And now, for the #bandslash tour, I’m hosting Piper Vaughn & MJ O’Shea who’re talking about book 3 in the Lucky Moon series, Moonstruck.
(NOTE: I’ve included links to the YouTube videos in case the embedding doesn’t work).
Author links
Piper: http://pipervaughn.com
Five about the authors
1. Who are you, and where do you come from?
Piper Vaughn. I grew up in Chicago, IL and live in a suburb about 30 minutes outside of the city right now. My co-author, MJ O’Shea, is from Washington State.
2. What inspires you?
Everything. It sounds like a generic answer, but it’s true. Everything in my day to day life inspires my writing—music, movies, the news, other books, seeing something at the grocery store, overhearing a conversation. The list goes on and on. 🙂
3. Describe your writing style in three words:
Sexy. Sweet. Romantic.
4. What style of music do you like, and who are your favourite bands?
I love a lot of musical styles—my tastes are fairly eclectic—but my absolute favorite style would be alternative. Some of my favorite bands/musicians are: Muse, Ed Sheeran, The Smashing Pumpkins, Florence + the Machine, Nirvana, The Black Keys, NIN, Radiohead, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Mumford & Sons, Tegan and Sara.
5. Been to any good gigs recently?
The best gig I’ve been to recently was when I saw Ed Sheeran for the first time in Milwaukee back in September. He was absolutely amazing, just blew my mind, and that concert probably ties for my #1 concert ever with Muse, who I saw back in March 2010.
Five about the book
Title: Moonstruck
Series: Lucky Moon, book #3
1. Who is the story about?
It’s about Surya Patel, who is the drummer for Moonlight, one of the biggest bands in the world, and Emmanuel Cortez, manager to Luck, another extremely popular band that is working on a collaboration with Moonlight.
2. What inspired the idea for this story? Any real bands, music, or places from your experience?
The idea for this particular story developed over the course of the previous two novels in the “Lucky Moon” series, in which we’d established that Em had feelings for Surya, who everyone has thought of as straight up to the beginning of “Moonstruck.” We knew we had to do something to get them together, and so the general plotline for this book was born. As for the bands themselves, Moonlight, is loosely based on Muse, while Luck is an amalgam of a couple other bands.
3. What is it about musicians that make them irresistible?
For me, I feel that a lot of musicians have this sort of air of mystery and seem so untouchable and larger than life. I love a man who can pick up a guitar and make something beautiful. I love a man who can sing, whether his voice is rough or smooth as silk. My favorite bands and musicians are all pretty different and yet they all appeal to me in different ways. Aside from that, music calls out to the soul and when someone can create something that moves me—to tears, to laughter, to joy—they earn my loyalty and respect forever. Plus, I can’t deny that some of these men (and women) are absolutely gorgeous and a lot of fun to look at and only become more attractive in my eyes depending on how I view their level of talent. 🙂
4. As a story comes in three parts, and this is a music story, pick me three music videos that reflect how you feel the story goes.
I’ve answered this one before [interviewed by Melanie for the Moonstruck release! ~ Tush], and I’m going to repeat what I said that time because nothing has changed. 🙂
“One More Night” – Maroon 5 – Surya and Em don’t have a volatile relationship as depicted in this song, but it’s more the idea of the song—having this person who you can’t resist and wishing you could rid yourself of the desire for them by giving in to the idea of “just one more time.” And obviously, that tends to backfire.
“One Thing” – One Direction –I’ve been on a 1D kick for months and I listened to them a lot while writing “Moonstruck.” This song is cutesy and pretty far from hardcore rocker, but it reminds me of Surya’s feelings about Em. 🙂
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1xs_xPb46M
“Look After You” – The Fray – This one is kind of self-explanatory, but it applies to both Em and Surya.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iYOOuJLuaY
(And this might be the most random list ever, but…well, that’s me in a nutshell. LOL.)
5. If your book was a music video, how would it go? Talk me through it.
I liked MJ’s answer better than mine when we first replied to this question, so I’ll have to go with her idea of two people lost and trying to find each other. At a park, a crowded concert venue, a music festival, something like that. They’re running around, searching frantically, and it would end with them finally connecting eyes and finding each other again.
(I think this fits the overall tone of the story, even if it’s not precisely what happens.)
Thanks for answering!
Author links
Piper: http://pipervaughn.com
Book link:
http://www.loose-id.com/authors/l-p/m-j-o-shea-piper-vaughn/lucky-moon-3-moonstruck.html
(Also available at Amazon and ARe.)
Book title: Moonstruck
Series: Lucky Moon, book #3
Book blurb:
Surya Patel is the drummer for the massively popular band, Moonlight. When his label suggests a collaboration with Luck, the band Moonlight toured with the year before, he should be all for it. Except for one thing–he slept with Luck’s manager during the tour, and then bolted in the dead of night. He’s regretted it ever since, but he knows being around Emmanuel will only lead to disaster. Unfortunately for Surya, the person the label sends to sweet talk him into joining the collaboration is none other than Em himself.
