Michelle Zink's Blog, page 33

Simple Math by Manchester Orchestra

I first found Manchester Orchestra about three years ago when I become a Brand New fanatic and realized a lot of people who liked BN on Myspace (Ha! Remember Myspace?!) also liked Manchester Orchestra.

But I admit that I forget about MO sometimes, so I'm glad Shelley Koon suggested this song. I haven't heard it yet, and it reminded me how much I love this band.

Thanks, Shelley! And please keep the Song of the Week recs coming by sending an email to prophecypress@aol.com with "Song of the Week" in the Subject line.Even if I don't choose your song that week, when I have time, I go back and choose from old submissions.

Halloween Candyyyy!!!

It's October, and you know what that means.

CANDY!

If you're like me, you can't resist dipping into the stash before the trick-or-treaters arrive.

And you KNOW you have your favorites. Now's your chance to weigh in. So what'll it be? Mini-candy bars? Or are you more of a traditionalist? Or a health nut?

Weigh in with the Friday Poll!

And don't forget you can still enter to win a free copy of Kenneth's Prophecy of the Sisters Soundtrack.

View This Poll

 

Thursday Night Write – Music That Inspires You

So I was super excited yesterday to unveil the Prophecy of the Sisters Original Score now available on Itunes and Amazon. I thought it would be a great topic for TNW, because music is such a huge factor in my writing and my life.

I discovered a long time ago that writing to music really helped set the mood for my writing. Film scores, in particular, are very atmospheric and typically don't have lyrics (I know some people can write to lyrics, but I can't), so I've long been a fan if using them while I write.

One of the very first things I do when I start a new project is to choose a score that fits the mood I'm trying to create in my new book. Sometimes it takes awhile, but I've learned that it's better to take the time to find the right music in the very beginning. Then I'm set!

Following are my favorite scores for writing. Share yours in the Comments!

Batman Begins – a quiet but very emotional, tense score by Hans Zimmer. He's the man.

The Dark Knight – Zimmer used Batman Begins as a jumping off point for this one, but TDK is WAY darker and more edgy. It's got some truly disturbing sounds and sequences. one of the most inventive film scores of all time.

The Village- quiet with a lot of classical violin. I wrote Prophecy of the Sisters to this one.

The Lord of the Rings (all) – sweeping, epic fantasyesque music. I used these to write Guardian of the Gate. Great for a high fantasy-type setting.

Legion – questionable movie but the soundtrack's good for setting the mood in a dark urban fantasy. Plus, there's some chanting. I like chanting.

Batman Arkham Asylum – yes, this is a video game score, but the line between film and video game music has really blurred with lots of highly-regarded film score composers now making music for video games. This is one of the game scores that most closely resembles a film score.

The Ring – creepy but not intrusive. I admit that I sometimes look over my shoulder when writing to this one. It's the score I chose for the book I'm writing now.

What about you? What kind of music, if any, do you like to have in the background when you write?

Prophecy of the Sisters Original Score Now Available

As many of you know, my son, Kenneth, is an aspiring film score composer. He's a wonderful piano player, but his real gift is in composing original music.

Kenneth and I started working together in 2009 when he approached me with the idea of creating a score for Prophecy of the Sisters. I didn't get it at first. I thought scores were just for movies (and at the time, they WERE). It turns out, Kenneth was ahead of the curve (which isn't a surprise, because he always has brilliant ideas for media, the selling of books, etc.). More and more, we're hearing about publishing and other companies working to make the reading experience more multi-media.

For years, we've been receiving requests for Kenneth's music on Itunes, but for a long time, we weren't sure if or how the music might be used in the marketing of the books by Little Brown, so we held off.

Then, we'd planned to release it with the first of three planned Prophecy Novellas. I'd originally planned to have the first Prophecy Novella, Whisper of Souls, released by October 1st. Whisper of Souls is a 20,000 word novella told from the point-of-view of Adelaide, Lia and Alice's mother, just before her death. However, I'm working out some distribution details at the moment and don't have a firm release date.

So the wait for the music is officially over!

Kenneth and I have been working for some time to bring you his music for download on Itunes and Amazon and it's finally here. It's been remastered because, believe it or not, those early recordings, including the one you hear in the the Prophecy of the Sisters trailer, were done on a tiny device in our basement that picked up all kinds of noise!

As Kenneth has grown as a composer, so too has the quality of his equipment. Now, in addition to his piano, he had a keyboard that hooks right into his computer and some very high-tech software with original recordings for strings, horns, percussion, etc. He wanted to make sure the quality was sound, so he remixed the original Prophecy songs using the new equipment.

The result is something I'm so proud of, both professionally and personally. It's been amazing to hear an entire score develop around my story. More than that, it's been truly awesome to see Kenneth's growth as a composer and artist.

And let me say that if you like the Prophecy music, wait until you hear the under-development score for A TEMPTATION OF ANGELS. I can totally see a movie when I listen to it!

Anyway, we're unveiling the music Prophecy here for the first time ever! And to celebrate, I'm giving away a free Prophecy album download to two winners. All you have to do to win is Tweet or Facebook a link to either the Amazon or Itunes listing for the Album with some kind of statement spreading the word, i.e. "Kenneth Zink's incredible instrumental score for the Prophecy of the Sisters Trilogy now available for download!" and include the link.

