Island Tunes

Ok, y'all, I've been on vacation for a solid week. Out of cell and wi-fi range (it was spotty at best) in the islands. Specifically, the Abacos.

And it was awesome.

Here's a visual:

Yup, it was as gorgeous as it looks.:) It was our first family getaway in years (since the birth of boy #4), and it was all we could have asked for--and then some.

As we chilled out on the boat or on the dock, we played tunes. Our main choice? Jack Johnson. We've seen him in concert, and he's AMAZING live. And we listen to him all the time around our house.  His music was a perfect island fit.

Which got me thinking...what are the tunes that perfectly capture that summer vibe?

Classic summer island tunes call for Jimmy Buffett--like Cheeseburger in Paradise, Margaritaville, or Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes.

More recent tracks (by an artist with country roots but channeling Buffet's laid-back vibe) are Summertime and No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem by Kenny Chesney. (Kenny rocks in concert too, btw. I've seen him take a huge venue and turn the whole scene into an island party.)

Other picks? Summer Vibe by Walk Off The Earth, Waves by Blondfire, and La Mar (The Ocean) by The Beautiful Girls. All strong contenders for a sweet summer song.

I could go on, but I'll stop and turn it over to you.What tunes would you add to a summer tunes playlist? What song--or artist--best captures the feel of summer for you?

(For more tunes, check out my Island tunes playlist)

Blondfire and AWOLNATION rock the house

Ok, more specifically, on March 16, 2012, they rocked this house:

A small venue, standing room only, the kind of venue where there's no bad seat, er, spot in the house. :)

Let me start by saying I love both of these bands, and I know every word to every song they sing, a fact that for me, always makes the entire concert experience better.:)

AWOLNATION headlined, and they killed it, like I knew they would. I'm talking full-on crowd surfing near the front, a lead singer who knew exactly how to work the crowd from minute one, and in that small venue, the whole crowd sang along TO EVERY SONG. I'm not kidding. And when they played Sail, the crowd went insane. AWOLNATION is the real deal, both recorded and live. If you've been living in a cave or just want to learn more about the awesomeness that is AWOLNATION, check out their website. Here's also some links to YouTube videos of my top three AWOLNATION songs right now: Wake Up, Kill Your Heroes, and Not Your Fault. Join the nation.:)

But before AWOLNATION took the stage, Blondfire rocked. IMO, they couldn't have picked a more perfect venue, since Ponte Vedra Concert Hall sits minutes from the ocean and Blondfire just recorded a new video for their song Waves.

Blondfire killed it too.

I'm a huge Blondfire fan, even more now than before. Erica Driscoll is the lead singer, and her vocals are amazing. Ethereal, fresh, and edgy smooth, Blondfire's music is total WIP fuel for me, no doubt in part because so many of my novels seem to incorporate beach settings. And they were awesome live.

Here's Erica, Blondfire's lead singer, mid-concert:

Blondfire played every song from their EP WHERE THE KIDS ARE and sounded incredible. They don't have the rabid fan base of AWOLNATION--yet!--but for their sake, I hope it comes. Because Erica, her brother, and the rest of the awesomeness that is Blondfire are extremely talented, and I can't wait to hear more from them. I'd totally see them in concert again, either as an opening band or headliner. They were that good.

And they were very gracious in person. Here's me, with Erica and Steve of Blondfire after the show:

Cool, right? Yup, I'm a total fangirl.:)

So here's the deal. I want everyone to discover Blondfire. Give 'em a listen, check 'em out. And to encourage this Blondfire listening, I'm giving away a free $10 iTunes card. You read that right: free tunes on me! And while I can't make you buy their album, I highly recommend it. :)

To enter, spread the word.:) Go to Blondfire's Facebook page and "like" it, or tweet about this giveaway, then listen to their tunes and leave a comment below telling me which Blondfire song you like the most. Only the comment is mandatory. Then you're in the Rafflecopter drawing.* Yay!

So go. Listen. Enter! Woohoo!

a Rafflecopter giveaway > Good luck! Winner will be announced next week.:)

p.s. Now that you've listened, isn't Blondfire awesome?! Told ya.:)

*This giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered. And congratulations to our winner, Amy Keita! We'll be contacting you shortly Amy to get you your $10 iTunes card! :)

Pacing Perfection in 4:20 Minutes Flat

Plot.

Pacing.

They go together like cookies and milk. Good pacing reflects a well-plotted novel, and poor pacing? Well, it's a plot (and novel) killer.

