#OctoberfortheArts Guest Post - Tara Kelly & Amplified #Giveaway

Tara Kelly is stopping by the blog today to talk a little bit about how music is a must have when she is writing.

I can’t create a story without music. Often times I need to build a playlist before I can even write a first chapter. I start by building a general soundtrack, something I listen to over and over while writing. But I also make a playlist for every important character in the book and play those songs when I really feel I need to get into their heads.


So, I’m going to tell you about how I came to write Amplified. But…I’m going to do it with songs. Hey, nobody ever accused me of being normal.


I started with a song that represented my main character, Jasmine. It had to be a mix of sass and sugar—mostly sass. Something I could see her LOVING and losing herself in. Took me awhile, but I found just the song…


American Dreamgirl by Joydrop: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-dFfKjMlFo


Next up was a theme song for Sean, the snarky bassist that drives Jasmine crazy. I needed a little anger, a lot of melody, and a big helping of intensity. This song by Celldweller? Jackpot.


Afraid This Time by Celldweller: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuLCZj5rywA


Then there’s Veta, the singer and one of my favorite characters ever. I mean, I love all the characters that take residence in my head (I often don’t get to choose them, I swear), but Veta has a special place in my heart. In her words, she’s just plain good juju. Mostly sunny with a little angst and fire thrown in for good measure. Garbage is SO the ticket, especially this song.


Push It by Garbage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-CHEnJ7gnc


Bryn…the drummer and self-appointed ‘head’ of the band. Bryn needed a song with a mouth, heavy guitars, and well…mouth. He’s a complicated creature, more so than he seems. So of course the only option here could be…


Shut Me Up by Mindless Self Indulgence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIYhbRiuVK0


Felix made me smile throughout the book. Picture a six-foot four guy with a blue fro in a taffeta skirt. Then throw in funny, sweet, and child-like. You might hear a little something like this in your head…


Lullaby by The Cure: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sS6t56U9tBg&ob=av2e


Now that I had all these different personalities/songs mashed together in one playlist, I needed to figure out what the band sounded like together. The Birthday Massacre fit the bill quite well, but this song in particular:


Red Stars by The Birthday Massacre: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHzsyBag438


I also needed a song for the fun Santa Cruz setting and general mood of the book. Something that would probably play in the opening credits…if it were a movie (a girl can dream). At the time I’d discovered a band called Cut Copy. And let’s just say I listened to their album “In Ghost Colours” over and OVER while writing Amplified.


Hearts On Fire by Cut Copy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgpgkI3eMxM&ob=av2n


There’s a nice little taste for you. If you’d like to hear more songs from the Amplified soundtrack, I’ll be posting them very soon on the Amplified website: http://amplifiedthebook.com

Hope y'all enjoyed learning a little bit more about how Tara integrates music into her writing.

GIVEAWAY TIME

• ARC of Amplified
• Regular contest rules apply
• To enter leave us a comment letting us know which song from Amplified was your favorite. Make sure we have a way to contact you. Easiest way is to have your email linked in your blogger profile but you can leave your email address or twitter name in your comment.
• Contest ends 10/30