Book Lovers Inc.
Romance Novel Reviews, Author Interviews, Commentary
Guest Post: Kate Noble + Giveaway
We’re very excited to welcome bestselling historical romance author Kate Noble to BLI today! She stops by to talk about the relationship between music and her writing. For Kate, certain music perfectly encapsulates the emotion and tone of a scene or story, making it into a soundtrack of sorts. Today, that soundtrack is to her latest release, If I Fall, a story of betrayal and redemption–perfect for the most poignant of music. Please give her a warm BLI welcome!
The Soundtrack of If I Fall.
Like many authors, I write to music. Plugging my headphones in and shutting out the rest of the real world helps me to inhabit the universe I’m currently mucking about in. If I’m in the middle of writing an action scene, I’ll generally queue up the soundtracks to epic movies, like Gladiator and 28 Days Later. If I’m writing an emotional scene, Jeff Buckley suddenly becomes my muse. But there are always songs that speak to the story so directly, so intimately, that they become entirely associated with your story. They become its soundtrack.
For If I Fall, which underneath its swash and buckle, is really a tale of two people dealing with loss, and after living through disappointed expectations, finding a greater happiness than they ever dreamed.
“Someone Like You” by Adele
“Nevermind, I’ll find someone like you.”
Possibly the most poignant break-up song, or post-break up song, in the last decade, “Someone Like You” by Adele has been playing on Top 40 radio hourly for the last 6 months, and it perfectly encapsulates the regret and pain having to move on from a relationship that ended, and make your way in the world again. Find someone else. Try to be happy with a life that wasn’t the one you had once planned on.
Sarah Forrester knows that only too well, since she her heart was cruelly broken when her fiancé, a duke, calls of their engagement, as he is in love with someone else. It not only breaks her heart, but makes her social prospects incredibly daunting. So to survive she has to pick herself up, and transform into something else. To protect her vulnerable heart, and survive socially, she turns herself into the Golden Lady the most sought after young lady of the Ton, the life of every party. It’s the only way to deal with her pain.
“Waiting for the End” by Linkin Park
“I know what it takes to move on. I know how it feels to lie…”
Lieutenant Jackson Fletcher knows, only too well, what Sarah is going through – because he too, has to embark upon a life he hadn’t planned on. A Navy man, his ship takes heavy damage, and limps back into London. Since in 1823, the seas are calm with peace for Britain, Jack has to deal with the very real possibility that the Navy doesn’t need him on another ship. And he would have to become something other than what he’d planned for his life.
Childhood friends, when Jack sees Sarah again, he knows immediately that the Golden Lady façade is just a front, and that the real Sarah Forrester is hiding beneath it.
“Fix You” by Coldplay
“Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones, and I will try, to fix you.”
“Fix You” is a song about sympathy. About being the crutch for your best friend to lean on when they need it. And Jack knows, that whether or not she realizes it, Sarah needs a crutch right now.
Jack will do anything, to try and reach the true, happy and sweet girl he knows Sarah to be. It may be silly, it may be funny, and it may even be a little dangerous, but he will do anything to reach the girl who was always the brightest light in his life.
Of course, Jack’s desire to bring out the real Sarah takes them in unexpected directions, and starts them out on an adventure neither of them could have ever predicted.
There are other songs of course (since Jack is a Navy man, I was deeply tempted to put “HMS Pinafore” on this list) but these three hit at the emotional core of the story, and every time they come up on my iPod, I am transported into Jack and Sarah’s world, and their truly one-of-a-kind romance.
Where to find Kate:
Website | Blog | Group Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
If I Fall by Kate Noble
Book #4 in The Blue Raven seriesEvery great romance comes with a risk…
After a duke’s betrayal, the resilient Sarah Forrester reinvents herself as the Golden Lady: society’s leading light, the beautiful and witty life of the party. It’s all a façade of course-one that protects her from another intimate disloyalty. When her old friend, Lieutenant Jackson Fletcher, returns to London, he is determined to rediscover the true and trusting Sarah he once knew. It’ll take more than a kiss and a promise. It might even call for an innocent and necessary deception.
Then Jackson is enlisted to help capture the lead suspect in a murder— a man who happens to be Sarah’s most ardent suitor. Jack must continue the deception, and weathering this newest and gravest betrayal will be Sarah’s ultimate test. But as Jack’s passion for her grows, he must also reveal his own secrets. And as the killer turns his attention to his pursuers, more than love and trust is put at risk.
Buy at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | Book Depository
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~*~*Giveaway*~*~
Up for grabs today is a copy of If I Fall for TWO lucky commenters (one in U.S., one outside of U.S.)!
All you have to do is leave a meaningful comment about the interview or tell us: do you listen to music while you read and/or write?
