A to Z Blog Challenge -- U is for Songs That Start With 'Under' / 5 on Friday -- Set 269

This is my fifth year participating in the A to Z Challenge. It's the first year that I wasn't able to complete the challenge by April 30th.

However, like those marathon runners whose main goal is to finish what they started, knowing they'll cross the finish line hours behind the top three, I'm going to carry on and complete the challenge.

Because there are so many participants, many bloggers spend the next few months visiting all of the other participants now that the posting schedule has slowed down. To see how the challenge wrap-up works, click HERE.

I'm going to backdate my entries so that they make chronological sense, but I'll also include the true posting date. I'm all out of sequence and I'm just going to finish the posts as I get to them.

So what happened? I had several things going on at once, the deal-breaker being my main computer going in the shop. I had to make some pacing choices, as I have learned to do as part of my treatment for chronic pain and fatigue issues. Believe it or not, setting the A to Z Challenge aside was actually me making progress.

And now, dear readers -- on with the show.

For today's blog challenge, let me introduce you to my regular Friday feature: 

Spinning Friday tunes since 2010...

For anyone who wants to join in, simply choose five pieces of music and post them for other bloggers to enjoy. Then check out the set posted by the other 5 on Friday blogger -- you can sign in over at Golch Central's Rambling Stuff.

This week's set is made up of songs that start with the word 'under'. They remind us that experiencing something that feels like bearing weight can be a turning point in our lives, while being beneath a structure can offer a sense of shelter. 

1 - Over, Under, Sideways, Down - The Yardbirds 

2 - Under My Thumb - The Rolling Stones 

3 - Under Pressure - Queen featuring David Bowie 

   

4 - Down Under - Men at Work 

5 - Under the Boardwalk - The Drifters  

  

True posting date: May 11, 2015

5 on Friday -- Set 196

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

It's Hal-Con time again!

Starting today and running through Sunday, I'll be at my booth on the main floor at the Halifax World Trade and Convention Centre, 1800 Argyle Street in Halifax, Nova Scotia. If you're looking for print copies of my Dark Ages vampire novel Saint Sanguinus or my dark fantasy novel Bound by Dragonsfyre, I'll be signing copies.

Also appearing at Hal-Con this year: my friend and fellow Romance Writers of Atlantic Canada member Shawna Romkey, who will be signing copies of her angels-and-demons novel Speak of the Devil.

Together, we'll be giving a workshop on Heroes and Villains on Saturday, Nov. 9th at 12:45 until 1:30.

In the meantime, the great NaNoWriMo writing marathon of 2013 continues. If you're doing the marathon and you want to find me, I'm NaNo-ing as vamprom.

Let's celebrate all things superheroic. This week's set features songs written about superhero characters, a super villain and one classic hero of old.

1 - Flash -- Queen

2 - Surfing With the Alien -- Joe Satriani

3 - Joker's Wild -- The Ventures

4 - Superman Song -- Crash Test Dummies

5 - Achilles Last Stand -- Led Zeppelin

Thursday Thirteen - 288 - 13 Songs I've Played Obsessively While Writing

I freely admit to many forms of obsession.

I don't see any of them as minuses in my life as a creative person. An obsessive compulsive disorder detracts from a person's life, getting in the way of doing basic things.

A driving passion, however, is not only to be embraced if you're going to master something enough to truly understand your creative medium (or your sport, if that's what you love to do) -- it's actually necessary.

If I told you someone repeated the same actions in the same sequence over and over every evening before he went to bed, you might think, wow, that person must have OCD. Yet, if I told you that person was an elite violinist and he was working on musical scales, perfecting his technique, you would have a much different view of that person than if I told you it was a guy who re-sorted his DVD collection into perfect blocks of color according to the packaging spines of the jewel cases -- but only if he looked behind each DVD three times.

If you asked hockey superstar Sidney Crosby how many hours he's spent shooting a puck into the net, he probably wouldn't be able to tell you. If he didn't obsessively practise his hockey technique, he would not be the player he has become. For artists and athletes, the word 'obsession' could basically be replaced with 'passion'.

One of my most enjoyable obsessions/passions is listening to music while I'm writing. It often has nothing to do with the tone or subject matter of the scene I'm working on. I just have to be obsessed with it.

I'll know I'm obsessed with a song or a piece of music when I end up choosing it as the first song of the writing session, playing it about six times in a row, and then returning to it a few times during that writing time.

Often, that song will go through my head while I'm riding the bus, and I'll hum it through the day, only to race towards it once again the next evening.

For me, I find that my musical obsessions act as a short-cut to placing me in the head-space I need in order to write fiction. I'm telling my brain 'Write NOW' with my obsessive selection.

So, here are thirteen of my current and former musical obsessions, all of which have led to the scenes that become my books.  

1 -   I'm Your Boogie Man -- KC and the Sunshine Band

2 - Assassin -- Muse

3 - Princes of the Universe -- Queen

4 - Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad? -- Moby

This version specifically, with all of the Dean and Sam voiceovers from Supernatural

5 - Lies -- The Pierces

Also, this version specifically, because there are Guy of Gisborne scenes in this one that I will stop to watch.

6 -  I'm Crying -- The Animals

I guess I can see a bit of a pattern here (LOL!) Guess that's why I'm obsessed with these ones.

7 - I'm a Man -- Black Strobe

8 - And Your Bird Can Sing -- The Beatles

9 - Sex Crime -- Eurythmics

10 - Peace Frog -- The Doors

11 - The Song Remains the Same -- Led Zeppelin

12 - Closet Romantic -- Damon Albarn

13 - So High -- Elvis Presley

5 on Friday - Set 151

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Today would have been my dog Xena's 12th birthday.

