GUEST BLOGGER: Lisa M. Basso

Today I'm thrilled to welcome Lisa M. Basso to my blog.

Lisa is fellow MONTH9BOOKS author and her YA book, A SHIMMER OF ANGELS, has just released.

Welcome Lisa!

Here's a little about the book:

MONTH9BOOKS ANNOUNCES A SHIMMER OF ANGELS: THE PERFECT MIX OF REAL LIFE, PSYCHIATRY and FANTASY in a YA NOVEL

Psychiatry, fantasy and real life come together in A Shimmer of Angels, as a young girl struggles with identity, secrets, and confronting her greatest fears. A Shimmer of Angels is for anyone who has ever felt like an outsider, or perhaps has felt like giving up entirely. It touches on themes of suicide, ostracism and emotional pain. The author, personally exposed to suicide through the death of a beloved family member, will donate a percentage of sales of this novel to a suicide prevention and outreach program in San Francisco, California.

Month9Books, a publisher of speculative fiction for teens and tweens, announces the release of A SHIMMER OF ANGELS, a debut young adult title from Lisa M. Basso.

Sixteen-year-old Rayna sees angels, and has the medication and weekly therapy sessions to prove it. Now, in remission, Rayna starts fresh at a new school, lands a new job, and desperately tries for normalcy. She ignores signs that she may be slipping into the world she has tried so hard to climb out of. But these days, it’s more than just hallucinations that keep Rayna up at night. Students are dying, and she may be the only one who can stop it. Can she keep her job, her sanity, and her friends from dying at the hands of angels she can't admit to seeing?

Author of THE IRON WITCH, Karen Mahoney, says, “A SHIMMER OF ANGELS has a courageous heroine who finds herself in the middle of two gorgeous angels, a fascinating world, and a story that builds to an exciting climax - I'll be looking forward to more from Lisa M. Basso!"

ABOUT LISA M. BASSO

Lisa M. Basso was born and raised in San Francisco, California. She is a lover of books, video games, animals, and baking (not baking with animals though). As a child she would crawl into worlds of her own creation and get lost for hours. Her love for YA fiction started with a simple school reading assignment: S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders. When not reading or writing she can usually be found at home with The Best Boyfriend that Ever Lived ™ and her two darling (and sometimes evil) cats, Kitties A and B. Lisa M. Basso is available for quotes, signings, video or podcast appearances, and all opportunities relative to A SHIMMER OF ANGELS. 

A SLITHER OF HOPE, Book 2 in the ANGEL SIGHT series will be available from Month9Books in February 2014!

ABOUT MONTH9BOOKS

Month 9 Books is a publisher of speculative fiction for teens and tweens… where nothing is as it seems. Month9Books will donate proceeds from each of its annual charity anthologies to a deserving charity. Individually, authors may donate his or her advances and royalties to a charitable organization. Month9Books will also release 10-12 non-charitable titles annually. A SHIMMER OF ANGELS is Month9Books’s first Young Adult release. Month9Books is distributed by Small Press United, a division of IPG. You may visit www.month9books.com for more information.

LINKS:

Goodreads A SHIMMER OF ANGELS: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13572197-a-shimmer-of-angels
Goodreads Lisa M. Basso: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3201662.Lisa_M_Basso
Lisa M. Basso Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Lisa-M-Basso/340213186037936?fref=ts
Lisa M. Basso Twitter: http://twitter.com/LisaMBasso
Lisa M. Basso Website: http://lisa-basso.blogspot.com/
Goodreads Month9Books: http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/67761-month9books
Month9Books Blogger Central: http://month9booksblog.com/?page_id=477
Month9Books Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/month9books
Month9Books Twitter: http://twitter.com/Month9Books
Month9Books Publishing Website: http://www.Month9Books.com 

And now, here's Lisa!

Music and Writing: How I Use Music

            I don't play any instruments, unless you count failed piano lessons in the first grade and a year of playing the recorder in the fourth grade, but I do love to sing. So I would definitely consider myself a musical person, though most people that have heard me sing would probably voice a different opinion. Seriously, I make up songs when I'm doing mundane chores to get me through it. Since I love music in real life, I can't stop myself from incorporating it in my writing.

            Each book, character, and scene gets their own playlist or song. These songs help me gather a mood or feeling that I then try to translate into the scene with dialogue, narrative and even setting. For example, when I was doing a character interview with Rayna, the main character in A SHIMMER OF ANGELS, she mentioned to me she loved the band Paramore. When I started writing the first draft, I listened to a lot of Paramore, picking out two specific songs that worked best in the book. This helped me sink deeper into her head, and gave me a good jumping off point for what other bands to look for.

            Music keeps me connected to my characters, especially when they have some big decisions to make. Those of you that write know a huge part of a great story is all about your character's decisions. I choose songs for them that remind me who they are and what they want, even if they don't know it yet. Sometimes it's the lyrics I go by, other times it's all guitar, bass, and drums that get me there.

            When I'm stumped, that's right, I listen to music. I take a break, walk, exercise, do dishes, laundry, clean, or take a long shower. All while listening to music. A lot of times this unblocks me or at least relaxes me enough that I can stop obsessing over the problem and let a fresh set of ideas come. Turning up the tunes also picks up my spirits after a bad day, writing or otherwise.

            During my first draft, I'm usually always listening to music, whether it's a station I created for the book on pandora.com or a specific playlist I made on playlist.com. Now, things get a little complicated when editing comes into play. When I read over the editorial letter and the comments from my editor, I work in complete silence. After this stage is done, it's notebook time and back to cranking up the music.

            Unfortunately, not all the songs make it to the final cut. A lot of the them change during revisions, most get edited out, but that doesn't change the fact that I loved them and relied on them before that point. I keep all my old and failed playlists. Who knows when I may need to pluck an older song out of obscurity? Respect the music.

            Right now I'm working on compiling a playlist for book three in the Angel Sight series, A MATTER OF TIME. While I'm jotting down important plot points, I'm also making notes on what songs might fit this scene or help me establish the overall mood or goal for the characters.

            Music will always be a huge part of writing for me and I hope, as I learn and grow as writer, that this truth will never change, because I couldn't imagine myself typing The End on any book without letting a tear or two slip out while listening to the final song of the book on deathloop and wondering what will happen for these precious characters next.

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY, LISA.

I WISH YOU MANY BOOK SALES!
And please check out Lisa's daily giveaways throughout her blog tour.