(You can read our full giveaway policy here)
Please be sure to include a valid email address in the comment form (need not be in the actual body of the comment).
This giveaway is open to all–please specify in your comment if you are in the U.S. or outside of the U.S.
Giveaway ends on Saturday, May 12th, 2012; we will announce the winner on Sunday.
Good luck!
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I usually don’t listen to songs while reading books but I like to read during tv ads of my favorite tv shows. 🙂
Thanks a lot for the giveaway! That cover is so beautiful and I love Fix You by Coldplay.
I forgot to add: I am International.
hi,
so when i’m reading i don’t listen to any music simply beacuse if i really love the book i’m complety immersed and i don’t hear anything ( even my mother calling me from just next to me^^;;) while i’m writing it’s depend but sometimes yes depending if i need to have something to make me happy
i’m international
thansk you a lot for this giveaway
all the best
I can read with the music on low only. Otherwise I find it too distracting. If I Fall sounds like an interesting read and I love military men. Adding to my TBR pile.
I’m in the US. Thanks.
Music is always on in the background, at home I listen to Sky Radio Lovesongs through the internet. No talking heads, no commercial breaks, just mucis. If I like a voice, I turn it a bit louder to listen, if I dislike the voice, the sound goes down. So, ask me a question about music, and I have no idea what you are talking about. I probably do know it if I hear it, but I will almost never now the artists or title of the song. Ask me about a book though …
Oeps, international please.
Sometimes I listen to music while I read. Othertimes I like it quite. It really depends on my mood. It does not distract me though.
Thank you so much for the chance!
mmafsmith at gmail dot com
I have always listened to music doing everything including homework! I could never understand my kids needing total quiet when they did theirs. I listen while I read and I listen while I write to pandora or selected music on my computer. Im in the US.
I don’t listen to music while reading or writing. It has to be completely quiet for me to do either. I love that song by Adele. It tears me up though. I can’t wait to read IF I FALL. I’m in the US and I’m married to a Navy man. 🙂
I love to listen to music when I read, but I don’t do it all the time. My husband and children laugh at me because I will even move my lips to sing to the songs while I’m reading and they can not figure out how I am doing both and understanding what I’m reading. This cover is wonderful! I’m in the US.
purpleunicorn19(at)yahoo(dot)com
Not entering since I read it 🙂
No music while I read, but when I write, yes then it works
oh wow, those songs are so heartbreaking! sounds like the book is really emotional, i would love to read this romance!
Sometimes I would be listening to music and I would get inspired so then I would write. But not the other way around.
U.S.
I find listening to music inspiring while plotting and outlining, however, I need silence when writing. The Cure, Cold Play, and Band of Horses are some of my favorites, though I enjoy most genres. I agree with Kate that some pieces of music encapsulate a story or define a scene that when I hear the melody or the lyrics its almost an awe-filled moment.
U.S
Normally I read late at night in bed but I have no problem listening to music without words otherwise I tend to want to sing along lol. Thanks for the chance!
catslady5(at)aol.com
I listen to music all the time, so it’s so interesting to know you have a soundtrack for your novels. Thanks for the great insights.
When I’m working or reading I need silence. I sometimes wear earplugs when I am reading. I like to completely focus on the story. I am easily distracted.
The louder the music the better. I listen from a range or christian rock, to oldies, to country.
Thank you for the giveaways!!!!!
I’m to much of a distracted person to listen to music while I read, haha 😉 I like me some silent reading!
When I was younger, I used to be able to multi-task better (“Yes, Mom, I CAN listen to music, watch TV, and do my homework at the same time. Really!”) As I get older, though, I like to devote my full attention to one mental activity at a time. I get too wrapped up in a book to even hear music in the background. Likewise, if I’m listening to really compelling music, I can’t concentrate on a storyline. Of course, I can do something manual (cooking, housework, needlework, etc.) and simultaneously listen to music or watch TV without any problem.
US, but no need to enter me in the giveaway since I already own Ms. Noble’s wonderful book!
Very nice song choices. I don’t listen to music when I read.
I used to be able to listen to music while reading/doing homework, etc. But now that I am older, I am much easier to get distracted. I can not listen to music and read or write or type, etc. I don’t know if it is age, medication, or what but I can only concentrate on one thing at a time.
I am a US resident
Love this!!! Adele has the most heartbreakingly beautiful songs & her voice is just magic! I love her 🙂
& I gotta be honest.. Fix You is THE ONLY song I like by Coldplay. I’m not really a fan, but I borrowed pete’s ipod once I heard this song & fell in love with it 🙂
I can’t stand any sounds at all when I’m reading :S
I’m *not* a US resident
& thanks for doing an international giveaway too, Kate *mwah*
@Monikarw
monika_restivow@yahoo.com
I don’t listen music when reading, but do it when I’m writing. I don’t know, maybe I’m the type that need a silent environment, without interruption when I’m reading.