If you Tweet, @MichelleZink me! If you use Facebook, please tag Kenneth or me in your status update. This way we can help keep track of the entries. When you're done, please leave a comment letting me know what you did. Sometimes Twitter doesn't update me on stuff like it should.

Here are the links for your convenience – and listening pleasure!

Prophecy of the Sisters Score on Itunes

Prophecy of the Sisters Score on Amazon

Contest runs from now through Wednesday November 2nd at Midnight EST and you get an entry for each and every time you post. Contest is open to International entrants as long as you can accept a standard Itunes or Amazon MP3 gift.

Happy listening!

Avalon by Roxy Music

This week's song was easy to choose! That's because it was nominated by M.D. and seconded by Laura.

What can I say? It wins by popular vote.

And i have to say, I love, love, LOVE this sound. I'm sure it totally tags me as an 80s girl, but I'm okay with that.

Enjoy!

 

The New Thursday Night Write

Before I get to the changes in TNW, I want to post the winners of the Katie Klein ebook giveaway.

The winners are;

Sarah Dowlin

Kendall

Liz Reinhardt

Jose Antonio

Congrats, you guys! Email prophecypress@aol.com with "Katie Klein Winner" in the Subject line to claim your prize. Please let us know which of Katie's books you'd like and in which format.

So I've been thinking about revamping or eliminating Thursday Night Write for awhile now. Back when I was able to comment every entry, we sometimes had 50 or more pieces. But eventually, I couldn't keep up with it, and as my participation fell off so did everyone else's.

After informally polling my TNW "regulars" the consensus seems to be that everyone loves TNW and doesn't want to see it end, but they just don't always have time to post something.

Ayla suggested we keep Thursday Night Write, but mix up the actual writing entries with other writing-related posts, which I think it's a great idea!

So from now on, Thursdays will be devoted to writing in some form or another. It might be something simple like an inspiring quote or something more detailed liked writing tips. It could be an opinion piece or an interview with an author or bookseller. And every now and then, I'll continue to throw in prompts or Open Mics so you still get a chance to flex your writing muscle for everyone on the site.

This week, I thought we'd start by talking about writing projects we want to try. Most of the writers I know suffer from an overload of ideas.

Too many ideas, not enough time.

I'm definitely in that category. Writing is one way that I can be daring, and I love to try writing new things in new genres (even if I can't sell them all) just to see if I CAN.

So I'll start by listing the projects I'd like to try and you guys do the same in comments, okay?

Here goes;

An adult thriller – in process

An adult mystery/thriller series with a recurring character – have something in mind for next year

A Middle Grade novel – have something in mind for next year

A high fantasy – I'm nowhere with this idea, but I'd love to try it!

A screenplay – Kenneth and I are developing something but I don't know when I'll be able to write it

What about you guys? What are some of the writing projects you've always wanted to take a crack at?

 

Trying hard to speak and fighting with my weak hand…

This week's song, X & Y, is by one of my favorite bands, Coldplay, and was nominated by Emily. I love all of Coldplay's music, but Emily nominated this one because she said it reminded her of the Prophecy books and because she feels happy and peaceful when she listens to it.

I could totally use some happy and peaceful right now.

Hope you guys get some out of this, too.

Send your Song of the Week suggestion to prophecypress@aol.com with "Song of the Week" in the Subject line.

PS. Winners tomorrow from the Katie Klein ebook giveaway last week!

Creepy Cake N Bake; Not-So-Creepy, Crawly SPEE-IDER!

Here it is, guys; The Creepy Cake N Bake-a-Thon is ON! Rebekah and I took up the challenge of creating a super creeptastic cake in a bake-off with my esteemed fellow authors and bakers.

Unfortunately, we tend to do cute better than creepy – at least when it comes to cakes (as you all know, books are another thing entirely). I blame my weak stomach. You know you're not cut out for creepy visuals when you lose your appetite watching an episode of the X-Files (or when you look at Saundra Mitchell's Zombaby Bread or Brenna Yovanoff's Cardiac Event – Blech! Links below).

Still, it's hard to lament my lack of creepy baking skills when I look at our AH-dorable SPEE-IDER (you have to say this part in a whisper, like Megamind). Come on, admit it; He's CUTE!

Here's what we did.

Made two round chocolate cakes (I'd give you our secret family recipe, but then I'd have to kill you) plus one good size cupcake.

Used a bowl as a template to cut one of the rounds into a slightly smaller circle which we then placed on top of the larger one.

Placed the cupcake at the front of the cake to act as the head.

Smothered the whole thing in ganache, which if you've never tried it, is the food of the Gods. Seriously, you guys. All you have to do is take equal parts dark chocolate pieces (or chips) and heavy cream. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave, pour it over the chocolate bits, and let it sit. After about ten minutes, take a rubber spatula and stir this glorious concoction into the silky chocolaty goodness it was meant to be. Hint; the longer you let it sit and the more times you stir, the thicker it gets.

