Musical Impressions 3: Patsy Collins

I told you today's Musical Impression was a special celebration didn't I? That's because Patsy Collins today became a published novelist, and I'm so happy to be able to help her celebrate.

For those of you that don't know Patsy, (and even if you do), here is a brief introduction to her. I swear, this is my favourite video on youtube. Watch it if you're down, I defy you not to smile!



 Now, on to the story. Constructive criticism not needed on this one because it's OUT TODAY! (I may have mentioned this already). There are two songs again this week, one that was just made for this story, and one which, as Patsy herself says, pretty much sums up how Leah feels about both the men in her life at different times.

Amazon USA Paperback  Amazon USA Kindle
Amazon UK Paperback    Amazon UK Kindle

Escape to the Country
Leah is accused of a crime she didn't commit. Dumped by Adam, the man she planned to marry, she escapes to Aunt Jayne's smallholding in the Kent village of Winkleigh Marsh. Heartbroken and homeless, she strives to clear her name and deal with her emotions.

Jayne treats Leah's unhappiness with herbal remedies, cowslip wine and common sense in equal measure. In return Leah works hard for the delicious home-cooked meals they share. She wrestles with sheep, breaks nails and gets stuck in the mud - learning as much about herself as she does about farming. Soon Leah is happy milking cows, mucking out pigs and falling halfway in love with Duncan, a dishy tractor driver.

Back in London, steps are being taken to investigate what's happened to the missing money. It looks as though the real embezzler must soon be unmasked and Leah will have to chose between resuming her old life or starting a new one.

That's when her problems really start.

Lyrics here


 Lyrics here

Musical Impressions 2: Jaycee Delorenzo

This week's Musical Impression is for a new friend of mine, Jaycee DeLorenzo. She already has a great playlist  on her blog for this story, which you can find here. The songs I've chosen today are a bit different from those but hopefully, she'll think they work!

You might note I said 'songs' and not 'song'. Yes, second week in and I'm breaking my 'one song' rule, but it was so hard trying to decide between Ivy and Ian's voice that I thought it was only fair they should both get a say. Also, I think the lyrics of these two work really well together :-)

Constructive criticism welcome.

The Truths About Dating and Mating

Spunky Italian girl Ivy Rossini loves to talk and push the boundaries. She gets to do both alongside her best friend, reputed bad boy, Ian Hollister, as they host The Truths about Dating and Mating, a sex-edutainment program for Riordan College's radio station. For Ivy, Ian has always been like an overprotective big brother - but that's about to change with a near kiss. With the memory of the moment fresh in her mind, she finds herself aroused by his slightest touch and fantasizing about finding out for herself what those girls on campus mean when they say he's an "intense lover." 

Ivy has always been Ian's one ray of sunshine, the only girl who really sees beyond his bad boy reputation. It's only fair he protect her from the typical jerks around campus, or so he tells himself. But when he sees her in a steamy embrace with another guy, he's forced to reconcile the sexy, confident woman she's become, with the "little-sister" he's always looked out for. 

With their friendship hanging in the balance, can they follow the advice they give their listeners to communicate, be honest, and trust in themselves - and each other - or will foolish pride ruin their fledgling relationship before it even gets off the ground?

Lyrics here


Lyrics here

Musical Impressions 1: Tania Walsh

This week's Musical Impression is for a story by Tania Walsh of T. F. Walsh. If you don't know this blog, you should check it out; she has a fantastic series on mythical creatures. Thank you so much Tania, I hope you enjoy it.

When I received this entry I knew exactly what song I was going to pick and I've stuck with it all week – until last night. Yes, as is (apparently) a woman's prerogative, I changed my mind at the last minute. I hope you enjoy what I've chosen. I think it captures the spirit of what the lead character is feeling in this story, but I'd love to know your views. Love it? Hate it? Have a better suggestion?

Constructive criticism welcome.

DEAD LIES

YA Fantasy/Mythology

Joking about someone's death at school and then having it come true is never a good thing. Now minus her friends who are scared of her, Leev's life just got worse - a wraith turned up on her doorstep. She's dragged into a terrifying spirit realm where black swans dive bomb from the air, hungry to steal your eyes, where wolves the size of horses wear harnesses, and where beautiful necromancers control wild spirits to do their bidding.

Leev learns that Valkyrie blood courses through her veins, and she is appointed as a mighty Mist. Like all the females in her family, she must collect the spirits of dead heroes and guide them safely to Valhalla. 

A cinch, especially since Leev can sense which hero will die next and delivers them before her collection memo is even issued. But when her death-senses point next to her firefighter dad, she struggles to accept his destiny, and sets out on a mission to save him, even if means breaking all the rules.

However things just got complicated. Her ability is unique and drawing the wrong kind of attention. A demi-god and powerful necromancer both set their sights on her soul, drawing Leev into a deadly cat and mouse game. 

And the stakes are higher than Leev could have ever imagined.

Lyrics here

Introducing ...

Before I start today's post I must give a quick shout out to my friend Mark Koopmans over at Aloha! He's running 'Got Green?' a blogfest in honour of St Patrick's Day. Sign ups began today but you have until the 16th to join in, before sharing your memories, dreams, or complete fiction about the Emerald Isle on the 17th, the day itself. Full details are here.

The results for the poll I ran a few weeks back are as follows:

Keep Musical Stories – 8 (18%)

Reduce to two songs – 5 (11%)

The 'synopsis' idea – 30  (68%)

I don't visit Fridays – 1     (2%)

Therefore, I'm very pleased (and more than a little nervous) to announce that Musical Stories has been replaced by Musical Impressions. Thank you to Golden Eagle at The Eagle's Aerial Perspective for the name. As soon as she suggested it I knew it was perfect.

Here is how it's going to work. I'd love it if you could email me a pitch, outline, synopsis, blurb, or whatever you prefer for one of your stories. This can be something you're working on, something that's finished or even something you just made up ten minutes ago. Every Friday, I'll take one (in the order they arrive) and select a song that I think matches your plot, theme or mood. They may not be 'exact matches', just something I think your work reminds me of.

You'll have a choice as to whether you would like your work critiqued or not, and whether you would like to remain anonymous, just let me know in the email.

Put Musical Impressions as the title of the email, then your outline either as the body, or an attachment. I'd like it if you can keep it to under 500 words but if you really can't, I'm not going to chuck it out :-)

I'm going to run this for the three Fridays left in March and decide what to do from there (in other words, if it's really really hard, I might have to think of something else!).

I hope this is clear, if not feel free to drop me an email or a comment. Also, this is an idea in progress so if you have any suggestions feel free to voice them. And someone, please send me something or I'm going to feel really silly!