Emmanuel Cortez has spent months trying to forget about the hottest night of his life–the night he slept with Surya. It’s been a year, but not even the death of his beloved grandmother and the subsequent drama with his family could keep the memories away. Now it’s time to be professional. His job is to convince Surya to collaborate with Luck, nothing more, but a day spent together leads to yet another passionate night. This time Em is the one to leave.
But unexpectedly Surya has a change of heart. He isn’t satisfied with just one night anymore. He wants forever.
Excerpt
By the time they dropped Gabriel off at his hotel later that night, Em was feeling a little tipsy andmore than a little turned on. They’d followed up the bottles of wine with a couple of pints of lager for Em and Gabriel and a glass of whiskey for Surya at a pub not far from Haché. It was more liquor than Em had consumed in the last six months put together. His head felt light, his brain a bit sloshy, but he was still fully aware of what he was doing when the car pulled up to the entrance of his own hotel and he invited Surya inside.
“Will you come up with me?” Em asked, unable to resist. From the moment Gabriel had gotten out of the car ten minutes earlier, the tension between him and Surya had only intensified, thickening until the very air felt heavy and his skin prickled into goose bumps, his body hyperaware of Surya’s proximity, his scent. “Have another drink?”
Seconds ticked by, with Surya looking at him and Em staring back, his breaths getting louder and increasingly unsteady in the silence.
After what must have been almost a minute, Surya nodded. “Yeah, all right.”
They slipped from the sedan, and Em sent the driver away. Then he led the way up to his suite, his heart racing.
Em tried to hide the trembling in his hands as he slid the key card into the slot in the door. It took two tries, but eventually the little light went from red to green, and he pushed the door open with a quiet click. Surya stepped silently into the room behind him and paused long enough to hang the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the outer handle before letting the door swing shut.
So Surya knew where this would lead, then. No sense in either of them pretending. All day the tension between them had been excruciating, thick as wax and building slowly, mounting with every unintentional touch, every hitched breath, every hot look Surya threw at him when he thought Em wasn’t paying attention.
Almost from the moment they’d left Haché, Em had known their day would end in his suite. He couldn’t fight it, didn’t want to try, and despite all the alcohol, he wasn’t as drunk as he was pretending.
“Whiskey neat, right?” Em started toward the bar, but Surya caught his wrist and pulled him back before he could make it more than a step or two.
He stared up at Surya’s face, but Surya’s eyes were focused on the inside of his wrist, where his thumb was tracing swirls and patterns that made Em feel weak in the knees.
“I don’t really want anything to drink.” Surya’s thumb moved again, a slow stroke, just shy of ticklish.
Em shuddered, his fist clenching shut. “What,” he started, voice breathless, “what exactly do you want, then?”
Finally, Surya’s gaze lifted to meet his. He didn’t speak, but words were unnecessary. He conveyed everything he wanted in that look, and the intensity of it made Em tremble. Without thinking, he pulled his wrist from Surya’s grasp and closed the space between them, going up on his toes so he could seal their mouths together. Surya’s lips parted against his, and then it was slick heat and tangling tongues and the taste of whiskey and cigarettes. Em wasn’t normally a fan of the last, but it was Surya, so it somehow managed to turn him on.
He moaned, reaching up to loop his arms around Surya’s neck and drag him even closer. Surya’s hands settled on his hips, gripping tight, molding their bodies together as he deepened the kiss.
Em pulled himself up a bit more, trying to align their pelvises so he could grind himself against the hard length in Surya’s jeans. After a second, Surya seemed to realize what he was doing. He released Em’s hips and slid his hands around to cup Em’s ass and lift him the few inches needed for Em to get the friction he was craving.
“Yes,” Em mumbled, slicking his tongue along Surya’s lower lip. He hiked his legs up, and with Surya’s help, managed to link them around Surya’s waist. “I want you.”
“Want you too.”
The words sent a surge of heat down Em’s spine. How long had he been waiting to hear them? Over a year at least, but it felt like ages. There hadn’t been a whole lot of talking the last time they were together, mostly just touching, kissing, their bodies straining in the dark. Now they were both sober, or close to it anyway. Close enough to know exactly what they were doing.
Em tightened his arms around Surya’s neck and kissed him again. “Take me, then. Any way you want.”
© Piper Vaughn, Mj O’shea
NEXT WEEK!
Meredith Shayne hosts Clancy Nacht & Thursday Euclid!
Check out the #bandslash blog tour dates here: http://cocktalesandhotsauce.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/bandslash-blog-tour-dates-for.html
Fantastic series, and I love the eclecticism in their music choices!