She passed away on Jan. 6th, and her loss has colored my entire year. It's taken me all of these twelve months to work myself up to this post in her honor.
Happy Birthday, my dear sweet Little Girl.

1 - Precious - Annie Lennox

2 -You're My Best Friend - Queen







3 -Xena, Warrior Princess - Joseph LoDuca

4 - I'd Do Anything For You - Oliver! soundtrack





5 - You'll Never Know - Vera Lynn

5 on Friday - Set 136

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

Here's a bit of randomness due to having to clear a path wide enough to allow our old fridge to clear the basement when I would have been getting this week's set ready.

So here's to fresh starts.

1 - Don't Stop Me Now - Queen

2 -  You're the Devil in Disguise - Elvis Presley

3 - Southside - Moby with Gwen Stefani 

4 - Enjoy the Silence - Depeche Mode

5 - Battle Without Honor or Humanity - Tomoyasu Hotei

5 on Friday - Set 121

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Release Day for Scorpius!


BOUND BY DRAGONSFYRE is now available at Amazon and Smashwords!

Thanks to model Bobby Rossong, DOP and editor Caroline Ruyle and producer Tara MacDonald for superb work on this book trailer.


Let's partay!



1 - Super Taranta! - Gogol Bordello

2 - Don't Stop Me Now -  Queen

3 - Timebomb - Beck

4 - Holiday - Green Day

5 - Rock n Roll Queen - The Subways

5 on Friday - Set 84

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.















This week's set is dedicated to Andy Whitfield, who passed away on Sept. 11th.

He was a newly-discovered favorite actor of mine, ever since the debut of Spartacus in 2010. You can read my review of the show here: Through the Opera Glasses.











So hard to believe that cancer could strike down someone who could not have been in better shape.

I guess we should all simply enjoy today for today.


1 - Princes of the Universe - Queen



2 - Spartacus - Wotan



3 - The Warrior - Patty Smyth



4 - Courage - The Tragically Hip



5 - Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd

5 on Friday - Set 56

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.














Next up in my series of popular music through the decades - the 1970s!


1 - Maggie May - Rod Stewart - 1971

Mother, what a lover
You wore me out

All you did was wreck my bed
And in the morning kick me in the head
Oh, Maggie I couldn't have tried anymore

You lured me away from home
Cause you didn't want to be alone
You stole my heart
I couldn't leave you if I tried

- Quittenton / Stewart



2 - The Jean Genie - David Bowie - 1972

New York's a go-go
And everything tastes nice
Poor little greenie
Get back home

The jean genie
Lives on his back
The jean genie
Loves chimney stacks

He's outrageous
He screams and he bawls
Jean genie
Let yourself go!

- David Bowie



3 - Whatever Gets You Through the Night - John Lennon - 1974

CLICK HERE to listen to the song

Whatever gets you through the night
It's alright
It's alright

It's your money or your life
It's alright
It's alright

Don't need a sword to cut through flowers
Oh no
Oh no

- John Lennon

















4 - You're My Best Friend - Queen - 1976

Ooo, you make me live
Whenever this world is cruel to me
I've got you
To help me forgive

Ooo, you make me live now, honey
Ooo, you make me live

- John Deacon



5 - Atomic - Blondie - 1979

Make me tonight
Tonight, make it right

Make me tonight
Tonight
Tonight

Make it magnificent
Tonight
Right

Your hair is beautiful
Oh, tonight

Atomic

- Destri / Harry

5 on Friday - Set 39 by Guest Blogger Taylor Keating

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Today I've got debut author Taylor Keating dropping by to spin some tunes and give us a few insights into her debut novel, Game Over, which released this week from Tor.


















Thanks for being my DJ, Taylor!

If your main character Chase Hawk, who is prisoner of The Dark Lord, could be represented by a song, which one would you choose?

1 - Brother Down - Sam Roberts

There's a man over there says he's tougher than me
But I got eyes that can see through fantasy

I think my life is passing me by
I think my life is passing me by

Someone else telling you what you're living for
Been knocking you down, now you're looking for more
Then the only sound you hear is a closing door
Been looking for peace, but they're bringing you war

- Sam Roberts



So what about River Weston, the video game designer who becomes trapped in her own program that is not a program but an alternate universe?

Her song would be:

2 - Somebody to Love - Queen

Each morning I get up
I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet

I take a look in the mirror
And cry
Lord, what you're doing to me

I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can't get no relief
Somebody
Somebody
Can anybody find me
Somebody to love?

- Freddie Mercury

CLICK HERE to watch the video













When Taylor needs a bit of inspiration, what kind of thing kick starts her writing mojo?

3 - Enter Sandman - Metallica

Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight

Exit light
Enter night
Take my hand
We're off to never-never land

- Hammett / Hetfield / Ulrich



If Game Over had a soundtrack, what tracks would we discover there?

4 - Joy to the World - Three Dog Night

If I were the king of the world
Tell you what I'd do
I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war
Make sweet love to you

Joy to the world
All the boys and girls
Joy to the fishes in the deep blue sea
Joy to you and me

- Hoyt Axton



5 - I'm a Believer - Smash Mouth

I thought love was only true in fairytales
Meant for someone else, but not for me
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seems
Disappointment haunted all my dreams

And then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer
Not a trace
Of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried

- Neil Diamond




Yeah, baby!

Thanks for the set, Taylor. Gives me a wonderful feel for Game Over, which was described as Faust meets The Matrix in an Amazon review. Hope your debut release week is everything you've dreamed of.