By Lynn Townsend (Guest Blogger)
Yesterday,
on Malin James' blog, I wrote about
where the title from Roll comes from and I mentioned that I wrote
originally ten chapters that had song titles as the chapter names.
Obviously,
because of copyright issues, I really couldn't do that for the
finished product, and the chapters ended up being pretty long as it
was. So I split them up and what had originally been a ten chapter
novella expanded and became a twenty six chapter novel.
Aside:
I ended up having to add in about 12,000 words because when I started
actually writing, the "in print" requirements for my chosen
publisher was 50,000... and about two weeks before I was ready to
submit it, they made a jump in the minimum word count to 60k. Which
was fine, it allowed me to go back and add in some scenes that I had
thought about, but not actually written, - including the Christmas
Kiss scene, which I will give you a special sneak peek later.
I
am a very aural sort of person. First of all, I suffer from a chronic
condition called tinnitus - ringing in the ears. I have no idea what
silence is, I've never heard it. My head is always buzzing and has
for as long as I can remember. When I was five, I thought ghosts were
talking to me. One thing that keeps me sane is music. I almost always
have the music on or some sort of white noise generator. I'm very
sorry to all my college roommates who didn't know why I insisted on
sleeping with a fan on, even in the dead of winter. And I'm a major
music collector. I'm always on the lookout for something new,
obscure, cool, to listen to. I have over 25,000 mp3s. They're all
legal. Yes, I could buy a new car for the money I've sunk into my
music collection.
And
I have great recall for music; even now, hearing Cindi Lauper's "Time
after Time", will take me back to the first time I heard it, and the
book that I was reading. So, naturally, I tend to set up playlists
when I'm writing; it helps drop me immediately into the "book
mood."
So,
I thought I'd share a few of the songs on my "Roll"
soundtrack.
The
name of the Gay Student Alliance at my fictional college in Illinois
(I didn't want to use a real college; I know it makes me roll my eyes
when someone uses William & Mary and gets it wrong!) is
The Rainbow Connection. I've always thought it would be a great name
for a club, and the Henson Company is notoriously pro-LGBT.
My
main character, Beau, is very southern. (Could he possibly be
anything else with a name like Beauregard Jubal Watkins?) and I've
included a couple of my favorite country music songs to get me into
his head. I grew up in a pretty southern town myself and there are
decidedly pieces of my life scattered in the background.
BootScootin' Boogie, by Brooks and Dun
Among
other things, Beau is a dancer, and country dancing is something he's
done quite a lot of. This song lends itself to country line dancing
quite well, and is a lot of fun to listen to. There's not much more
that will get me in the mood to write a little Beau dialogue than
Brooks and Dunn.
RollTo Me, by Del Amitri
And
this would kinda be the theme song for this book. The title track, so
to speak. I think I speak for most of us when I say that college is a
wonderful time to commit heinous mistakes. You date the people who
are most wrong for you, you end up neck-deep in drama without any
idea of how you got there. All of that while you're trying to deal
with setting your own schedule, doing homework without someone to
remind you, figure out your place in life with professors and
advisors giving you conflicting advice, and in the back of your mind
is that terrible, looming thought that you have to decide your whole
life Right Now.
Contest:
Anyway! For one reader who comments here, I'll give away a free e-copy of Roll. Don't forget to leave an email so I can find you if you win.
More
contests are underway this evening at my Release Party on Facebook and if you sign up
to attend, you'll be in the drawing for a Complete Roll Package!
Blurb
College
is all about finding yourself... but nobody told Beau that it was
also about losing your heart. Can a farm kid from Tennessee make it
work with a flamboyant rich man with a hidden past?
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Uncomfortable
with Vin's generosity, Beau fights his growing attraction for the
president of Rainbow Connection, chasing instead a series of shallow
affairs. Vin's never been denied anything that he wants, though, and
now he wants Beau. But it's not until an old rival puts Beau in the
hospital that Vin realizes that Beau means more to him than a simple
love affair. Can the two of them bridge the gap between their worlds
and roll with the all the punches life will throw at them?
Excerpt
Excerpt
"Gawd," he muttered, "you're
being just as crazy as a road lizard."
