Books, Music, and Romance

By Kristine Charles

Today is 17 February and it’s Ed Sheeran’s birthday.

Now, I can’t confirm or deny whether Ed is actually into romance or not but it seems a reasonable bet given:

• the man has written a heap of stellar love songs; and
• he recently married the woman he met at high school when they were both 11; and
• his song Perfect was inspired by his now wife <swoon>. 

Photo from Milkos via depositphotos.com (Image: 321559668)

So, I thought, what better day to explore the connection between music and romance than Ed Sheeran’s birthday.

Many of the authors I know, and read, in #Romancelandia listen to music while they write.

Some have to listen to instrumentals because lyrics are distracting, especially if you like to sing along (like me!). If you’re as addicted to Life Hacks as me, you’ll know that listening to Hans Zimmer music while studying is recommended because it has no lyrics, and the music is intended to motivate.

Others listen to the same song, over and over, to stay in the mood, or the headspace of their characters. I’m pretty sure I heard Lauren, of Christina Lauren, once say that she listened to Xxplosive by Dr Dre to get in the mood for writing Finn of Dirty Rowdy Thing. I <heart> Finn, and that song is hot.

Photo from fxquadro via depositphotos.com (Image: 250373478)

Others create entire playlists to feed their output. For example, Penny Reid and J. F. Lowe both have heaps of playlists on Spotify which, they say, are the songs that inspire the writing of the book.

And then others, again, can’t listen to anything and need silence to feed their creative muse.

Then there are authors who use music to inspire their stories. For example, Renee Conoulty’s Got that Swing series all have song-based titles and the song is central to the story. M. L. Tompsett, Renee Dahlia and Joanne Tracey also use songs to inspire their stories – Shakespeare’s Sister, Lorde and (of course!) Ed Sheeran, respectively.

And then there’s how one particular song can make or break a moment. If anyone went and listened Thomas Tallis after reading Fifty Shades of Grey, you’ll know what I mean… Spem in Alium is haunting and hot in equal measure.

Photo from Vadymvdrobot via depositphotos.com (Image: 336781326)

So, what’s your favourite 'books, music and romance' moment…? 

Love to love: music. It never fails to make me feel better.

Love to laugh: Did you hear about the bed bugs who fell in love? They’re getting married in the spring!

Love to learn: About writing sex and love! Spent three hours with Leisa Rayven this morning and it was fabulous! Leisa is a Queensland based author, has written the Starcrossed Series (Bad Romeo, Broken Juliet and Wicked Heart), and is currently working on the Masters of Love Series. Check her out at leisarayven.com

And you can check me out at www.wordsbykristinecharles.com :-)

Who was Saint Valentine and How Did His Death Become All About Love?

By Cassandra Samuels

Happy Valentine's Day for tomorrow! Ahh, the most romantic day of the year for some of us. A day to celebrate love, whether it be potential or committed. But who is this St Valentine and how did all this Valentine's Day malarkey all come about?

Short history:

The truth surrounding the origin of Valentine's day is a little sketchy. One theory says that Valentine (a priest) conducted outlawed weddings during the third century in Rome. Weddings for soldiers had been banned as the Emperor Claudius II thought that unmarried men made better warriors. It is told that Claudius had Valentine killed when he discovered the outlawed marriages.

Another theory is that Valentine fell in love with a jailer's daughter while imprisoned for helping Christians escape said prison, and sent her love letters signed "from your Valentine." A phrase we still use today.

courtesy of Catholiconline

So why February 14th? The theory is that the Catholic church introduced a feast day in the middle of February in order to make the pagan celebration of Lupercalia (traditionally February 15th, and during which women were slapped with bloody goat skins for fertility) more Christian. It was moved to the 14th after the pagan celebration was outlawed at the end of the fifth century.

Lupercalia courtesy of paperdroids.com

In the middle ages, it was thought that the 14th of February was the beginning of bird mating season. Mating season was when birds would compete for mates and indulge in the rituals of courtship. So it isn't hard to believe that people came to compare this time with courtship and love as well.

In the Victorian era, Valentine's Day was one to be savoured, and many spent a lot of time making or purchasing cards for their special someone.

Victorian Valentine's Day Card Courtesy of VictorianPaperlace.com

I'd like to think we have moved on from whips made of bloody goat's hide and now prefer to wine and dine our lovers.

courtesy of nursetogether.com

Or present flowers

Courtesy of HDimagesNew

and chocolate instead.

Courtesy of DramaFever.com

Much nicer don't you think?

How do you like to celebrate Valentine's Day?

Love to Love sharing time with my hubby. I am one lucky gal.

Love to Laugh at my husband's dry wit. He always surprises me and makes me laugh.

Love to Learn how things are made - like yummy chocolate.