Christine Feehan's Blog, page 15

Vengeance Road – Music Motivation

I’ve always loved music and it’s inspired me in so many ways throughout my life. I’ve often heard songs that cause me to think about a character or scene in one of my books. Sometimes I’ll hear music that inspires a scene I’m writing at that moment.

Music and emotion go hand in hand, in my opinion. And music can enhance a scene in a movie to the point that a soundtrack becomes popular or a particular song in a movie becomes iconic, like Celine Dion’s song My Heart Will Go on from the movie Titanic, or Shallow from the 2018 version of A Star is Born. I love the entire soundtrack for The Greatest Showman. Music can be the heart of a scene or it might be the accent that facilitates an emotion within a scene.

There are several songs that I thought about or listened to while writing Vengeance Road. From that playlist in my head, I chose five songs I wanted to share with you.
These song may not have the same meaning or impact for someone else that they have for me. And that’s okay. Music can be very personal for a lot of reasons. I do hope you’ll enjoy checking out the music.

Some of the songs are explicit. If you read the Torpedo Ink series then this isn’t going to shock you. But, if you’ve not tried the series or not ready any motorcycle club books know that the language can be rough. It’s a rough world and I try to make my characters and club as real as I can.

I’ve linked to YouTube videos of the songs. Some of them have the lyrics, some do not. But, this was the easiest way I could think of the share the music.

Come Back Home by Callum Scott - COME BACK HOME



Steele sacrificed what he wanted most, Breezy, the woman he fell in love with. Letting her go was for her own safety, but to force her to leave he had to be cruel. In his mind he always meant to find her again and bring her back home to him.

From the lyrics-

I'm burning like a fire, will someone help my pain?
I'm drowning above the water, oh, help me breathe again
And I, I can't let you go, so when you're ready, come back home
Full lyrics here-
LYRICS

__________________________________________________

The Scientist - Coldplay -

The Scientists - with lyrics



There’s power in regret even when we know that what we did was the right thing. Steele and Breezy’s love story is full of regret and longing. Breezy was an unexpected gift that Steele wanted to keep for himself. But, when he knew the danger level was about to explode he was determined to keep her safe at any cost. Even though sending her away was one of the hardest things he had ever done.

From the lyrics-

Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
Full lyrics here-
LYRICS

__________________________________________________

Riot – Camino -
RIOT

Torpedo Ink is more than just a motorcycle club. More than just highly trained assassins. They’re a family forged from survival and horror. Attacking one means taking on the entire club. These aren’t people you mess with and walk away from. They aren’t going to fight fair. They aren’t going to forgive. They are a riot of violence and they defend their home.

From the lyrics. -

I'll start a riot in the middle of the night
I will defend my
Home
And start a riot in the middle of the night
Full lyrics here-
LYRICS

_______________________________________________

Wrong side of Heaven – Five Finger Death Punch -
WRONG SIDE OF HEAVEN




Redemption is a big part of the Torpedo Ink series. From being abused as children, to being trained as assassins to escaping to the United States in order to stop a human trafficking ring and eventually create their own way of life and find a home. But, surviving such a horrific beginning isn’t something that leaves you just because you escaped it. The members of Torpedo Ink know they’re dangerous. They know the chances of having a normal life just aren’t there for them. But, they also know they won’t tolerate seeing that kind of abuse anywhere else. They’ve found focus and reason and they will use their considerable skills to save others.
Life tattooed hell onto their souls and they’ve taken turned it into a tool to stop evil. They now walk a fine line toward redemption.

From the lyrics-

Arms wide open
I stand alone
I'm no hero and I'm not made of stone
Right or wrong
I can hardly tell
I'm on the wrong side of heaven and the righteous side of hell

Full lyrics here-
LYRICS


_______________________________________________

Bad Company – Five Finger Death Punch -

BAD COMPANY



This song was originally done by the band Bad Company but I chose the Five Finger Death Punch version because it’s edgier.

Thought Torpedo Ink now has found a home in Caspar and are trying to make lives for themselves it doesn’t mean they’re apologetic for who they are. They were formed into dangerous assassins and have taken those skills and re-shaped their lives and their purpose. Knowing you’re dangerous and that you’ve done horrible things in order to survive doesn’t mean you have to apologize for who you are. And you can be proud of the bad company that you keep.

