Leta Blake

author. human. working hard to become stellar at life.

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Twice Cut! A Cut Sex Scene from Training Complex! Available at Crystal’s Many Reviewers! #gay #hawt

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Twice Cut

Part of writing is cutting the parts of the book that you may like but don’t serve the plot or pace of the story. As a book, Training Complex, the sequel to 2013’s Training Season, contains a lot of sex, but at one time it contained even more. In fact, four sex scenes were cut from the final book and I will be sharing them on various blogs over the next couple of months.
This scene was actually written for Training Season back in 2013 but was cut from that book for various reasons. I loved it so much, though, that I tried to work it into Training Complex. I made editorial changes to the setting and the situation, but, for the most part, it’s the same scene. I probably spent six hours reworking this, though, and so it hurt a little when once again it ended up on the cutting room floor.

But I present it to you now in hopes that you may enjoy it just a little and get a taste of some of what might be offered in Training Complex itself.

CLICK ON THROUGH TO CRYSTAL’S MANY REVIEWERS TO READ THE SCENE!

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Available at:

ARe|Amazon|Smashwords|Barnes & Noble|iTunes.

SEXcerpt and Reader’s Choice Giveaway! Leta Blake is at Diverse Reader with a cut sex scene from Training Complex! #free #gay

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Head on over to Diverse Reader for a SEXcerpt and a reader's choice giveaway!
Head on over to Diverse Reader for a SEXcerpt and a reader’s choice giveaway!

Click through HERE to read a cut sex scene from Training Complex and to participate in a rafflecopter for a reader’s choice giveaway! Any of my books are available to one lucky winner!

As a tease, I’ll start the scene off for you here!

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Warning: 18+ readership and mildly spoilery for the issues in the book as a whole, as well as a particular kink.

Matty sat on the toilet and shook the cock cage, rattling it to the best of his ability. The vibration of the lock on the polycarbonate resonated against his straining flesh but it gave him no relief.  “Fuck, fuck,” he whispered, needing more stimulation, needing anything that would take his mind off his desperate need to come.

He’d never, ever felt so horny in his life. He knew this was true because while every single hour since putting on the cock cage had consisted of escalating horniness, rising unbearably moment-to-moment, but the fact that he’d been so overwhelmed at a dinner with Anja and Ben, of all people, that he’d had to leave the table and frantically, uselessly masturbate in the toilet stall said it all. Hands down, it was both the most horny and most mortified he’d ever been. Well, maybe failing at the Olympics was worse. Or that time with Rob and the toilet in Montana, but that had ended up being weirdly intimate. Oh, God, he didn’t need to think about anything intimate.

“Matty?” Rob’s voice preceded the fall of his footsteps and the sound of the bathroom door swinging shut. “You okay in here?”

“I’m fine.”

“What’s taking so long?”

Matty looked down at his dick, pressed hard and miserably against the polycarbonate cock cage, and then at his swollen, aching balls, already so full of unreleased spunk. Fuck, he needed to come.”

FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS AT DIVERSE READER!

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DIVERSE READER’S REVIEW OF TRAINING COMPLEX:
I want to be Leta Blake when I grow up! *sigh* I always need to sit back and decompress after reading one of her books. Where do I begin here? Okay, Training Complex is the sequel to Training Season. We join Matty and Rob in New York. Matty is coaching figure skating and Rob is a PT. These two love like no others. Leta brings that all consuming, old fashioned, From Here to Eternity feel to the love they have. Of course on a hotness scale it just explodes. SO HOT! They have a BDSM relationship and I want to buy Leta a huge ass drink for getting it right. You want to know how BDSM works? THIS, HERE. She knows what she’s talking about. She addresses SO many issues in this book, Disordered eating, depression, anxiety. And it’s breathtaking. I love reading her books because it’s like being wrapped in a blanket of perfection. There are a million layers to her plots, and her characters. She flows through it brilliantly and it feels almost effortless. Training Complex is the perfect balance of angst, happiness, love, loss, and fear. Leta brings them together in a way that you are left truly content. Bravo, Leta. Another 5 star story!
Available at:

ARe|Amazon|Smashwords|Barnes & Noble|iTunes.

Smoky Mountain Dreams! Want to know what Gatlinburg is like? Now you can experience it yourself! :D #gatlinburg #extras

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I didn’t actually have to watch this video myself in order to write about Gatlinburg since I’ve been there many times over the course of my life. In fact, my folks used to take my brother and I up there as kids for little day trips on random weekends. I actually wrote about 50% of Smoky Mountain Dreams during a week’s stay in Gatlinburg in June of 2014 and went to Puckers and a few other places to make sure I got the descriptions right in the book. (By the way, there is a lingering shot of the Puckers sign at the end of this video.)

