Today I have with me the authors of The Childe and Dark Days
Carol Kunz was
born in New Ferry, England. Her interest in the supernatural was first sparked
upon reading Bram Stoker's Dracula at the age of eleven. As a teenager, her
fascination with the mythology behind vampires, werewolves and witches
continued. Being an avid reader, Carol finds it easy to spend several hours
wrapped up in a great fantasy novel.
Adam Kunz was
born in Newport News, Virginia. Growing up, he was a huge fan of creature
features and books about things that go bump in the night. When he's not busy
writing, Adam enjoys his job at a certain theme park in Orlando, Florida as a
décor consultant. This job brings him face to face with all sorts of
nightmarish creatures, especially when he decorates the haunted houses for the
park's annual Halloween event.
Carol and Adam currently reside forty-five minutes away from
each other in the sunny state of Florida.
Music’s Role In Our Writing Process and Beyond
Music
is such an important part of my (Adam) writing process. My mom, Carol, usually
has to write in silence, but she does sometimes have the TV on in the
background though. It may sound weird, but I can’t seem to write without
listening to music. I’m convinced that it allows me to clear my head of all the
other story ideas that are floating around up there, and just focus on my
current project.
If
I want to get to a certain emotion while writing, I like to listen to a certain
song. If I’m writing a romantic scene, I may put on a song like “A Thousand
Years” by Christina Perri, or “Back To December” by Taylor Swift. If I’m
writing a heart-pumping action scene, I may put on a song like “Promises” by
Nero, or “Burn It Down” by Linkin Park. I find that music just immerses me
right into a scene, and I can really get into it if I’m driven by a good song.
I’ve actually come up with several scene ideas simply by just listening to a
song.
In
terms of The Childe series, music has played a huge part in its creation. Not
only did I listen to music the entire time while writing it, but we also
created a soundtrack that perfectly complements the first two books in the
series. Lee Marvin, a truly awesome and talented individual, created and
produced The Childe Soundtrack. Lee read our first novel, The Childe, and
immediately wanted to write a song inspired by it. That one song, “Amber,” led
to me working very closely with Lee to create the entire 14 song soundtrack, and
we couldn’t be happier with the final product.
With
our new series The Modified, which is a dystopian fantasy, I’ve been listening
to a lot of Dubstep music from Nero, Skrillex, Flux Pavillion and Deadmau5
while writing. These artists have a futuristic feel to their sound that
immediately puts me into the world of The Modified, and I think listening to
this kind of music really enhances the scenes I write. We’re also working with
Lee Marvin on a soundtrack for The Modified series, and it will incorporate
Dubstep music mixed with the soft styling of artists like Taylor Swift and
Christina Perri. So far the songs have such a unique feel to them, and we’re
really looking forward to sharing this soundtrack with everyone.
So,
as you can see music plays a large role in my creative process, and I seriously
wouldn’t have it any other way. My love for music is only rivaled by my love to
read and write, and the fact that I can to say I get to do all three of these
things in one project, seems like a dream come true.
Cool! Especially because who ever wins my giveaway will receive a copy of The Childe soudtrack!
Here is more about The Childe:
Cat Colvin
Average teenager?
Or something else entirely?
Average teenager?
Or something else entirely?
Cat Colvin is pretty much your typical run-of-the-mill
teenager. Sure, she's taller than most girls, has a mane of fiery red hair
that's impossible to tame, is left-handed, and her eyes are two different
colors, but that's where the differences end . . . unless you include the minor
detail of her slow transformation into a Childe.
High school can definitely be challenging, and for Cat it's
no different. This is especially true when she's faced with the daunting task
of trying to hide her budding Childe traits as they begin to reveal themselves
at the most inopportune times. To make matters worse, her family is oddly dead
set against Ryan, the boy she grows to like. But everyone has their secrets: is
Ryan really what he seems to be, and what is Cat's family not telling her?
The Childe is the first book in this coming-of-age fantasy
series which follows Cat's life through the twists and turns toward finding out
whom and what she really is. Come and take the plunge with Cat into a world
filled with mystery, biting humor, and the paranormal.
Sounds great right?! Well be sure to check out my review as well as a GIVEAWAY here.
OK...now I've totally got to get that soundtrack! I'm the same way, when I was in school, I always had to have music or the TV on while doing homework. On a second note...just with the mention of The Modified soundtrack and the music you listened to that inspired you, I can't wait to read it! Can you tell us any more about it?
ReplyDeleteThis is a great review. Thanks for the awesome giveaway. :)
ReplyDelete