From the lyrics-

Bad company
I can't deny
Bad, bad company
Till the day I die
Until the day I die

Link to full lyrics-
LYRICS

_____________________________________________

Nobody Praying for Me – Seether -
NOBODY PRAYING FOR ME




There are levels of loneliness in the world that I’m sure we’ve all experienced to some degree in some way or another. Each member of Torpedo Ink must struggle with their own inner demons and their own brand of loneliness. There’s also a type of loneliness that lives within a group. Sadly, the world is capable of turning its back on entire groups of people. Torpedo Ink, as a club, suffers from its own brand of loneliness. It’s the knowledge that they’ll never truly fit into society. Knowing they will be judged by outsiders who know nothing about their life struggle. It’s the knowledge that acceptance and love may only happen within their own small circle.

But, for some, this kind of loneliness galvanizes them into a unit so strong that nothing can rip it apart. It’s like saying, “Even if no one else accepts and loves you, I will, because I know your story. Because I am part of you. And everything I am will protect you and care for you. So, fuck them.” That kind of strength can help fill the void. And it can make you very, very dangerous.

From the lyrics-

I'm a whisper lost upon wind
I'm the ember that'll burn you down
I'm the water that'll drown you
I'm a star that's just a black hole now
I'm a terrifying danger
Full lyrics here-
LYRICS

________________________________________________

Behind Blue Eyes - Limp Bizkit -
BEHIND BLUE EYES (with lyrics)



For me this is Steele. His amazing blue eyes see beyond and behind what’s right in front of him. He knows himself. He knows what he wants.

From the lyrics-

But my dreams they aren't as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance
That's never free

Full lyrics here-
LYRICS


_______________________________________________

Those are a few of the songs I’ve listened to that make me think of Vengeance Road in some way. I would love to hear your suggestions for music that you feel represents Torpedo Ink or a character from Torpedo Ink. If you leave a link, I’ll go listen to your music suggestions

Vengeance Road Book Trailer Behind the Scenes

I wanted to get across that the MC is a cohesive group and I dreamed of having several Harleys taking off or coming in, driving down the road or lined up with riders straddling them. I love motorcycles and I knew I had to have that as part of the book trailers starting with Vengeance Road. So, we put a call out for friends, family and volunteers to help us create some stock footage specific to the Torpedo Ink series with some bonus footage specific to Vengeance Road.


It was a long day. It started around 8 AM and ended at 8PM. There was a morning crew and an evening crew since the day was going to be so long. All in all there were a little over 20 people participating.


Meeting everyone, hanging out, it was one of the most fun things I’ve done in a long while. There’s some footage that I won’t be able to show for a while since it would be a spoiler if anyone saw it. That was fun to watch it be filmed though.



I loved the wonderful ladies who played Lana and Alena! They were perfect for those characters and they both had a great badass look! LOL

We had four locations where we were shooting. We did some on the road shots, some at a tattoo parlor, at my home and then at a garage. We tried to think of as many shots as we could given that I haven’t written all the books yet so we didn’t know specifically what was needed with a few exceptions. We have riding scenes, tattooing scenes, fighting, kissing, a bar scene, shooting and I’m sure I’m forgetting some. LOL


It was a long, fun day and I enjoyed meeting everyone and watching my characters come to life.

Watch the Vengeance Road Book Trailer HERE text



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The MC Game Celebrating Vengeance Road!

We've started the party and you're invited! Vengeance Road will be released January 29th and we're already celebrating! Today I've got something fun for you! It's a game where you find out about your own motorcycle club! Be sure to share in the comments so I can see your club name and what the club does!







TWITTER

My Official Website

Christine Feehan Website

Christine's Facebook

Christine on Twitter

Christine Feehan Instagram

(Exclusives, Sneak Peeks, Discussions and more) - Exclusive Online Community

Goodbye 2018 and Hello 2019! Happy New Year…a little early!

The time seems to fly by. It seems like just a few months ago that Judgment Road came out and now we’re just a few weeks from the release of Vengeance Road.



2019 is shaping up to be a busy year. I have 5 new releases-

Vengeance Road
Toxic Game
Shadow Warrior
Dark Illusion
Leopard’s Wrath

And then 2 releases that will be first time in paperback

Dark Sentinel
Toxic Game

Avon will be re-releasing Dark Legend with a new cover late in the year.

And like the re-release of the Drake Sisters with new covers, WalMart will have exclusive covers for 7 of my Leopard series books.