Beau sat up in the bed and scrubbed at
his face with one hand. He hadn't eaten much, with his stomach tied
in knots. The food -- as fantastic as it probably was -- had been
unfamiliar and ritzy. It had probably all been delicious, but his
nerves wouldn't let him enjoy it. Baked Camembert and sundried
tomatoes. Pear slices wrapped in smoked ham with almond slivers. And
what the hell was crème fraiche? And who the hell had fish for
Christmas dinner, with or without toasted shallot vinaigrette?
"And what's so wrong with baked
turkey and dressing?" Beau said. The room didn't have an answer.
"And now I'm sitting here in the dark by myself, talkin' to
myself. Fan-freaking-tastic."
There'd been pie, he recalled. Three
different sorts: one mincemeat, one apple-enchilada thing that didn't
really look anything like pie as Beau was familiar with the term, and
one honest-to-God pumpkin pie.
His stomach really wanted to crawl out
of his mouth and go hunting for food on its own.
What was the worst that could happen?
Beau slipped out of bed, his joints popping softly in the darkness
like those last few, stubborn kernels of popcorn.
Beau shook his head; it was getting
pretty bad when his internal monologue was making food analogies. He
pulled on his sweatpants and padded, barefoot, out into the hall,
down the stairs, and back toward the kitchenette.
Cold fridge light spilled everywhere,
shining brilliantly into Beau's face. "This thing's larger than
my dorm room," he said. Everything was ingredients. Fresh fruits
and vegetables were lined up neatly in their crisper drawers. Cheeses
and wrapped paper packages of sliced meats snuggled in the drawer.
Plastic cling covered a defrosting roast.
"I thought I heard you get up,"
Vin said, sliding up behind him and wrapping warm arms around Beau's
stomach. "Hungry?"
Beau suppressed the urge to leap out of
his own skin.
"Don't you people believe in
leftovers?" Beau gestured at the industrial-sized appliance in
annoyance, trying to calm his heart. He was certain that Vin could
feel his heart throbbing erratically in his chest and not entirely
certain what emotion it could be attributed to. Was he startled,
guilty, or just excited to be up, in the dark of night, with a
handsome man's arms around him?
Vin dropped a kiss lightly on Beau's
shoulder, eliciting shivers. Beau let the door to the fridge slip
shut and turned in Vin's embrace.
"Camilla takes it over to the
homeless shelter, after dinner," Vin explained. "We always
have more than we need."
Great. Add a heaping helping of feeling
greedy to his already full plate of less than pleasant emotions. "You've missed out, babe," he
said, "if you've never raided the fridge for a leftover turkey
sandwich."
"I'm not missing out right now,"
Vin said. He nipped at Beau's ear. All of their own accord, Beau's
arms went around his boyfriend, pulling him closer. Vin backed him
up, braced against the cool steel of the fridge and gently, slowly,
traced a line of kisses from Beau's ear to the corner of his mouth.
The faint rasp of Vin's stubble against his upper lip drove Beau
crazy.
Two thin layers -- Beau's sweatpants
and Vin's silk pajamas -- weren't nearly enough to disguise the feel
of Vin's erection pressed firmly against Beau's thigh. Beau slid his
hands down Vin's naked back, relishing the satin flesh under his
fingertips. Vin continued to tease Beau's mouth, delicate licks and
nuzzles that didn't come close to slaking the growing need.
"Oh, would you kiss me already,
for Christ's sake?" Beau demanded, grabbing a handful of Vin's
unruly hair and pulling his mouth down.
Beau's stomach let out a gurgling
complaint.
"How about I get you some pie
before you wake up the house," Vin said, laughing. "I know
where Camilla keeps her stash."
Beau warred with his two hungers.
"Kiss, first," he said.
About Lynn Townsend
Lynn Townsend is a geek, a dreamer and an inveterate punster. When not reading, writing, or editing, she can usually be found drinking coffee or killing video game villains. Lynn's interests include filk music, romance novels, octopuses, and movies with more FX than plot.
Blog:
Paid by the Weird - http://paidbytheweird.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/tisfan
