Give It Up for Gianna!

I'm very excited about my next guest on the Noble Romance Authors Blog Tour – because Gianna and I have known each other since long before we both fetched up at Noble, as LiveJournal pals. It's really lovely and funny that we've wound up on this blog tour together – one of life's happy little coincidences. And now I'll leave Gianna to speak for herself!

I'm a born and bred Jersey girl who loves to get lost in other worlds or alternate realities with sexy anti-heroes and brave heroines. My interests range far and wide, when I'm not writing (or driving children somewhere), chances are you can find me poking into some fun places online, like Twitter, reading anything and everything, or watching old episodes of Highlander, Charmed and Dragon Ball Z.

Hi, Gianna – I know that music is one of your passions – all the Springsteen lyrics you post on Twitter on Friday nights is evidence enough of that! Can you tell us a little bit more about how it features in your life – writing and non-writing?

Gianna: 

Music has always been a big part of my life, but not in any formal way. I took the traditional piano lessons as a kid, and wasn't too bad, though I really didn't like it until I obtained the music for Bruce Springsteens's albums. And even then, playing was a chore for me. I'm much more of a listener. And listen I did, and still do.

I'm a girl with a rock and roll heart – I love all kinds of it, though I do also like club/dance music, and pop music. I grew up in a house where my mother always played classical music or operas, I even attended more than my fair share of them, but was never drawn in as mom was. Don't get me wrong, I have a tremendous amount of respect for and am always impressed with the talents of those who perform those genres, the gift of an incredible voice is something I've long wished I'd been fortunate enough to possess. Maybe that's why I love Pat Benatar so much – she is classically trained, her voice is incredible, and the woman can rock! She could teach a few things to some of the popular performers of today. Class and talent and the ability to rock as hard as any man. A hard combo to find.

But rock music is the soundtrack of my life – there are very few places where I don't have it playing. Car, house, work. One of the greatest inventions, in my opinion, is the ipod. I don't know how I lived without it – the idea of carrying 6000+ of my songs with me at all times just makes me giddy like a little kid. I play music at work, in the car, when I write, when I cook, when I watch hockey, no matter what. It inspires me, feeds my muse and can usually transform a bad mood. I have this one playlist that I like to listen to when I'm writing, I call it my Sexy playlist. Some of the songs on there include:

Bad Girlfriend by Theory of a Dead Man

Something in Your Mouth by Nickelback

S.E.X. also by Nickelback

Counting the Days by Collective Soul

Supermassive Black Hole by Muse

Shimmer by Fuel

Sexual Healing by Marvin Gaye

Let's Get it On also by Marvin Gaye

Cherry, Cherry by Neil Diamond

Superstition by Stevie Wonder

Higher Ground – two versions! Original by Stevie Wonder and the remake by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Daytripper by The Beatles

Rocket Queen by Guns n Roses

Slither by Velvet Revolver

We Got it Going On by Bon Jovi

Human Touch by Bruce Springsteen

Atlantic City also by Bruce Springsteen (there is not one playlist that doesn't have at least some Bruce appearing on it!)

It's a rather mixed collection, much like my taste. And not all of them are songs about sex, the music may have its own "sexy to me" sound, or there may be a line or two in there that inspires me. And there are a lot more songs on there as well.

Lyrics are a big factor for me as well – as far as I'm concerned, there isn't anyone who can write lyrics as beautifully as Bruce Springsteen. His words, combined with his music, paint a clear picture of what's happening and make you feel the characters' plights as if they're your own.

I've got entire books plotted around one line of lyrics. I've always been impressed with how musicians can say so much with just a few lines – takes me 1,000 times as many words to evoke some of those same feelings. But those few words can set the mood for the scene I'm writing, or inspire a completely new one. Or make me realize I need to take the story in a different direction than originally planned. That happens way more than I like to admit.

Speaking of Gianna's stories – trust me, they are hot! To find out more, check out these links:

Blog:  http://giannasimone.blogspot.com/

Twitter: Gianna_Simone

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1523876745

Buy Links: Healing the Mage: https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=252

In the Devil's Arms:  https://www.nobleromance.com/ItemDisplay.aspx?i=186

Thanks for sharing, Gianna – I love your list of classic rock inspirations (especially Muse!).

And now, leave your comment for a chance to win big prizes, then let the button whisk you away to Gianna's own blog, where she is hosting J S Wayne today.