Wild Rain
Burning Wild
Wild Fire
Savage Nature
Leopard’s Prey
Cat’s Lair
Wild Cat

That’s a lot, right? LOL

In 2019 I will be attending the Booklovers Con in New Orleans BookLoversCon and Lori Foster’s Author-Reader Get Together in Ohio Reader & Author Get Together. I wish I could do more events, but as you see from the list above, it’s a busy year. I write one book per series, per year, so that means FIVE books! I’m tired just thinking about it! LOL






I want to thank everyone who has supported my books. I made bestseller lists for each of my new releases and I know it’s because of my readers and their enthusiasm that the word gets out there. So, thank you!

Thank you to the bloggers, reviewers and those of you on social media who share information about my books.

I’ve loved meeting new people via my social media. I love reading comments. It feeds the soul to have fun on my social media.

Tell me what you’re looking forward to the most in 2019! Not just books, but anything at all!

Happy New Year!

A Torpedo Ink Christmas Vignette

The roar of the Harleys could be heard long before they turned off of Highway 1 toward the farm where the president of Torpedo Ink resided with his wife Blythe and his four children. Czar had put a call out for the club members to come. When he called, they answered, and they did so quickly, without question.

Steele had never liked leaving Czar and his family unprotected, no matter what the man said. He often objected to the bodyguards they left posted behind. Whatever it was couldn’t be too bad because both Reaper and Savage were watching over the family and neither had texted the code for emergency.

In tight formation, armed with weapons, prepared for anything, the members of Torpedo Ink drove through the gates of the large acreage that heralded the farm, Czar and Blythe shared with five other families. Each family had their own home and the one they went to was a two-story sprawling house surrounded by five acres that divided Blythe’s section on the farm from the others.

As the club came into the front yard where the parking was designated for their motorcycles, they could see lights like dripping icicles hanging from the eaves. The roof had been lined in blue lights shining through a bed of snow. Perched on the roof were reindeer and a sleigh filled with lighted packages in every color of blinking lights.

Candy cane lights lined the stairs and glowed around the door. Steele looked around him at the others. They were all smiling when they rarely smiled. Christmas music poured from the house as if the songs were too big to be contained. Even Maestro smiled, and he never did. The club members shook their heads as they slowly shut down their bikes.

The door burst open and Emily, the youngest of Blythe and Czar’s adopted children rushed down the stairs. “Hurry,” she shouted. “We’re going to get the lights on. Mommy said you would be the fastest cuz you’re taller, Ice and Storm. But you gotta hurry so we can decorate the tree.”

The twins looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders and allowed Emily to grab their hands. Neither had time to get their gloves off. Behind them, the rest of the club crowded close.

There were eighteen survivors of the school in Russia and they were as interdependent on one another now as they were then. All were familiar with Blythe’s house and they came and went as if it was part of their collective territory.

The house smelled of spice and cinnamon. Somehow it felt like home when they’d never had one. Blythe was always accepting of them and welcomed them around her children.

Just inside the great room, which was very open with high ceilings, was an enormous tree. They all stopped and stared at the thing. They knew others celebrated Christmas by bringing trees in the house and decorating them, but they didn’t go in people’s homes—unless they were there to kill them. That wasn’t the Christmas spirit and all of them were fairly certain Blythe wouldn’t approve.

“Um, Blythe,” Steele, the vice president of Torpedo Ink called out. “What exactly is this?” He was fairly proud of himself for censoring. They got fined by the children for foul language. He was certain the girls already had enough money for a four-year college.
Blythe came out of the kitchen, all smiles, which made Steele very suspicious. He glanced back at his brothers and Alena and Lana, the two women in their club. All looked just as suspicious as he did.

“I’m so glad you’re here. We can’t decorate the tree until you put the lights on it. Ice and Storm are tall. Transporter, you and Mechanic are the tallest. I have ladders so if you get on them on all four sides, we can maybe the get the lights up fast so the kids can decorate tonight.”

Ice, Storm, Transporter, and Mechanic backed up and stared up the tree until they were looking at the top which was nearly hitting the sixteen-foot ceiling.
“You don’t have anyone for us to beat up for you, Blythe? Some kid maybe giving Kenny a hard time,” Ice asked. “We could do that for you.”

“Or kill them if it’s one of the girls,” Storm offered. “Anyone giving them a hard time deserves an unmarked grave.”

Blythe laughed as though they didn’t mean it. Steele joined her, now that he knew he wasn’t the one having to climb the ladder and pretend he knew how the hell to put on Christmas lights. He leaned into Blythe. “This was Czar’s idea, wasn’t it? To railroad us into putting on the lights so he didn’t have to.”

