I am super excited to host C.S. Boyack on my blog today as he tells us a little more about his newest Lizzie and The Hat adventure, Lunar Boogie. You may have seen my review last week and if so, you know how much I enjoyed it!
One of the things I enjoy immensely in each of the Lizzie and The Hat books is the music. The songs Boyack chooses bring instant memories for me and it adds to the dimensional layers of the story. But, I’ll let him tell you more about it. Take it away, Mr. Boyack!
Thanks for having me over, Jan. I try to keep each tour post unique, and with your ties to music thought that might be a good topic here.
Lizzie and the Pythons are a cover band put together by Lizzie and the hat. The hat is a creature from another dimension who take the form of a hat. She wears him at all of her performances, because their symbiotic relationship allows him to play the upright bass using her hands and fingers.
Their band plays music people can party and dance to. It could be anything from rock and roll, blues, country, even a bit of glam rock on occasion.
I spend part of each evening surfing for music. When I first started, my memory was good enough for several hundred songs on a playlist I made. After that, I filtered them down into a specific playlist for this series. I wind up listening to that during my commutes and it inspires me.
These days, I discover a lot of obscure music that would work, but leaves me with an executive decision. Writing the books is a bit of a tightrope. Obscure songs are just as much fun, but might not relate to as many readers. Would any of you recognize the opening chords of “You Need Love,” by JD Simo? I doubt it, but you’re missing out. Hard to add that to a book and have it come across.
A title everyone recognizes will help set the mood for a scene at one of their gigs. It’s a party environment, fun, etc. It’s a nice contrast to killing monsters under the full moon. I have to be careful, though. Music is protected by Copyright. I can freely use titles, but not lyrics without purchasing a license. (Did that once, and it’s not worth it.) It gets a bit tricky, but I’ve been able to weave the titles into dialog and that seems to work.
The other trick came from selling the band. I did this in an earlier book, but won’t do it for every one as that would get boring. They have a five piece; bass, drums, guitar, piano, and saxophone. The saxophone player has a baritone and a tenor, and also plays harmonica.
You can see how some kick-ass music just won’t fit this band. Electric Light Orchestra or Styx were great, but the available instruments might not work. I did this by explaining that solos can be handled by other instruments, organs can be somewhat covered by a harmonica, background violins can be covered by soft saxophone, but it will sound a little different. A banjo might be covered by a guitar, etc. Otherwise, I’d have to give them a twenty-five piece band and most gigs wouldn’t pay enough to feed everyone. Many of them would be waiting around for the one song they’re needed on.
A smaller group allows for more intimacy as well. With an ongoing series, I need that. They feel more like a family, and I avoid character soup.
There is a lot more to these stories than playing with the band. The symbiotic relationship between Lizzie and the hat allows them to fight monsters. He has several special skills, but no appendages to do much with. She has free will along with the needed limbs. Together, they can accomplish great things. I’ll let the cover and blurb tell you about this specific book.
Here’s an example of what some of their music might sound like. Get ready to ROCK!
Blurb:
Lizzie and the hat are back in action, only this time they’re up against the most tragic monster of all, a werewolf.
This adventure is more like hunting an animal, and the werewolf is unlikely to come to any of their musical performances. This puts Lizzie out in the dark corners and wooded areas of the city. It may be more beneficial to get the monster to hunt Lizzie than to stalk him on his own turf. All she has to do is be quicker on the trigger than the wolf is on his feet.
At the same time, the police think they’re after a serial killer. Lizzie tries to keep them alive while also keeping them out of her way. As the body count rises, so do the pressures. It doesn’t help that people are blaming Lizzie and the hat for the killings. This involves an urban myth about them that the locals call Hellpox.
Pull on your boogie shoes and join the hunt. Designed as an afternoon read, this one is tons of supernatural fun.
Follow C.S. Boyack:
Another fabulous post about Craig’s new book, Jan. I hope you are having a good break.
Thank you for stopping by, Robbie. I am back home and back working and REALLY far behind on everything. But that’s okay! 🙂
You’ll catch up 😊
Craig is having a great tour. I’m looking forward to this one. Thanks for hosting, Jan. 🙂
Thanks so much for stopping by, Diana!
I’m seeing Craig all over the blogosphere. Good on you for hosting, Jan.
Thank you for stopping by, Sandra!
Sounds bizarre! But I did enjoy Lizzie and the Hat, so this may turn upon the reading list.
It is bizarre, but so am I, John. So glad you enjoyed the first book.
Lol, John. If you enjoyed Lizzie and the Hat, you will enjoy Lunar Boogie, guaranteed!
Not familiar with the song, but I get the gist. Sounds like something they’d play. 🙂
Cool that you listened to it.
This was a pleasant adjunct to Craig’s works, Jan, thank you. I just finished reading Lunar Boogie and thoroughly enjoyed it and our friends Lizzie and The Hat. The music was skillfully weaved in, and the story and all the characters were, as usual, a fun adventure. Congrats and a tip of many hats to Craig.
So glad you had fun with the story. Have a great holiday weekend, Jet.
Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment and your recommendation for Craig’s new book!! Glad you enjoyed it!
I always wondered what the ramifications were about using song titles or lyrics in stories. Good to know where one has to draw the line.
Craig definitely did his homework, Pete. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you, Pete.
You’re right – I’ve never heard of JD Simo, but that’s exactly how I imagined Lizzie and her band would sound, lol.
