What is
your favorite ice cream flavor?
Mint chocolate chip. As a single flavor. But if we
are talking about a full-blown sundae, then I’d have to go with anything that
involves chocolate ice cream and peanut butter toppings.
Which
mythological creature are you most like?
Atlas. I feel that no matter what I’m involved with—my
writing, my music (I’m in bands), my company etc—I have a hard time delegating
the things I feel directly relate to my own creativity, even when there is a
team surrounding me. I always feel like I’m supporting all my projects on my
shoulders, even if it’s a collaborative effort.
First book
you remember making an indelible impression on you.
I think that comes in stages throughout life. The
first book I ever read where I knew I was going to be a bookworm was Judy Blume’s
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. That
was the book where I said, “Oh man, books are this much fun to read? What else
is out there?” It was Stephen King’s The
Dark Half where I thought, “I want to do that! I want to write novels.”
Then I’d say The Great Gatsby and Les Miserables made me realize the
importance of solid character development. And Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar showed me the importance of
emotionally connecting with the characters. Jean Auel’s The Earth’s Children series was the first time a series captivated
me throughout each installment. But it was Clive Barker’s Imajica where I saw how beautiful it could be to have reality and
center-of-reality landscapes blend together seamlessly.
How do you
develop your plot and characters?
I am primarily a rock-fiction author, which means I
adapt albums or songs into novels or short stories. It’s the same approach as a
film being adapted from a novel; I just take albums and adapt them into novels.
(Think if Pink Floyd’s The Wall or
The Who’s Tommy were turned into
novels instead of films and plays.) It’s my job as a rock-fiction author to
find the story arc within the lyrics. And the more ambiguous the lyric, the
harder it is sometimes for me to locate the plot of what I want to write.
Studying the lyrics of what I’m adapting, whether it be romance or sci-fi or
drama, is imperative to getting it right and not veering too far off course
from the source material. Sometimes I reach out to other fans for their interpretations
of certain lyrics, and by getting their insight, helps me see an approach from
a different angle. The characters are developed based on the mood or atmosphere
of the music in the songs, not so much the lyrics. If the song/album is a
cheesy new wave song, my characters might behind whimsically and flamboyant. If
it’s a dark, brooding song or album, they might be more morose or violent. The
music dictates the character development; the lyrics dictate the plot.
Describe
your writing space.
When we moved from Japan to North Carolina and were
looking for a new house, my wife was adamant about finding a house where I
could have my own writing office. With doors. I wrote my first two novels, Dreams Are Unfinished Thoughts and Welcome to Parkview, in Massachusetts
and Georgia at a desktop computer either in a bedroom or in the living room. I
wrote my third novel, Yours Truly, 2095,
on a laptop either in our kitchen or tatami room in Japan. After that
experience, it was my wife who said, “You need a real writing office.” So my
office is a writing desk, two computers, my bookcase, a printer, a futon where
I can sit and reflect away from the glow of a monitor, and some recording gear.
Moonlight City Drive was written in
this space, and it was the fastest I have ever completed a novel.
BLURB:
Snapshot
in the parking lot. Man and woman embrace. Betrayal, I see it every day, like
my own reflection in the mirror staring back at me. Another case, another
bottle of booze, life is no longer a mystery to me …
… Because
I’m the private eye, hot on your trail; the top gun for hire. You’ll find me
lurking in the shadows, always searching for a clue. I’m the bulletproof
detective. I got my eye on you …
What’s a
little sin under the covers, what’s a little blood between lovers? What’s a
little death to be discovered, cold stiff body under the covers?
I’m
digging you a desert grave, underneath the burning sun. You won’t be found by
anyone. Vultures circle in the sky, and you, my dear, are the reason why.
… I was
always easily influenced.
Buy links:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio:
Brian
Paone was born and raised in the Salem, Massachusetts area. Brian has, thus
far, published four novels: a memoir about being friends with a drug-addicted
rock star, Dreams are Unfinished Thoughts;
a macabre cerebral-horror novel, Welcome
to Parkview; a time-travel romance novel, Yours Truly, 2095, (which was nominated for a Hugo Award, though it
did not make the finalists); and a supernatural, crime-noir detective novel, Moonlight City Drive. Along with his
four novels, Brian has published three short stories: “Outside of Heaven,”
which is featured in the anthology, A Matter of Words; “The Whaler’s Dues,”
which is featured in the anthology, A Journey of Words; and “Anesthetize (or A
Dream Played in Reverse on Piano Keys),” which is featured in the anthology, A
Haunting of Words.
Brian
is also a vocalist and has released seven albums with his four bands: Yellow
#1, Drop Kick Jesus, The Grave Machine, and Transpose. He is married to a US
Naval Officer, and they have four children. Brian is also a police officer and
has been working in law enforcement since 2002.
He
is a self-proclaimed roller coaster junkie, a New England Patriots fanatic, and
his favorite color is burnt orange. For more information on all his books and
music, visit www.BrianPaone.com
Follow the tour and comment; the more you comment,
the better the chances of winning. The tour dates can be found here:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
No comments:
Post a Comment
Your post will be published after administrator approval.