I wouldn’t say this is the best video of Gatlinburg. For one thing there is that unfortunate red truck blocking the view of a lot of it. I much prefer the video I posted earlier this month. I think it gives a better feel for the place. But I do think this gives one an idea of the landscape and the crowds and the way the traffic flows through there (and why Christopher is always taking shortcuts). It’s a busy little place akin to, say, Daytona Beach in the mountains in terms of quality of shopping experience and type of crowds. It might even be described as trashy. I’m okay with that. 🙂

So here you go! Complete with a Dolly Parton song! 😀

Sometimes holding on means letting go Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he's still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He's raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There's no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn't want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn't want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.
Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

Photos of my writing/research trip to Gatlinburg, TN | Smoky Mountain Dreams Bonus Material #extras

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When I went on up to Gatlinburg to work on Smoky Mountain Dreams last June, I took some pictures of the town and my little rented condo. Not all the pics are awesome, but they’re all being shared here. 😀

Driving toward Parkway, there was this view of the mountains through my car windshield. 
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Driving up the mountain to Gatlinburg.

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The little condo. 

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Oy, this is a bad pic. But I wrote most of the book on that sofa with my feet on that ottoman. 

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The view out the window. IMG_5300 IMG_5303

Now on to Gatlinburg itself! 

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The taffy stretcher and piecer. 

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This is a thing that exists. For real. IMG_5260 IMG_5254

Puckers!

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The chair lift over the creek before it ascends up the mountain.

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Because OF COURSE.IMG_5282

The shady drive to my condo.IMG_5281

So, I think what we learned from this is that I’m a shoddy photographer. 😛 And that Gatlinburg is weird. 😀

Southern Accent and Halloween Snow and Gatlinburg Views. LOVE. #extras #smokymountaindreams

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I lost so many hours the other day watching random stranger’s vidoes of Gatlinburg on YouTube. I don’t even know why. Heh. I mean, I am doing it to make these blog posts but I know no one is even gonna watch these videos. Still, here’s a favorite. See, we don’t get snow in this area and this is considered insane–snow on Halloween! Highlights of this video: THE ACCENT. I don’t speak like this, but these are examples of how many people in this area sound, including Gareth and others in the book. And the views. <3 Love it.

Sometimes holding on means letting go Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he's still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He's raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There's no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn't want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn't want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.
Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

Christmas Tree Farms in Gatlinburg TN | Smoky Mountain Dreams #extras #bonusmaterial

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So, the Christmas Tree farm that Jesse and Christopher went to is a real place. I’m going to post some pics I might’ve stolen from their Facebook page.

I’ve never been to it, but I’d love to go. It seems dreamy and magical.

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Sometimes holding on means letting go Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he's still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him. There's more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He's raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There's no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn't want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn't want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.
Sometimes holding on means letting go
Christopher Ryder and Jesse Birch are two men hanging on to the past. While Christopher has let go of his failure as a country singer in Nashville, he’s still trying to please his narrow-minded, non-accepting family. His beloved Gran loves him the way he is, but Christopher feels painfully invisible to everyone else. He’s happy enough performing at the Smoky Mountain Dreams theme park in Tennessee, but even when Christopher is center stage he aches for someone to see the real him.
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to bisexual Jesse. He’s raising two kids and fighting with family after a tragic accident took his children’s mother. There’s no room in his life for dating, his kids are his priority, and he doesn’t want more than an occasional hook-up. He sure as hell doesn’t want to fall hard for his favorite local singer, but when Christopher walks into his jewelry studio, Jesse hears a new song in his heart.

Smoky Mountain Dreams is available now at:

AMAZON
B&N
SMASHWORDS
iTUNES
SCRIBD
OYSTER

And now at KOBO.

SERIOUSLY SPOILERY Deleted Epilogue for Smoky Mountain Dreams #bonusmaterial #deletedscenes

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Here is a VERY SPOILERY epilogue for my book Smoky Mountain Dreams. I wrote it and it just didn’t fit as an ending, so, snip! It was cut from the book itself. But as a Christmas gift, I’ll share it here on my blog for those who might be interested.

I’m going to put it behind a Read More cut. Hopefully that will work, so those who don’t want to be spoiled can look away now.

Okay, here we go, everything below this? SPOILERY!!!

 

[Read more…] about SERIOUSLY SPOILERY Deleted Epilogue for Smoky Mountain Dreams #bonusmaterial #deletedscenes

Flash Fiction: The Running Zachariah Meets The River Leith #mmromance #extras

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Flash Fiction

The Running Zachariah Meets The River Leith

 

New York City was far enough from Louisville that Zach felt safe. He’d run far, far, far away from home years ago, traveling the world with his job on a cruise ship for years, and he never intended to go back. Now it was time to put down some roots, though. And if he didn’t like the roots he put down, he’d just tear them up and run off again. After all, running far away from places and things that hurt him was what he did best. But, in the meantime, he needed a place to crash.