Cool that someone checked it out. Maybe not mainstream enough to use in the book, but there is a lot of good music that never hit the charts.
I totally agree, Teri! Thanks for stopping by!
I appreciate the music you weave into the story and the band. I can easily picture them on stage and feel like I’m in the audience.
Thanks for hosting, Jan 🙂
Thanks for letting me know. Until a reader weighs in, I’m always unsure of some things.
I had that same thought when I read it, Denise. It was like I was there with them when they traded off parts or someone took a ride. Thank you for stopping by and helping share!
I liked the interaction with Lizzie and her bandmates in this book. And it showed a new side of Lizzie when she let her friend stay in her spare bedroom when his apartment was being worked on. I have to admit, I don’t recognize most of the music they play, only a few songs here and there. But that doesn’t bother me because Craig explains the “feel” of the song, so I get the gist. I really enjoyed Lunar Boogie!
I’m glad it comes across well. I hope to keep finding fun music for them to play. It’s something I enjoy.
I did too, Judi. It gave us more insight into the camaraderie among the band members and how they look out for and care for each other. Thank you for stopping by and leaving a comment!
Congratulations, Craig. This is another great post. A big thank you to Jan for hosting!
Thank you, Gwen. Hope you enjoyed the tour.
My pleasure, Gwen. Thank you for stopping by!
What a unique twist/plot, C.S.! You’ve hooked me into your stories. Wishing you all the best!
I have loved each book in the Lizzie and The Hat series. Craig’s imagination knows no bounds! Thank you for stopping by, Mary! Much appreciated!
Thank you for that. I hope you enjoy whichever ones you decide to try. This series should all be able to stand-alone as far as the volumes are concerned.
The use of the band in the Hat books is always fun. As others have said, it’s such a shame not being able to quote lyrics, but I do enjoy the way you incorporate songs regardless. Lunar Boogie is a great read. Wishing you lots of success with the release.
Thanks for hosting Craig today, Jan!
My pleasure, Mae. Thank you for stopping by to support Craig!
I try to be pretty careful, but still want to get the vibe across of a nightclub and party environment.
Congratulations to Craig, and thanks, Jan, for hosting.
My pleasure, John! Thanks for helping spread the word!
You are welcome
Thank you, John.
I hate the fact you can’t even quote lyrics without permission. I create playlists for all my novels and I’ll mention some songs by name. Getting permission to use the lyrics wouldn’t be worth the effort. Especially since most of my songs are big-name artists like The Eagles, The Beatles, etc.
You are right, Joan. It wouldn’t be worth the effort. Thank you for stopping by and I love your playlists!
I believe a small quote is allowed, but I’m too afraid to go there. Some parody is also allowed, so I may have the hat say some goofy things eventually.
I’ve heard not even that. Has to do with the “percentage of content.” It’s not worth it to risk a lawsuit.
I’m always irritated by the copyright laws regarding music. I agree that including the entire song would be a violation, but I don’t think a line or two should be a violation. People are allowed to quote portions of written works. Why is music any different? (I know; preaching to the choir.) Anyway, I love the use of music in the stories. You handle it well, Craig. Wishing you all the best.
Thanks, Jan.
Yep! I feel the same, Staci. But I agree that Craig found a way to handle it without any compromise. Thank you for stopping by!
I believe you can quote a small line, but I’m too scared to try it. You can also parody, which I did in this book to a degree with Wolfman Jack and again when Tanith made up her own lines at the dance.
It’s my understanding you can’t quote even a line, but I’m not a lawyer. Better safe than sorry. I never quote anything.
Reblogged this on Entertaining Stories and commented:
I’m visiting with Jan today. This time we’re talking about the music Lizzie and the Pythons play in their band. It’s a big part of this series.
Jan and I have known each other for a long time. She even helped me with the original Hat book, by suggesting Lizzie put Superglue on her fingertips before her first night of playing the upright bass. Check out her updated site while you’re there and consider following her blog.
Thanks for lending me your space. Your site and the music from the series seemed like a natural.
I couldn’t agree more, Craig! It is my pleasure to host you here today!
I am not musically inclined so most songs are obscure to me. Lol! Even the songs I do know don’t get categorized by title or artist in my brain. It’s good that Craig knows the copyright rules because that is a headache no one needs. Thanks for sharing this book with us, Jan! 🙂
Lol, Yvette. Your comment made me chuckle. Craig definitely did his homework on this and he is absolutely right. It’s my pleasure to share this new book. It’s a great read!
It makes for another angle on the series. I think fellow authors would find that pert interesting. Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for hosting Craig, Jan. Wishing him the best with his latest release!
It’s my pleasure to host Craig today, Jill. Thanks for stopping by!
Craig has been very busy promoting his book. I love how he explains incorporating music into his story. A good warning about copyright too. Thanks for featuring Craig and his latest boo.
Craig has definitely done his homework on the music end of the story. Thank you for stopping by, Darlene!
Thank you, Darlene. Glad you enjoyed the tour.
Another great tour post, Craig. I agree about that tightrope with obscure music and songs. Wishing you all the best with this latest book 🙂
Jan, thanks for hosting Craig today 🙂
It is my pleasure to host Craig, Harmony. Thank you for stopping by to help spread the word!
There are some fun ones that nobody knows about. It’s better to go with a classic ear-worm so readers can get into the setting.