It's better than any chocolate frosting you can buy, I promise. Plus, it results in the glossy finish you see on our SPEE-IDER!

We put the cake in the fridge for a bit to let the ganache set and then piled on the pretty pink Snoballs you see in the picture. Don't ask me why we chose these. Then I'd have to tell you it's mostly because they were pretty and they looked a little hairy.

*gags*

Also, don't ask me what's in Snoballs. I HAVE NO IDEA.

After that we took two round, white Canada mints (why do they call these Canada mints? Do they only eat them in Canada? Did they really originate there? Inquiring minds want to know!) and Rebekah painted on the round pupils with black food dye. Those became our eyes, set into the cupcake (and if you press a little, it gives the spider little eyebrows).

Lastly we used a tiny piece of red licorice lace to make the mouth and black licorice ropes with one end stuck in the cake for legs.

Voila! Behold the… SPEE-IDER!!!! (don't forget the jazz hands when you say this. Everything tastes and looks better with jazz hands).

Now it's time for you to vote and possibly WIN!

Vote for your favorite entry by commenting below. You can comment on EVERY Cake N Bake post, one entry per post, for a chance to win a $20 gift certificate from Barnes and Noble or an official Creepy Cake N Bake doll! Please include your email in order to be entered to win.

Trophies will be awarded on Halloween for the top creeptastic creations. Winners will be chosen by our special Celebrity Judge, Adam Rex, author of such deliciously creepy creations such as FAT VAMPIRE, FRANKENSTEIN TAKES THE CAKE, FRANKENSTEIN MAKES A SANDWICH, and PSSST!

Check the list of contestants and their post dates so you don't miss any of the fun:

Mon Oct. 3 – Saundra Mitchell

Wed Oct 5 – Stacey Jay

Friday Oct 7 – Erin Dionne

Saturday Oct 8 – Sydney Salter

Mon Oct 10 – Brenna Yovanoff

Wed Oct 12 – Tara Hudson

Friday Oct 14 – Karen Healey

Saturday Oct 15 – Robin Bridges

Mon Oct 17 – Michelle Zink

Wed Oct 19 – Julia Karr

Friday Oct 21 – Victoria Schwab

Saturday Oct 22 – C.Lee McKenzie

Sunday Oct 23 – Emily Kristin Morse

Mon Oct 24 – Natalie Zaman

Wed Oct 26 – Stephanie Burgis

Friday Oct 28 – Dawn Metcalf

The Friday Poll – On Saturday

Last week, I saw this picture on Facebook of beautiful model Tara Lynn. It was accompanied by the following story;

A while back, at the entrance of a gym, there was a picture of a very thin and beautiful woman. The caption was "This summer, do you want to be a mermaid or a whale?"

The story goes, a woman (of clothing size unknown) answered the following way:

"Dear people, whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, seals, curious humans), they are sexually active and raise their children with great tenderness. They entertain like crazy with dolphins and eat lots of prawns. They swim all day and travel to fantastic places like Patagonia, the Barents Sea or the coral reefs of Polynesia. They sing incredibly well and sometimes even are on cds. They are impressive and dearly loved animals, which everyone defend and admires.

Mermaids do not exist.

But if they existed, they would line up to see a psychologist because of a problem of split personality: woman or fish? They would have no sex life and could not bear children. Yes, they would be lovely, but lonely and sad. And, who wants a girl that smells like fish by his side?

Without a doubt, I'd rather be a whale.

At a time when the media tells us that only thin is beautiful, I prefer to eat ice cream with my kids, to have dinner with my husband, to eat and drink and have fun with my friends.

We women, we gain weight because we accumulate so much wisdom and knowledge that there isn't enough space in our heads, and it spreads all over our bodies. We are not fat, we are greatly cultivated. Every time I see my curves in the mirror, I tell myself: "How amazing am I ?! "

I thought this was a beautiful story about finding and accepting oneself as beautiful at any size. I don't have any problem with thin, fit, slender women. I just think it's important that we accept the idea that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. Slender women have opportunities to feel beautiful and sexy every day. A photo like this one just gives everyone the opportunity to feel beautiful.

So tonight's poll (on Saturday instead of Friday, because I'm crazy like that) is about body image. Not the way you see other people, but the way you see YOU.

Weigh in (no pun intended!)!!!

View This Poll

Thursday Night Write 10/13/2011

It's Thursday and time for another edition of Thursday Night Write.

This week's TNW is Open Mic, which means you can post an excerpt of your original poem, short story, song, or novel for comment. Just make sure your entry is no longer than 300 words and remember to leave a comment for at least one other participant if you play.

Writers of all ages and experience are welcome!

And speaking of TNW, I wanted to ask you guys how you're feeling about it. I've been hosting it for almost two years, and while I love reading your entries, I've noticed participation is falling off a bit. Back when I was able to comment, we sometimes had 75-100 entries, but as my own participation had unavoidably dwindled (I always read the entries but can't comment anymore), so has everyone else's.

So let me know what you think in the Comments section, okay? I'd be happy to continue hosting it if there's interest. If not, we'll come up with something else that's fun for Thursdays on the blog.

Happy writing!