When Songs Inspire

Last week I finished my 15th book and off it went to my agent. This one will be released by a publisher other than Drake Valley Press so I don't yet have a release date on it. I have to say I am disappointed I finished it because I fell so in love with the main characters and the premise behind the plot.

Ryan O'Clery is a detective working a serial killer case. He's had vivid dreams his entire life of another place and time and a woman he would have given his soul for but who tragically died at the hands of a killer. Now the dreams are becoming more frequent and when he meets a reporter, Cathleen Reilly, who looks identical to the woman in his dreams, reality and fantasy begin to blend together. And when he comes across a journal from a detective in 1839 Ireland that mirrors his serial killer case exactly -- ending in the death of his beloved Caitlin O'Conor to the hands of a killer - he becomes convinced that he is the reincarnation of Rian Kelly and Cathleen is Caitlin. But as Hurricane Irene barrels down on the North Carolina coastline, he begins to wonder if he can alter events in this lifetime - or if they are destined to play out the same scenario, lifetime after lifetime, always ending in Cait's death.

My agent is shopping a movie deal and if fantasies come true, I'd love to hear Alex Band's song, Will Not Back Down, as the movie trailer and theme song. Imagine this scene and then listen to the song:

Ryan and Cathleen had a misunderstanding due in part to Ryan jumping to conclusions and not allowing her to explain her past, though he is madly in love with her. He discovers she's left for the Outer Banks as Hurricane Irene approaches the coast - and he's also discovered the serial killer is following her. In a dramatic attempt to stop Fate from repeating itself, he goes after Cathleen and tries to reach her before the hurricane overtakes the island and sweeps her out to sea -- and before the killer can find her and end her life as he did nearly 200 years earlier during the worst storm to hit Ireland in more than 300 years.

This was the best audio I could find of Will Not Back Down:

What songs do you envision for the books you are writing or reading? Do you ever associate a specific song with a book or movie?

p.m.terrell is the award-winning author of more than 15 books, including Vicki's Key (released in March 2012) which is a 2012 International Book Awards finalist and a 2012 USA Best Book Awards nominee. Read more about her and her books at www.pmterrell.com.

Finding Inspiration

I am frequently asked how I am able to keep up the pace with my writing and I can honestly say I have never experienced writer's block. I find inspiration in a photograph, something someone says in conversation or even in songs.

I love music and I often listen to various songs while I am working. Right now, sandwiched in between two books in my Black Swamp Mysteries series, I am writing a romantic suspense from a male point of view. Recently divorced, the main character finds himself dreaming of the perfect woman; his soul mate. And when she appears to materialize almost before his eyes, he becomes obsessed with her until reality has blended so seamlessly with his dreams that he is unable to distinguish between the two.

I was running errands today and listening to a new CD by my favorite male voice, Alex Band, when I came across his song, Tonight. I've been an Alex Band fan since he released Wherever You Will Go with The Calling and now this song cements his standing in my eyes. And it's the perfect song for the scene in my book when the main character sees the woman of his dreams in the flesh for the first time...

What songs do you listen to while you write? What songs and what voices speak to you?

p.m.terrell is the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of more than 14 books. Vicki's Key is a finalist in the 2012 International Book Awards and a nominee in the 2012 USA Best Book Awards. The sequel, Secrets of a Dangerous Woman, will be released this fall. For more information, visit www.pmterrell.com.