Park Slope was baby-land from what he could tell by the number of strollers and actual children running, laughing, and hopscotching up and down 7th Street, but he didn’t mind. He liked kids. If life worked out the way he hoped, he might even have one someday. He’d enjoy showing a child the world, holding their hand by the Eiffel Tower, or throwing them in the air in the Riveria sun. He’d never, ever hit them or tell them they were shameful or make them want to run away from home forever.

Dismissing memories of his grandmother’s belt and his mother’s hateful words, he jogged across 5th Ave and hooked a right. He glanced down at the paper in his hand, double checking the address. Yes, he was on the right street now. He grinned at a little Asian girl on a tricycle, and nodded toward her German-looking nanny while hunting for the building number on the doors. The one he was hunting for was nice enough, with windows that jutted out toward the leafy green of a nice-sized tree.

He folded the paper carefully and squinted up at the apartments above the bar below. Then he looked around, taking in the prime location—close to the subway, the shops of 5th just down a block, and the shops of 7th Ave just a little further upslope. It was perfect. Now, he just needed to make them like him. He was good at that. He could be charming and sweet, loving and open, and they’d like him. Well, so long as they never saw the dark spots his family had left on his heart, anyway. He could hide his wounds. He was almost as good at that as he was at running when someone got close enough to spot them.

And, really, all that mattered was that they liked him for just long enough anyway. He could leave again. There was always Italy, or California, or Alaska. There was always somewhere to escape to and a way to forget if things here went bad.

The doorbell chimed and Zach sucked in his breath, stunned at the sight of the sweaty, flushed, goddamn-gorgeous man who answered: blond hair, hazel eyes, and a body to fall to his knees for. All displayed beautifully in a white sleeveless t-shirt and jogging shorts. “Hey, yeah. Can I help you?”

“Hello,” Zach said, sticking out his hand and telling himself to pretend he was vlogging. He could do anything and say anything if he was vlogging. He could be real without having to suffer for it. It was a good trick he’d learned over the last few years. “I’m Zachariah Stevens. I’m here for the extra room?”

“Oh. Right.” The guy took his hand and they stared into each other’s eyes. A handshake failed to form and the touch turned into an awkward almost-hand-holding clench that morphed into further weirdness, until the guy jerked his hand back. “I’m Leith.”

“Nice to meet you, Leith. Been out running?” Zach asked, gesturing at his sweaty state when Leith looked confused.

“Yeah. In training.”

“For a marathon?”

“No. I box.”

“Oh.” Well, that explained those muscles and his tough-guy look. Zach’s knees went a little weak.

“Uh, come in. The girls are upstairs.”

Zach followed him up the stairs to the apartment, his eyes on Leith’s firm, muscular ass, and he shivered. A hot, boxer roommate? Oh, hell, yes, this could be a good place to live for a while. How much fun could he have seducing the guy? And if by some miracle things actually got real between them? Well, that’d be awesome for as long as it lasted.

And if things turned bad? Well….

Leith looked over his shoulder at Zach, his hazel eyes confused, as though wrestling with something down deep inside. “The room’s kind of small.”

“That’s fine. I don’t have a lot of things. I travel a lot. I don’t keep much to hold me back.”

“You gonna travel a lot while you’re living here?” Leith turned and took the next flight up to the third floor.

“No. I’m sticking around for a while. Trying to build a real life for a change. It’s an experiment.”

Leith stopped on the landing and waited for Zach to join him. “You’ve got a job?”

“Of course.”

Leith gazed at him and the air between them seemed to thicken. Zach nearly took a step forward into the space separating them, but held back. Get the room first. Then see what happens.

“A real job?”

“Do I look like a vagrant or something?” Zach laughed. He was wearing jeans, sure, but they were expensive jeans and he knew he looked nice.

“Uh, no. You look….” Leith swallowed. “Like you’ve got a job. But, you know how it is. You can’t be too careful. We’ll check your references.”

“Of course. And, to answer your question, yes, I have a real job.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. Well, come in and meet the girls.” Leith keyed open the door. “It’s up to them if you get the room, anyway.”

Zach followed him into the small but clean apartment. The sofa wasn’t new but it’d obviously been quite nice once. The throw on the loveseat matched nicely, and the tv was big, but there were a lot of books stacked around, too. Always a good sign.

Leith clapped him on the shoulder as he called out, “Marian! Ava! A guy’s here for the room.”

His hand was warm and stayed just a moment too long. Zach shivered. Yes, this could be nice and if things didn’t work out here, he could always go. He’d made a career out of leaving.

Leith smiled at him, his eyes crinkling at the edges. “Would you like some water while they grill you?”

“Sure.” Zach licked his lips. “Thanks.”