Adele’s Someone Like You is rock! 😀
Thanks for the giveaway
International
Ren
sawamura_foxman AT yahoo DOT com
When I’m reading I like it to be very quiet. I want to get lost in the story, not the hubbub around me.
INTERNATIONAL
NOOOOO, I can’t concentrate on music while reading, or even if I’m just doing something that requires a lot concentration. And I prefer complete silence to read (not that I get it). Thanks for the giveaway! I’d actually love to read If I Fall, and I’m from outside the US.
jessicamariesutton(at)msn(dot)com
I don’t listen to music when I read. If I do that, then I end up not reading and singing to the music. It needs to be quiet when I read.
Joanne B US
e.balinski(at)att(dot)net
Finally.. A new historical romance where the heroine is fully dressed in the cover. Lately i always found the cover showed the heroine is in a state of half dressed.
Depends on my mood, i could read with music or without music.
Oops, forgot to mention.. I’m international 🙂
I can read with or without music on since I don’t really notice it once I’m into the story. It sounds like a story with real issues that people deal with all the time but are tough when you’re going through them.
I am in the US
Thanks for a fun post! I’ve read such wonderful reviews for kate’s books and she is definitely on the top of my wishlist!
Love the playlist! I don’t really listen to music when I read b/c I get so engrossed in reading, I don’t hear it. Better to not waste the electricity 🙂
Oh and I’m in the US, too.
I enjoyed your interview with Kate and never thought before of how the atsmosphere around an author could affect their viewpoint and feelings while they were writing.
I love music but when I’m reading I get so involved in the story that an explosion could happen in the next room and as my husband says oven “when your reading your oblivious to what was going on around you”. In fact when my boys were toddlers I was ordered not to read while they were awake!
Other than when I’m reading I love to have the radio on. I’m a 60’s girl which means I grew up in the 60’s and I’m in my 60’s now! That means my generation grew up learning to dance by watching American Bandstand and got to stay up late the night the Beattles were on the Ed Sullivan show. Unfortunately several years later our boyfriends and friends would be going to war which brought music in an entirely new direction. My husband served in the Navy during Vietnam and our favorite song was The Impossible Dream from the musical on broadway Don Quixote. Fortunately our dream did come true and we celebrated our 42nd anniversary this year.
I don’t listen to songs while reading books, because if i read i almost don’t notice my surroundings. And i always like very quiet, if the story good i will go into story and don’t notice anymore except story i read^__^
International
filiafantasy at gmail dot com
Yes I read to music-in fact, I listen to music all day long. If I sit down to read a book, I listen to Easy Listening type of music, Yanni. For one.
I enjoy reading your books too.
I enjoy listening to music while reading. I always have some music on in the background. I love the soundtrack of If I Fall!
inernational
No, I am not a multitasking woman, so I just could do 1 thing on 1 time. ^^
I really want to concentrate and get into the story of a book, so I prefer a silent room (my bedroom usually) to read a book.
I don’t listen to music while I read, but I do have the tv on. I’m from the US.
penfield716(AT)yahoo(DOT)com
Yes I love listening to music. I even listen to it at work. Please enter me in contest.
USA
I used to listen to music when I wrote computer programs. but prefer quiet when I read books. I do like to have music on in the background when I’m working on projects around my house.
US
I’ve heard so many writers speak of writing to music. I can see how it would help emotionally write the characters with music that moves your soul. As a reader, I have to have quiet. I don’t like the TV or music playing in the background.
Love Adele, Linkin Park, and Cold Play! I could listen to these artists all day while reading. I didn’t think I would like to listen to music while reading, but I did one time by accident and really enjoyed it. Now I write my reviews that way too.
*US
Fix You is my fave Coldplay song, love it. And I love when an author lets us in on their soundtracks! There are a handful of books I like to read with music, it makes the reading experience so much more emotional.
Alisa –
I have just finished reading If I Fall by the talented Kate Noble and want to let others know that no matter your age or circumstances each reader will walk away feeling like they are part of the story.
We have all faced circumstances in life that will help us view the story with understanding and compassion and come away from it with a more hopeful view of the future!
i liked to read and write with the music, i love Linkin Park, Cold Play and Adele.. too. 😀
i,m INTERNATIONAL.
thanks for the giveaway.
I usually do not listen to music while I read. I like the quiet, so I can be fully emmersed in the story.
My two greatest loves……… Reading, and Listening to music, unfortunately, I can’t seem to be able to do both at the same time, I either can’t fully concentrate on my book. I reside in the U.S.