27 July 2010

Explanation of the Title

Dance In The Dark is orignally a song by Lady Gaga. According to her, "the record is about a girl who likes to have sex with the lights off because she is embarrassed about her body." I love the song and I love the meaning behind it. I'd been thinking of a story for months about a guy who likes to have sex with guys, but he's ashamed of liking it and is terrified of people finding out. So I sat down to write the first chapter, and when I went through my iPod, looking for a title (most of my stories share a title with my favorite songs) I compiled a list of songs titles that I could potentially use. But as soon as I heard the opening chords of Dance In The Dark, I knew that that was it. It fit better than any of the others possibly could. Like the girl in Gaga's song, Dylan will do anything for Sean. He'll do anything that Sean wants him to do, so long as no one knows about it. They can dance, (or fuck, Whichever word you prefer,) but only in the darkness of secrecy.

Thank you Gaga. You're amazing. I'm a Little Monster for life.

Official Playlist for Dance In The Dark

This is the first novel I've ever set up a specific playlist for. Well, two playlists, actually: one for Sean and one for Dylan. I've compiled the songs that stuck with me the most while writing and that go best with each chapter's theme. All songs are in chronological order according to the chapter they go with. The three at the very end are songs that fit with the arc of the story overall and I think that they tell it pretty well by themselves. Have a listen to the songs; they're all on Youtube. See if they grab you enough to convince you to read the book once its published.

Dance In The Dark

1. Criminal by Alexz Johnson
2. Push You Away by P!nk
3. Bad Romance by Lady Gaga
4. Sex For Breakfast by Christina Aguilera
5. Misery by P!nk featuring Steven Tyler
6. It's All Your Fault by P!nk
7. Contagious by Avril Lavigne
8. Shut It Down by Drake featuring The Dream
9. How Strong Do You Think I Am? by Alexz Johnson
10. Temporary Insanity by Alexz Johnson
11. Thinking of You by Katy Perry
12. The Two of Us by *Nsync
13. Long Way to Happy by P!nk
14. Dance In The Dark by Lady Gaga*
15. Don't You Dare by Alexz Johnson*
16. It's You by Michelle Branch*

Blurb for Dance In The Dark

Finished the first draft of the new book today. I may be biased, but I think its bloody awesome. Not looking forward to editing, but publication is a must... Wanna know what it's about? Read below.

Sean Summers and Dylan Mack are opposites in every way. Dylan is the school’s star athlete while Sean is the most dedicated worker the school has ever seen; Dylan spends his weekends partying while Sean spends his studying; Dylan prefers to use his fists to solve problems, while Sean tries to use his words; Dylan is straight, while Sean is gay. Dylan and Sean have been best friends since the second grade. What starts off as a joke on Dylan’s eighteenth birthday spirals out of control into an affair that drives both boys to the heights of passion and the depths of heartbreak. Will they ever be able to be what they were again? Will they even still be friends? Or perhaps something more?