“You know that man so well,” she replied, her eyes dancing with merriment.

Being with Blythe made them all happy. She was just so accepting of them, of their lack of social graces, of the gaps in their knowledge, of everything about each of them.

“Don’t understand this Christmas shi.. stuff,” he corrected quickly. “What’s it all about?”

The others nodded, all looking to Blythe the way they often did when nothing made sense to them. She found herself in the middle, surrounded by all seventeen of them. Where Czar was, was anyone’s guess. Steele figured upstairs taking a nap after wearing himself out laughing.

Blythe was Blythe and she always tried to answer their questions as honestly as possible. “I celebrate Christmas as both a religious holiday and a fun traditional one with the children. I want them to have both. I take them to church and talk to them about the Christian aspect of Christmas because I believe in it and want them to have the strength and morals that come with those beliefs.”

Ice shook his head. “Some of us don’t have a hope in hell, babe. God turned his back on us a long time ago.”
“He doesn’t do that, Ice. I know that supposed school you were in was the worst, but it wasn’t God who put you there.”

“Maybe not, but to save others, we had to sell our souls to the devil,” Ice explained. He meant every word. “Easier not to think about those things.” His voice rang with sincerity.

Blythe was Blythe. She didn’t argue, but she did lessen the blow. She shook her head slightly. “Honey, selling your soul to save someone else isn’t binding. There are other beliefs and traditions in every country around the world, some in conflict with the religious beliefs of Christmas. I teach the children my personal belief, which is everyone has the right to believe what they feel in their hearts. I don’t have the right to judge nor do I want my children to. I want every human being to feel safe and happy.”

“What’s all the presents about, and the Christmas tree with all these decorations?” Steele asked, indicating the mountains of decorations Blythe had waiting to be put up in the room.

“Fun,” Blythe said immediately. “Creating traditions for your family and friends. At least that’s what it is for me. These children need tradition and fun just as much as they need me teaching them about faith.”

Steele knew she was implying they all needed the fun as well. The others immediately went to her decorations and began going through them.



Thank you for spending a moment with Torpedo Ink. If you'd like to read an extended version of this vignette you can join my free online community and read more here- Extended Story



I wish everyone a happy holiday!

Why I Want A Torpedo Ink Christmas

Living a life of seclusion, abuse and death I always imagined the survivors that would eventually escape and become Torpedo Ink wouldn’t know much about Christmas. Perhaps they’d learn about it if it were associated with an assassination they were assigned, or hear about it in some secondary way, but they’d not actually experience it. Even so, Christmas in Russia isn’t the same as Christmas in America. There are different traditions and it’s even celebrated on a different day since Russia uses a Julian calendar. Christmas in Russia is celebrated in January as a rule. Also, it’s the New Year that is the bigger celebration in Russia.

Even when they went undercover for several years to bring down The Swords they lived an outlaw life full of danger and subterfuge. They would be aware of traditional practices of the holiday, but more as observers and outsiders.

Knowing about something and how it works isn’t the same as experiencing it for yourself, so regardless of how many Christmases the members of Torpedo Ink observed, it would be their first year in Caspar, CA. that they would actually participate in Christmas as a family. And of course, it would be Blythe who would insist they be active in all aspects of the celebration.
There’s something about Christmas, about holidays that bring family and friends together, that feels magical. Like love. It can slip through the toughest exterior and shine light into the hearts of those who are courageous enough to have hope. No matter how small the hope. Or how buried.

It’s not often that a writer gives a gift to her characters. I love this band of outlaws that look to care for one another and mete out justice to those who would harm the weak or innocent. One day I hope to give them all a Happily Ever After. For now, I’ll give them Christmas.
A Torpedo Christmas cominglater today on my Goodreads Blog and website. The initial story will be here on Goodreads and a slightly longer story will appear on my website later. I'll include links at the end of the story in the later blog.



Find out more about the Torpedo Ink series here- TORPEDO INK

Learn more about Vengeance Road, the next book in the Torpedo Ink Series coming January 29, 2019 - VENGEANCE ROAD

Sign up for my free online community and mailing list - HERE

Commenting on Reader’s Favorite Quotes

Have you ever finished a book and wish it didn’t have to end? You want just a little more. Or maybe you read something in the book and wish you knew what inspired the author to write it?



