Miscellaneous
Listen to the interview here!Tell me a little about yourself and your writing.I’m an odd bird who found a home with writing paranormal. Yep. I said it. I think admitting it is really the first step to total acceptance.Tell me about the story that you've created a soundtrack/playlist for. I’ll talk a little about DEMONIC DESIRES (from Ellora’s Cave) and the soundtrack I listened to for it. DEMONIC DESIRES centers around a group of demons, right hand men to Lucifer, who broke ranks and saved lives rather than taking them. It’s the first book in the stories of the Lost Warriors redemption. The opening scene is a really dark, twisted sex one. My playlist needed to reflect this so I went with Danzig’s Underbelly of The Beast to kick it off. The story then takes a lighter note, introducing you to the characters out of their normal element. I brought in a good deal of Celtic flare for this because the heroine is a warrior from Valhalla. What is your playlist? Why did you choose these particular songs?I’ll give you a snippet of the list because there over 3500 items in it with 230 hours of play time… and this is JUST for DEMONIC DESIRES. I make a new list for every book. Danzig-Underbelly of The BeastRob Zombie- Living Dead Girl (Naked Exorcism Remix)Rob Zombie-DragulaProdigy—Smack My Bitch UpProdigy—FirestarterMarilyn Manson—The Beautiful PeopleMarilyn Manson—The Dope ShowMarilyn Manson—Man That You FearNine Inch Nails—Head Like a HoleNine Inch Nails—Terrible LieNine Inch Nails—CloserSmashing Pumpkins—Tonight, TonightQueensryche - Silent LucidityStained - It’s Been AwhileSilverchair- Wait Til TomorrowFaith No More – EpicBilly Idol-- Eyes Without A FaceStabbing Westward - Waking Up Beside You (Remix)Gregorian-- Se Eu Fosse Um Dia O Teu OlharGregorian-- Meditazione- Christus Factus EstDanzig—CantspeakMassive Attack & Mos Def-I Against IPigeonhed - Battle Flag (Lo-Fidelity Allstars Remix)Alice in Chains-- Man In The BoxRed Hot Chili Peppers-- Blood Sugar Sex MagikSantana-- Put Your Lights OnEverlast-- Babylon FeelingAFI-- The Leaving Song Pt IILive-- I AloneDisturbed-- Down With The SicknessRob Zombie -- The Lords Of SalemBlue Oyster Cult—Don’t Fear The ReaperLimp Bizkit-- Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)Mazzy Star - Fade Into YouKatie Melua—Just like HeavenThe Cranberries—ZombieThe Cranberries—Ode to My FamilyTriniti – NocturneTriniti-- Glen Of ImaalEnya—Only TimeINXS—AfterglowINXS—Never Tear Us ApartBlack Lab—Learn to CrawlBack Lab—Keep Myself AwakeLed Zeppelin—KashmirHeart—Magic ManThree Doors Down—When I’m GoneStyx—RenegadeAndy Gibb—Shadow DancingThe Corrs-- Brid Og Ni MhailleTrapt—EchoWhen in Rome—The PromiseTwisted Sister—We’re Not Gonna Take ItJay-z & Linkin Park - Numb/EncoreAlanis Morissette – UninvitedBlack Sabbath — ParanoidBlack Sabbath — Iron ManBerlin - Take My Breath AwayDHT- Listen To Your Heart (Edmee's Unplugged Vocal Edit) What does music mean to you? To your writing?I don’t watch many movies or much in the way of TV. Music has always been a love of mine. I can still remember the day MTV came on air for the first time. I was six and it totally wiped the floor with Sesame Street. I watched faithfully from that day forward until they started on the reality shows. I had to put up a white flag then. Let the record state that I miss Martha Quinn. Oh, and MTV actually playing music. To me, music is another form of escapism. It can set the mood for you or it can fix the mood you’re in. It’s what you make of it. I love all music, from classical to the rhythmic beating of Native American drums. You name it, I like it—Rock, Classical, Dark Metal, MallCore, Pop, Country, Jazz, Rap/Hip-hop, Foreign (I’m a huge lover of the Italian music scene), Oldies. What kind of music do you like to write to?I’ll make the playlist as I write. If I know I’m entering a really dark scene, I’ll incorporate that vibe into the playlist. When I’m coming out of it, I lighten the mood. I do have one rule, if a Bee Gees song cannot be incorporated into the mix then I’m doing something wrong. Yes. I do have playlists with AC/DC and The Bee Gees sharing airtime. If this story was made into a movie, who would you want to do the soundtrack?I’d like to see Rob Zombie team up with The Cranberries (who can tell me where they are and if they’re still putting out records… I’d love to buy them). I think the collaboration would be odd but I’m betting it would work. Anything else you'd like to say about music and writing/creating?I have a lot of respect for anyone who can create music. It’s their story, put out there for the world to hear.To learn more about Mandy, visit her website.Next week, I interview author Paul Liadis, AKA The Struggling Writer.