This entry was informative, especially the sound advice of "the best way to sell books is to write more books." I will carry that nugget with me throughout my writing career!
http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com/2013/12/26/five-mistakes-killing-self-published-authors/
By way, I learned of this article via Tumika Cain. This very generous author posted your link on the Say What?? Book Club's Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/groups/SayWhatBookClub/
Friday, January 3, 2014
A SONG IN MY HEART
Part of the delay in publishing Love Changes was the fact that I was adamant about quoting song lyrics, and adamant about including the three (3) songs I selected for the novel.
Love Changes takes place in 1995. What was happening with music in the nineties was that 90’s songs were sampling other, older, popular songs. And when the time came to obtained licensing, I had to locate and request permission from all the writers, producers, and music publishers from the 90’s popular song, as well as from the sampled original. Sometimes, that was simple as doing a search and sending an email. Other times, it seemed like I had to do everything just shy of buying a plane ticket and showing up at the door with a big smile and a warm piece of humble pie. Meanwhile, all-the-while, I was being told, "Hey, you are a songwriter! Why don’t you just use your own lyric?"
Yeah, I could have. But if my character turned on the radio and sang "Be Happy." I wanted her to turn on the radio and sing "Be Happy." Not some I’m-some-wanna-be-happy knockoff song.
For all who love a good read AND, like me, still find themselves singing R&B songs from the nineties, the name of the book is Love Changes. Here is the link: http://www.earthatone.com/Love-Changes.html
Love Changes takes place in 1995. What was happening with music in the nineties was that 90’s songs were sampling other, older, popular songs. And when the time came to obtained licensing, I had to locate and request permission from all the writers, producers, and music publishers from the 90’s popular song, as well as from the sampled original. Sometimes, that was simple as doing a search and sending an email. Other times, it seemed like I had to do everything just shy of buying a plane ticket and showing up at the door with a big smile and a warm piece of humble pie. Meanwhile, all-the-while, I was being told, "Hey, you are a songwriter! Why don’t you just use your own lyric?"
Yeah, I could have. But if my character turned on the radio and sang "Be Happy." I wanted her to turn on the radio and sing "Be Happy." Not some I’m-some-wanna-be-happy knockoff song.
For all who love a good read AND, like me, still find themselves singing R&B songs from the nineties, the name of the book is Love Changes. Here is the link: http://www.earthatone.com/Love-Changes.html
Thursday, January 2, 2014
EVERLASTING LOVE SONG
Each...time...you...pass...me by....
You...saw me...fade...away....
I'll give you...more...each...day.
That one snippet of Chaka Khan's "Everlasting Love," I could listen to it a thousand times more, and it will still feel brand new....
Each time you pass me by
You saw me fade away
I'll give you more each day
How she ever came up with her arrangement from just these simple words, I will never be able to figure that out!
Riffs like that are not common. Riffs like that (with that kind of flair) are not learned in a high school music class. Riffs like that are what makes Chaka such a shocker.
What a gift! And that's no con!
You...saw me...fade...away....
I'll give you...more...each...day.
That one snippet of Chaka Khan's "Everlasting Love," I could listen to it a thousand times more, and it will still feel brand new....
Each time you pass me by
You saw me fade away
I'll give you more each day
How she ever came up with her arrangement from just these simple words, I will never be able to figure that out!
Riffs like that are not common. Riffs like that (with that kind of flair) are not learned in a high school music class. Riffs like that are what makes Chaka such a shocker.
What a gift! And that's no con!
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