But maybe, if he was lucky, he might find a reason to stay.

 

***

The above is a prequel sort of flash fiction set three years before the start of my book The River Leith.

Memory is everything. After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain. For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach's choices may come back to haunt him. Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.
Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.

 

Dang, Demanding Characters With Musical Opinions! Music from The River Leith #music #playlist #extras

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Now, some people might call me crazy, and that’s okay, but my characters have their own opinions about music. I almost always have a book-specific playlist for any novel I’m working on, and the songs are picked by the characters themselves. The following is a link to Leith’s playlist. He chose the songs. He was absolutely fixated on The Vitamin String Quartet covers, but was also mad about The Gaslight Anthem’s acoustic stuff, Snow Patrol, and Billy Bragg. He also had a hard-on for a few Ed Sheeran songs, amongst a select few others.

So, for those interested, press play and see what Leith insisted I listen to as I wrote his book.

[spotify id=”spotify:user:12122330928:playlist:3FpF7QdsRE7oTI4JhCfbfu” width=”300″ height=”380″ /]

 

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Memory is everything. After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain. For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach's choices may come back to haunt him. Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.
Memory is everything.
After an injury in the ring, amateur boxer Leith Wenz wakes to discover his most recent memories are three years out of date. Unmoored and struggling to face his new reality, Leith must cope anew with painful revelations about his family. His brother is there to support him, but it’s the unfamiliar face of Zach, a man introduced as his best friend, that provides the calm he craves. Until Zach’s presence begins to stir up feelings Leith can’t explain.
For Zach, being forgotten by his lover is excruciating. He carefully hides the truth from Leith to protect them both from additional pain. His bottled-up turmoil finds release through vlogging, where he confesses his fears and grief to the faceless Internet. But after Leith begins to open up to him, Zach’s choices may come back to haunt him.
Ultimately, Leith must ask his heart the questions memory can no longer answer.

Deleted Scene: The River Leith’s Alternate Ending #spoilers #extras

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So, when I wrote The River Leith, it originally had an epilogue after the last vlog post, but my editor said, “Nope. Nope, nope, nope. It ends nicely with the vlog. No need to clutter the book up with what amounts to two endings!” So, with a heavy heart, I deleted the scene.

But! That gives me an opportunity to share it with you now! Let me say in advance IT HAS MASSIVE, MASSIVE, MASSIVE SPOILERS FOR THE END OF THE BOOK!!!! If you have not read the book, then you may want to take a pass on reading beyond the cut.

If you have read the book, then you know what happens, so let’s just cut to the chase! Click on through to see the deleted epilogue to The River Leith. There’s more texting, more Thakur, more Zach, and more Leith! *twirls and throws confetti*

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Cloud On My Tongue and Decimate: Training Season Extras! #music #davidford #toriamos

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As I mentioned in a previous post, I always write to music. The following songs definitely influenced or inspired aspects of Training Season. This first song? Absolutely inspired the meet-cute in the book.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Tf8oNq9uTPU]

For some reason, “Decimate” by David Ford has always been Rob’s song in my mind. I’m not sure why, but I think this represents how he feels about Matty. I’d listen to this one when I was trying to figure him out. If anyone can figure out what makes this a Rob song, let me know. 😉

[youtube=http://youtu.be/Xe7d7141m4Y]

Nights Like These and Maybe: Training Season Extras! #music #lucero #ingridmichaelson

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In my little series of music posts about my soundtrack while writing Training Season, here are two more of Rob’s songs. Both of them are very much how he thinks about Matty, the situation, and all of his hopes, dreams and fears. “Nights Like These” is the most despairing of the two and the reference to the only boy who ever broke your heart is a Figure Skating reference, but of course. “Maybe” by Ingrid Michaelson is a bit more upbeat, though I think hopeful resignation is the name of the game with that song.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/_r4Ymyeuw_E]

[youtube=http://youtu.be/FKU3UuJhIxU]

The Promise & At This Point In My Life: Training Season Extras! #tracychapman #music

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I almost always write with a soundtrack. Either music is playing as I write, or I have certain songs in my mind that capture the vibe of what I’m going for with a certain section of the book. Sometimes it’s the lyrics that speak to me and other times it’s the music. In this case, it was definitely both.

The last third of Training Season was stamped with these two songs. I had them on repeat as I worked out the end of the book. I wanted the tenderness and growth to be all over those words.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/wlCJKsyQXMo]
The words at 4:19 through the end of the song are what I wanted Matty to be expressing during that part of the book.

[youtube=http://youtu.be/cQ0kh3k0LKE]
Oh, this song. Is there anyone on earth who doesn’t have the feelings in them that this song expresses? Matty definitely had them and I wanted there to be that kind of longing and tenderness in the book. I hope I succeeded.