Happy December!

I hope everyone is having a lovely holiday season so far. Yes, I know. The official holidays aren't all month long, but there are several of them in December, so why confine oneself to a single day of celebration this month, amiright? In that vein, here is my December playlist. What's yours?

Sleigh Ride - Glenn Miller
Trad: So Treiben Wir Den Winter Aus - The Mediaeval Baebes
Through Your Eyes On Christmas Eve - Abney Park
My Song for You (From "Good Luck Charlie") - Bridgit Mendler & Shane Harper
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues
St. Stephen's Day Murders - The Chieftains feat. Elvis Costello
On Grafton Street - Nanci Griffith
Winter Winds - Mumford & Sons
Winter's Solace - Doug Wood
Trad: Salva Nos - The Mediaeval Baebes
Golden Apples Of The Sun - Paul Winter
I'll Be Home For Christmas - Glenn Miller
'zat You, Santa Claus? - Abney Park
On Christmas Time - The Coats
Dawnwalker -  Paul Winter
White Wine In the Sun - Tim Minchin

Equality Post, Now with Music!

 The US Supreme Court has begun hearing oral arguments regarding California's discriminatory Prop 8 and the national embarrassment that is DOMA. (I don't know about you, but my marriage doesn't need "defending", thanksverymuch.) I can only imagine that I am  preaching to the choir here but that's okay. Here are a couple of songs that are all about equality and love. I hope you enjoy them.

iPod as Prophet?

x-posted from Slash & Burn

I had my iPod on shuffle the other day. You know shuffle. That setting that supposedly randomizes all the music on your iPod and plays whateverthehell randomness that the algorithms choose? Yeah, that. Well, this past weekend, my iPod "randomly" shuffled between Blue Öyster Cult's "Club Ninja" in order and a witchy-themed playlist I have, with the occasional smattering of tunes by my favorite Scottish rock band, Runrig. The conclusion reached by me and the friend riding in the car with me at the time? Either it was telling me to go back to my old m/m Star Trek fanfiction, or I need to write some short stories in the universe where my GLBT paranormal novels are set. On one hand, I love that fanfiction, but I have a very hard time convincing myself to write anything these days that couldn't potentially be published. On the other hand, considering that the aforementioned paranormal novels aren't yet contracted, let alone published, and that I only submitted the first one to a publisher a couple of weeks ago, this short story collection idea seems a little...what's the word? Ambitious? Optimistic? Nuts? Maybe all of the above and then some. And yet this is precisely what I did. I wrote the first short story (and I do mean short – only 4200 words, give or take) that was uppermost in my mind. I have solid ideas for two more, and thoughts of two more after that. All of which makes me wonder: Just how random is the iPod shuffle function? Was it just a wacky algorithm or was it tuned into something greater? The world may never know... [cue Twilight Zone theme...] ;-)

Party Day Two - Music!

In Play Music, Play Magic, Wand'ring Minstrel Noula Tuomi uses music to weave a magical web around herself and her lovers. A lot of writers, me included, like to write with a soundtrack in the background. It doesn't always manifest in the end product. One of the tenderest sex scenes I've ever written was written to a soundtrack of '80s hair metal, while a light BDSM scene was written to a mix of Dar Williams songs. Yes, my brain can be a very strange place to live.

Music can have a profound effect on one's mood, but it isn't always the effect one might expect. So my question to you is, what music puts you "in the mood"? You know the mood I mean. ;-)

And don't forget, your comments are your entries to win an ebook. And guess what? It's not just Play Music, Play Magic, but the whole I Put a Spell on You anthology!

Happy Holidays!

12 Days of Christmas Music

Hope everyone is having a festive December!