Now, in writing circles, there's heaps of talk about pantsers versus plotters. About whether you write the story as it comes to you, needing that creative freedom, or whether you write better with structure, using an outline, a beat sheet, or an entire wall filled with post-it notes with your key plot points. Either way, it's all good, as long as it works for you. (Me, I'm a panster, but I use an editorial road map during revisions.)

This post isn't about your method, or any method, good or bad. It's about feel. As I've said before, I believe good writing is like good music--that good writing is effortless for the reader, and that prose should have a rhythm that lets the story flow and keeps the reader engaged.

Pacing is the same.

You can graph and chart and plot your novel all day, but you will know you've hit the pacing sweet spot when it feels right. When it flows and keeps the reader engaged at every moment.

The best example I can give is the cover of Taylor Swift's song "I Knew You Were Trouble"  by the amazing group Walk Off The Earth. Their a capella-beatbox version blows me away every time I watch it. Why? Because their pacing is genius. Yes, they have T. Swift's brilliant storytelling and melody to work with, which deserves top credit. But WOTE's arrangement is pacing perfection in 4:20 flat.

The clip opens with one pure and distinctive voice to start...perfect for hooking the listener and setting the tone. Then, one at a time, members join, adding their vocal talents, letting the melody rise and fall and each addition and sound is perfectly timed.

It feels right.

Take a look and judge for yourself. :)

Amazing right?

This video has 9, 972, 747 views. Um, yeah. So I think it's pretty fair to say it hits the pacing sweet spot.:) And now Walk Off The Earth has their own record deal, which I think is pretty cool too.

So, how's your novel coming along? How does it feel? Have you hit the pacing sweet spot yet?:)

The Next Big Thing

Readers comb through bookstores...agents scour slush...editors sift through submissions...critics devour debut novels...all searching for The Next Big Thing.

Me? I troll YouTube. Not for new writers, but for new artists. :)

Sure I'm on iTunes weekly *cough* daily *cough* checking out the Single of the Week and surfing through Genius recommendations, which many or may not be anywhere close to genius. But I'm not afraid to jump into the time-sucking YouTube waters either.

And YouTube is where I discovered Hannah Trigwell.* (Or technically, where my husband discovered Hannah Trigwell and I am henceforth taking half-credit. :D) A singer-songwriter from Leeds (I have a crazy fondness for English artists), Hannah is the real deal. We stumbled upon a clip of her singing a cover of Taylor Swift's song We Are Never Getting Back Together--it was a collaboration with Boyce Avenue, who is also now Hannah's label-mate--and Hannah's voice blew us away.

Here's that clip, but wait. Don't listen . . . yet.

Then we listened to her cover of Hallelujah (just-wow), and proceeded to watch heaps of her videos. The girl has her own YouTube channel, which is impressive. Talk about knowing how to reach an audience and being a savvy social-media marketer which is key in today's digital world. Hannah recently inked a deal with 3 Peace Records, which makes me all kinds of happy, because it means I'll get to hear more from her.

But back to Hannah's voice. It's amazing. Rich, textured, emotive. It's got qualities that remind me of Taylor Swift, Natalie Mechant, and Ingrid Michaelson, and yet, Hannah is just Hannah.

Of course, the minute I left YouTube, I went straight to iTunes (yup, no willpower y'all. My Christmas giftcard didn't last long!) and downloaded her original album, Pieces, which has three songs: Headrush, Pieces and Give It Up. Headrush is my favorite track, but all three are fantastic.

Here's a YouTube clip of Headrush. I chose this video because you can see her album cover but this clip is just her voice. So sit back, close your eyes, and listen. 

Amazing right? Now go back up and listen to her cover of TSwift. Totally awesome, I know. :)

Here's another clip of her singing an original song, Give It Up. It's just Hannah, a microphone and a guitar. Check it out...

What kills me is how many people just walk by Hannah . . . and never stop to listen. Many don't even look her way. 

Are we really all that busy? How many books have people missed because they don't recognize the name, or are too busy to stop and read the back jacket of an unknown debut author, one that didn't have all the hype?

I don't know if Hannah is the Next Big Thing or not. I do know that her album rocks, and that if she comes to the States anywhere close to me, I'll go see her. In the meantime, I'll enjoy her U.S. debut. She may not be a big name (yet) but I like her voice and her music, and I'm so glad I stopped to listen. 

So take a chance. On an unknown writer, on a hometown band just starting out or on a singer-songwriter halfway around the world. You just might be surprised.:)

What new artists/bands have you discovered lately? And do you think they just might be the NBT?

*FYI: You can find out more about Hannah Trigwell on her website and on Twitter.