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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Musical Inspiration- guest post: Kathleen Collins (Blood Slave book tour)


Musical Inspiration

I can’t write without music. It helps filter the noise from the outside world but more than that it helps me find my place in the world I’m creating. Every book has its own unique playlist. The idea for Blood Slave actually came from me hearing two songs back to back: Porn Star Dancing by My Darkest Days and Contagious by Saving Abel which naturally led me to strip clubs and people addicted to vampire bites because whose brain wouldn’t go there, right?

Obviously those two songs made the playlist for this book along with several others. For example, Bleeding Love by Leona Lewis which I’ve always referred to as the vampire love song and Sound of Madness by Shinedown. The playlist is filled with songs from The Dirty Guv’nahs, Seether, Buckcherry, Shaman’s Harvest and Daughtry. On the other end of the spectrum, there are songs from the soundtracks of both Sherlock Holmes movies, Lady Antebellum and Carrie Underwood. Some songs work better for certain scenes than others. And some songs I think will work get deleted off the list because I find myself listening to them instead of writing.

It’s a tricky balance to find a song that inspires without distracting but it’s so worth it. This whole series came into being because of one song that put one image in my head and I built the world and the story from there. So what about you? What inspires you? Or, even better, what is some of your absolute favorite music you think everyone should get inspired by? Share with me, I’m always looking for the next spark for the next big idea.



Blood Slave (Realm Walker Series Book 3)
by Kathleen Collins
Can she find a killer in a town where the basest desires are allowed to run free?

There are zombies in the Dead Zone and Juliana Norris is sent to take care of the problem. And for there to be zombies, there had to be bodies. When vampires are found to be the culprits, Juliana is sent undercover in the red light district of Kansas City. Lying to her mate, Thomas Kendrick, isn’t something she wants to do, but she’s in another vampire’s territory and Thomas would not be pleased. Besides, she’s more than capable of doing the job and she needs to prove it to everyone. Most of all herself.

Charles Morgan is in control of the Kansas City area, making a rich living off his various enterprises. Juliana goes undercover at the strip club Lust and gets sucked into his dark, decadent world. More victims turn up and the Agency is positive they’ve got their man, but Juliana is not so sure. When the Agency refuses to listen, she reluctantly turns to Thomas for help. He intervenes but finds Juliana unaware of the danger she is in and discovers she may just be too deep for him to save.


Excerpt
They pulled up in front of a non-descript low, white building. Visible Ink, the name of the tattoo parlor was painted in blue and gold on both of the large front windows. A crack crawled across one of them and chips of flaking paint decorated the sidewalk in front. Juliana climbed out of James’s car in disbelief. Proudly displayed in one corner of the front window was a sign pro-claiming ‘Buy one, get one half off’.

“Really, James?” She’d tried not to say anything but she couldn’t help herself. She had never questioned her friend’s judgement before but she had serious doubts about this place.

“What?” he asked. His tone told her that he knew exactly what she was thinking and he found it funny.

“There are some things in life you don’t want a discount on. Surgical procedures, for exam-ple. Or, I don’t know, tattoos, maybe.”

“Just trust me.”

She snorted but said nothing. If she didn’t trust him she would have already been back in the car. The man wore a lot of ink, most of it beautiful. He had to have some insight as to the best place for her to get her tattoo. He held the door open and she stepped inside. A large man rose from a chair in the back and came to meet them. He wore a neatly trimmed beard and tattoos covered every inch of visible skin from the neck down. His gaze moved over her from head to toe and it was obvious he was sizing her up. It was just as obvious when he dismissed her. “Pip-er,” he said, nodding in greeting. “What can I do you for?”

James put a hand on the small of her back and pushed her forward. Clearing her throat as she pulled a piece of paper from her pocket, she unfolded it and laid it on the counter between them. It looked like a Japanese kanji but was in fact a combination of Thomas’s initials which formed his personal symbol. The tattooist looked between her and the drawing several times before pushing it back across the counter with one finger. “Unless your name’s Norris, that ain’t getting anywhere near you.”

About the Author:
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Kathleen Collins lives and works in Missouri. By day, she labors in the local prosecutor's office. At night she writes while surrounded by her husband, two boys and two loveable mutts. She is constantly thinking of her next project and loves to connect with her readers. You can fine her most often on Facebook or on her website.

2 comments:

  1. Hi, I'm looking for the best website to find a wide selection of electronic music. Can anyone recommend a reliable website?

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  2. Being a musician in 2023 is very difficult. You put countless hours and essentially your whole soul into a song, maybe even the soul of your firstborn child. I was the same way until a friend suggested I check out https://promosoundgroup.net/collection/streaming-promotion/spotify-promotion/, where I got over 1kk listens in a short period of time. It's great that services like this exist, especially for aspiring musicians.

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