Author of the Month #3 - M.A.Grant Sunday Feature: Guest Post
"Author of the Month" is a feature that I created to honour some of my favourite authors by featuring their works for an entire month!
This feature will:
This feature will:
- Run for entire month.
- On every Sunday of the month (excluding the first week where I will have a blog post introducing and interviewing the author), there will be a blog post dedicated to the author. The content of the blog post is entirely up to the author's choice.
- The "Author of the Month" button will be displayed in my blog's sidebar during the entire duration.
- If you have any questions to ask the author(s), you can leave a comment below the blog post or privately message me at natshane94aa@gmail.com.
For the entire month of January, I am proud to feature author M.A. Grant,
Marion Audrey Grant is fortunate to live in the rugged beauty of Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. She's believed in happy endings and true love since she was very young. Later in life, the realization that she had stories of her own to tell would lead her to graduate college with majors in Creative Writing and English. Thanks to her husband’s unending support, she now works as a scribe to the intelligent women and wounded heroes who need their stories told.
Reach her at:
Website: http://www.marionaudreygrant.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/AuthorMAGrant
Every
story I write has a playlist. Any songs reminding me of my character, of the
emotions of the scene, or of the energy I'm trying to put on the page will make
the cut.
The
playlist for First started out with a
single theme for each story. As the stories grew, so did their playlists. Here’s
the quick summary of the key songs for each story in First, as well as why they made the cut.
Maya and Jake’s playlist:
Maya
and Jake’s theme – “Blank Space/Style” by Louisa Wendorff (feat. Devin Sawson)
“Young
and reckless, taking it way too far” is an eerily accurate summation of this
relationship.
Jake’s
song – “It Ain’t Me Babe” by Silvertide
Jake
has this bad habit of denying the obvious. The fireman doth protest too much,
methinks.
Maya’s
song – “Chandelier” cover by Shoshana Bean
The
moment I heard this song’s lyrics, I knew it fit Maya. It sounds so upbeat, but
the emotion behind the words is a kick to the gut. Combine that with Shoshana
Bean’s expressive voice and there’s no way this couldn’t fit Maya’s fight to
pretend all is well.
One
more night – “You’re the One That I Want” by Angus & Julia Stone
When
Jake showed up on Maya’s doorstep, I knew that the scene wasn’t destined for
sappy romantic glory. It was a raw scene to write and this song fit that bill
perfectly.
Through
the roof – “I See You” by Luke Bryan
Imagine
my surprise when the drama of the moment was trumped by Jake’s private (and
never included on the page) insistence that Maya was the only thing on his
mind. This song came out of left field, but stuck.
Hospital
showdown and the “L” word – “Rivers and Roads” by The Head and the Heart
I’ve
got nothing. It’s a good song. I listened to it about twenty times when I wrote
the last chunk of Maya and Jake’s story and will remember their
happily-ever-after every time I hear this song in the future.
Cat and Dally’s playlist:
Cat
and Dally’s theme – “Photograph” by Ed Sheeran
I
listened to this song so many times while writing that my husband now has it
memorized. But it’s the bridge that does it for me. That line of “Next to your
heartbeat where I should be...” explained the Cat/Dally emotional connection
and kept me grounded so their story never got off track.
Dally’s
song – “One” by Ed Sheeran
If
this story became a movie and there was a flashback to that moment when Cat
opens the door and Dally’s standing there after coming home from Arizona, this is the song playing in the
background. No contest, no ifs, ands, or buts.
Cat’s
song – “Run” (feat. Sugarland) by Matt Nathanson
Cat
surprised me a bit with her tenacity. Somehow she got her romantic moment and a
whole lot more, despite her tendency to kill all romance with over planning.
Dally’s
shower song – “Promise” by Eve 6
I
haven’t found a good acoustic cover of this song. But I like to imagine Dally
singing one. In the shower. Enough said.
Dally’s
feelings for Cat – “She’s So High” by Tal Bachman
Cue
the cheesy millennial love ballad! Oh, and the lyrics are spot on too.
Happily
ever after? – “Hands Down” by Dashboard Confessionals
Ah,
young love. The sweetness of Cat and Dally’s story was echoed in the nostalgia
of this song’s lyrics.
Now
you know the soundtracks behind First.
And if you don’t want to hunt down each of these songs on your own, you can
stop by my YouTube channel to find the playlists in their entirety there.
Maya
and Jake’s playlist:
Cat and Dally’s
playlist:
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