, and at six years older than me, he seemed to fit the bill - or Bob.

Anyhoo, during one of our conversations he'd asked me what type of literature I wrote. I replied, gay erotic romance. His response was, "Well that's pissed on my chips." I was confused and was then outraged when he explained... "I could see myself having a relationship with a writer, but not sure I could have one with a writer who has gay images going through her head twenty-four hours a day. Unless of course you wanted anal."

First of all, I don't have gay images going through my head twenty-four hours a day - I sleep for at least five for God's sake! I also object to the assumption that;

1. Because I write gay romance, I would want him to be gay.

and

2. That during more intimate moments, I would be thinking about two men having sex. (I'd be more likely to be thinking about Jensen Ackles, but didn't think it was the appropriate time to point that out).

I informed him, politely of course, that I am a straight woman and have no aspirations to be a gay man (don't have the right equipment) or be in a relationship with a gay man. That I am not ashamed of what I do, that I'm actually not that bad at it and it makes me enough money to pay the bills and treat my kids. I did point out that contrary to his concerns, I don't think about gay men all day. I sit down to work, do what I have to do and then at the end of my working day I put my mummy hat on and don't put my work hat on again until the following day.

That I would like to think that when we were making love he wasn't thinking about directing traffic and that I would hope he would be thinking about me - as I would be thinking about him. Oh,  and I also indicated, maybe a little less politely, that there is one of these (see left) on my arse!

I guess age really is just a number and it amazed me to see the differing mindset those few short years between us had.

*sigh* I shall, however, keep plugging away and am actually talking to a really nice guy at the moment (but then they're all nice - sorry the cynic in me rises to the surface) who likes old movies, Dr Who and has tried to out-dweeb me on several occasions and failed dismally. Will we meet? I don't know... guess we'll just have to wait and see if he turns out to be another frog... or the elusive Prince.

SNIPPET SUNDAY

SNIPPET SUNDAY

Each week I shall be posting a ten line snippet to tantalise your taste buds

of either a work in progress or an already published work.

If you're an author who wants to join in, leave me a comment here and if 

there is enough interest, I will consider setting up a Snippet Sunday page.

BLURB:

After a kayaking accident took Josh Donald’s sight, he’s faced with learning to negotiate the world as a blind man. In short order, his boyfriend leaves him behind, making it clear he’s not inclined to deal with special needs. Reeling from the blow, Josh flounders. In an attempt to help, Josh’s friends take him to a camp for the blind, where he falls for the camp organizer, Charlie Cooper.

Charlie seems to feel the attraction too, but when a horse named Dottie pushes them into a hot first kiss, Charlie resists. He believes he’s damaged goods, not boyfriend material. Since the accident, Josh has faced tough obstacles, but the most challenging hurdle of all may be getting Charlie to open up and take a chance on love.

“I guess everyone’s a matchmaker around here,” Josh mumbled, one of his hands moving from Charlie’s waist and trailing up Charlie’s arm until he met the line of Charlie’s jaw with his fingertips. Charlie swallowed a moan at the tentative stroking of Josh’s fingers and a tremor ran through him when Josh’s fingers drifted to his mouth, just as they had the night before. “Your momma’s wrong about one thing, though,” Josh said softly, bending his head with purpose. “You’re not pretty.”

“No?” Charlie couldn’t help the gasp that fell from his lips. He should be pulling away. This was completely unprofessional. Josh was a client. Why wasn’t he pulling away?

         “You’re beautiful.” 

GET YOUR COPY HERE

See you next week!

Lisa x

RELEASE DAY! I CAN SEE FOR MILES AVAILABLE NOW!

BLURB:

After a kayaking accident took Josh Donald’s sight, he’s faced with learning to negotiate the world as a blind man. In short order, his boyfriend leaves him behind, making it clear he’s not inclined to deal with special needs. Reeling from the blow, Josh flounders. In an attempt to help, Josh’s friends take him to a camp for the blind, where he falls for the camp organizer, Charlie Cooper.

Charlie seems to feel the attraction too, but when a horse named Dottie pushes them into a hot first kiss, Charlie resists. He believes he’s damaged goods, not boyfriend material. Since the accident, Josh has faced tough obstacles, but the most challenging hurdle of all may be getting Charlie to open up and take a chance on love.

COVER BY PAUL RICHMOND!

AVAILABLE HERE NOW

WINNERS OF MONTY'S FIRST DATE GIVEAWAY :)

The winner's of the Monty's First Date giveaway are as follows - chosen by my two lovely assistants (also known as my children).

1st prize of a copy of Monty's First Date and Monty Get's Arrested goes to...

LAURIE PETERSON
goaliemom0049 (at) gmail.com

2nd prize of a $10 Amazon gift voucher goes to...

GIGI

gisu29(at)gmail(dot)com

3rd prize of a signed copy of Summer Heat goes to...

DIANNAKAY

diannakayATgmailDOTcom

Congratulations to you all! I will be contacting you by email directly.

Don't forget to keep an eye out for the next Monty giveaway when Monty Meets the Ex comes out at the beginning of May!

MONTY'S FIRST DATE... WHO WANTS IT?

Want to win a copy of the second instalment of Marshall's Park? Monty's First Date.

BLURB:

It's been a month since their unconventional meeting when Aiden wrestled Finn to the ground and had him arrested for kidnapping. After accepting Aiden's heartfelt apology, which included jumping into the dolphin pool with Finn—even though he couldn't swim—Finn has spent the last month getting to know Aiden and his daughter, Kaylee, on a series of  play-dates. But now it's time for grown-ups only, in a restaurant that doesn't have a kid's menu. His attraction to Aiden has blossomed over the last month and Finn desperately hopes the other man sees him as more than a play-date.

Aiden is as nervous as Finn at the prospect of the first 'real' date he's had since Charlie Sheen's second to last comeback. When Aunt Patti suggests he has a little nip of Bourbon before Finn picks him up, his arm doesn't take much twisting. Unfortunately, he conveniently forgets the antibiotics he is currently taking and becomes a little less and less inhibited as the evening goes on.

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me your favourite zoo animal and any entertaining stories about visits to the zoo. If your name is pulled out of the hat by my fabulous assistant, you can win one of the following:-

1st Prize!   A copy of Monty's First Date and a copy of book 1, Monty Gets Arrested in the ebook format of your choice.

2nd Prize!  A $10 Amazon voucher for your Kindle

3rd Prize!  A signed copy of Summer Heat :)

After a car accident which left him scarred and his best friend dead, Mitch Spencer retreats to his family’s vacation home to heal. He has no idea the turn his life is about to take when there’s a knock at the door.

Kade Lewis is good at one thing, and one thing only, theft. The Spencer house was supposed to be empty so now he needs to rethink his game plan. After years of keeping others out, it’s Mother Nature herself who throws an unexpected obstacle in his way; in the shape of Mitch Spencer.

Forced to spend time together when they’re cut off by flash floods, will the two men be able to vanquish their inner demons and find each other? Or will their pasts be too much to overcome?

Good luck - Gracie will draw the names on Saturday 20 April :)