When Goodreads approached me to ask if I’d participate in the Kindle Notes and Highlights I admit that, at first, I thought it seemed like a lot of work. And it is. But, then they explained that the sentences, passages or scenes that they’d like me to comment on came directly from the readers. I could learn what my readers highlighted most in my books, which means finding what the reader found intriguing. I love the idea of getting insight that way and immediately saw the benefit to it. I could engage with my readers by commenting on what they found interesting. I didn’t have to guess. And though it would take time to comment on everything, it felt personal, like having a conversation with each of those people who highlighted something.



I was asked to comment on the highlights of the first book in each series that I write. I did that. And over time, those will be released so the conversation can continue. I’ve enjoyed this so much that I’ve asked to make comments on additional books like Leopard’s Blood and Covert Game. I’m thinking I may include Bound Together as well.

I love that the highlights and my comments are a bridge between myself and my readers using the words in the book to tie us together and create a conversation. I hope other people enjoy reading and commenting as well. It’s a way to get insight behind the story, characters and events in a book.

Any of the books that have my comments are marked on this page- KINDLE HIGHLIGHTS
I hope you join me in the conversations!

The Nine Lives of Love

It’s no secret that my Leopard series is more erotic than any of my other series. I created my shapeshifters to have traits from the Leopards and those traits aren’t always sweet and cuddly. I find that I don’t particularly care for shapeshifter stories in which the human doesn’t take on any of the animal traits. If you don’t integrate them, at least a little, then it’s someone who is human sometimes, then animal sometimes. To me, that misses an opportunity.




I researched a great deal when I started writing my leopard shapeshifter series. I continue to research as I have characters come in that are a different type of leopard. I try to utilize whatever is special about a certain type of leopard. For example, the Amur leopard. Fyodor and Timur are Amur leopard. They are from Russia. The background story for Timur and his brother Fyodor, lets people know that they came from a large family where the women were often killed. In real life, the Amur leopard is nearly extinct. I try to tie in the fact to the fiction. These leopards are nearly lost to us, so in my story I explain that the shifters are killing their women.





Beyond the tie between fact and fiction, I have created my own mythology for my shifters. For example, bonded leopards are together for life. My mythology is that these leopard people have nine lifetimes to find and bond with their mate. Each life they are reincarnated and find each other. They grow more and more attracted to each other as time goes by.
I never say what life a certain couple is on. I don’t really give that a lot of thought. But, some couples come together in a fiery passion and some have a rough start to them. Each time it can be different, but they always look for each other.

I’m not sure that I’ve ever shared that bit of mythology about my Leopard Shifters before, but I’ve always known it. World building is important to me and I want people to feel as grounded as possible as they read something supernatural so that they still feel part of the world we live in.





Leopard’s Run shows some real challenges for our hero, Timur. He’s not certain if, in the end, he is going to kill Ashe, our heroine, or claim her as his own. His training, his upbringing, his strong loyalty to his brother and the safety of those he loves tells him that Ashe is a threat and he has to treat her as such. But, all the while his body, his leopard, feels this raging need to have her, claim her and keep her for himself.

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Leopard Fun- Games and More

Leopard's Run will be out Nov. 6th and we're gearing up for the release!

A friend of mine created this fun and simple game and I hope you enjoy it!



Let me know what you got!

:

If you missed it the first chapter of Leopard's Run is up for your enjoyment! CHAPTER


SOMETHING NEW!

This is fun, too!
Goodreads has sent me the top 9-10 most highlighted passages or sentences from Leopard's Blood in preparation for the release of Leopard's Run! So, I get to see what readers loved and I comment about it. And if you want, you can comment on what I saw! Kind of like a real life conversation. LOL
You can read and/or participate here- Leopard's Blood Annotations





TWITTER

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Leopard’s Run Book Trailer – First Public Release!

Leopard’s Run is out November 6th and it’s both sexy and action-packed!



I love the conflict Timur and Ashe have. They’re both driven. They both have a mission. Timur doesn’t trust Ashe and for good reason, she’s most certainly keeping a secret. Timur is tasked to keep his brother, his family, safe. He takes his job very seriously. When Ashe appears out of the blue, working for Timur’s sister-in-law, he’s already pissed. There’s something about her that doesn’t quite add up and Timur is willing to do what it takes to figure her out. And what it takes to stop her if she proves to be a danger to those he’s sworn to protect.


Timur finds that his own body is willing to betray him as he gets closer to Ashe. Not a good idea when he might have to kill her. But perhaps, just one taste…
Watch the Leopard’s Run Book Trailer!



CLICK HERE TO WATCH