Guest Author Day with SJ Frost

Let It Rock!

By S.J. Frost

Hey, everyone!  I’m absolutely thrilled to be taking over a little space here on Dawn’s blog, and thank you so much, Dawn, for allowing me to do so.  For those who don’t know me, I’m S.J. Frost, an m/m erotic romance author.  I have a series of rock star novels, the Conquest series, which includes CONQUEST, NO FEAR, KEYS TO LOVE, FINDING A DREAM (a novella), and my newest release, BLACK HEART DOWN.  I also have a vampire series that just started with the first book’s release this year, NATURAL INSTINCTS, but today, I’m here to talk about rockers!

Ah, rock stars.  You just gotta love ‘em.  At least I do, which is probably why I write so much about them.  Though really, I’m a sucker for any kind of musician; rock, classical, country, pop, there’s just something about a man who can create music.

When it comes to musicians, I can’t help but be captivated.  How they can stand on stage, full of confidence as the deliver their gift to thousands.  How in the artistry of their craft, in blending and harmonizing notes, a musician lets everything go as he releases his emotions in song.  With his music, a musician can hold you with never touching you.  He can comfort you, make you smile, make you cry, make you feel like you’re not alone.  He speaks your thoughts and emotions in his lyrics, and sometimes, even with just an instrument. 

Haven’t we all been touched by a song at some point in our life?  Moments of listening to a singer, thinking, “That’s how I feel.  That’s exactly what I’m going through.”  Or times where the voice of a violin, a piano, a guitar, goes straight to your heart?  I know I’ve experienced that.  And when a musician can do that for me, when his voice or instrument makes me stop everything, even breathing, to catch every note, I’m always left in awe at what a beautiful gift music is. 

It’s because of that awe and admiration that I write so much about musicians, and I will say, there’s never a dull moment when I’m working with them.  The thing about rock stars and musicians is that so often they have a larger than life personality.  Take Queen’s Freddie Mercury for example.  Could he ever have been anything other than a rock star?  He was too brilliant to be anything less.  Or Aersomith’s Steven Tyler.  Could you see him working a day job in a corporation somewhere?  They became musicians because it’s what they were destined to be.  They had that special something inside them.  So when I start working with a character who’s going to be a rock star, a world famous classical violinist, a concert pianist, I keep in mind that being a musician isn’t just a job, it’s who they are in their heart, mind, and soul. 

 

Conquest’s lead singer, Jesse Alexander, is very much that type of musician.  Standing front and center on a stage before thousands of people is what he was born to do, and because of that and his talent, his personality is bold, confident, and yes, there’s some ego going on there.  For me, it’s always those rock stars who strut like they own the world who I’ve found the sexiest.  Lucky for me when Jesse first came to me, he happened to be that kind of guy ;-)  But there’s another side to Jesse, one where the ego drops, where his vulnerability shows, and that’s when he’s with Evan Arden.  Even more than music, Jesse’s love for Evan is the focus of his life. 

That’s where writing about musicians can be so interesting, because it really is a balance of two lifestyles, the public and the private, and sometimes, the two don’t always mesh well.  There’s usually an element of that in most of my stories, but in my newest release, BLACK HEART DOWN, it’s explored even heavier as Kyler Christenson and Robbie Russo are at once held together and separated by their lives as rock stars.  They’ve been together for eleven years, much of that time in the spotlight, and they have the baggage to prove it.  But then, what relationship that’s lasted that long doesn’t have baggage?  In that regard, they face the same problems so many of us have when having been in a relationship that long and are struggling to keep it together, deciding which bags are worth carrying, and which to leave on the side of the road.   

It’s an interesting dynamic, writing about the rock star persona versus the “real” personality, and while the two will crossover, one thing I always strive to express is beneath the egos and attitudes are men who just want love and acceptance.  In that way, they become just like all of us.

So that’s why I love writing about musicians.  The big personalities, the push and pull of public versus private, the egos, the emotions, the tenderness, there’s so much to explore with them.  I know someday the well will run dry for me to write about musicians, but my love of music never will, and I’ll be happy in knowing I got to express my admiration and appreciation for it in the best way I could, through my stories.

Want to know where you can find me?  Check out these spots:

My website: http://www.sjfrost.com/

My blog: http://sj-frost.blogspot.com/

My Yahoo Group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TheSweetSpotMM/

My Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3009736.S_J_Frost

Blurb for BLACK HEART DOWN

Available at MLR Press: http://www.mlrbooks.com/ShowBook.php?book=SJFBLKHD

For Robbie Russo, only one man has ever owned his heart, Kyler Christenson.  The years at each other’s sides never diminished his love for him, but with the rise to fame in their rock band, Black Heart Down, more than a few challenges hindered their relationship.  Now, he’s reached a crossroads, either he’ll have all of Kyler, or he’ll walk away from everything they’ve built together.

Kyler may be fearless on stage, but if there’s one thing to send his heart crashing down, it’s losing Robbie.  When Robbie delivers his ultimatum, Kyler’s willing to do what it takes for things to work.  But change doesn’t happen quickly, and when he makes a terrible mistake, all their history together might not be enough to save their future.