Liam O’Dell: The Educational World of Music

The link between music and education has always been disputed, but it does exist. From the mythical ‘Mozart effect’ to the power of music on people mentally, music is an exciting and intriguing entity. Whether you’re listening to music or playing it, melodies and lyrics can incite emotions, and encourage the learning of new skills.

Personally, I am a drummer, and I’ve definitely learned a lot over my nine years of playing. Beforehand, my hand-eye co-ordination was rubbish and I’d never stood up (you play the drums sitting down but you know what I mean) and performed to a large audience before. Now, music is a performing art and I’ve performed to audiences of various sizes. As for the co-ordination aspect, the ability to do more than four things at once has definitely helped!

OK, so I appreciate not everyone plays a musical instrument, so what benefits does music provide to avid listeners? Well, that’s more emotive. Music always has the ability to make us feel different feelings, but as well as that, the lyrics and style gives us an insight into culture and ideas that we may not have known about before.

So no matter whether you play or listen to music, it still has a strong impact on your life, right? Music has always been cemented in culture, and it should be celebrated!

What do you think about music? Do you listen to music, or do you play it? Comment below!

Liam

@lifeofathinker https://thelifeofathinker.wordpress.com

Q&A with Laura Salters

Did you always dream of being a writer?

I’d love to be able to say yes, but it would be stretching the truth a little! I’ve always loved to write, and my poor parents (hey Dad!) had to read my tragic stories when I was a kid. I’d write in my school homework diary, on a “word processor” called Fine Writer, anywhere! But I also had big career aspirations of being a vet-artist-actress-songwriter-doctor-designer-chef, so there’s that. 

Your debut novel Run Away will be published in a few days (May 5), what is it about?

Oh stop it, I’m going to pass out! I actually filmed a vlog about this here [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zp-6X5OyYA], and this is the official RUN AWAY blurb:

Drenched in blood and sitting in the sweltering interview room of a Thai police station, Kayla Finch knows that Sam, the love of her life, is dead. It doesn't matter that there's no body. All that blood can only mean one thing.

It isn't the first time Kayla's had blood on her hands. After finding her brother dead by his own hand, she tried to outrun her grief by escaping to Thailand. Heart-broken, the last thing she expected was to find love on the smoggy streets of Bangkok. But everyone Kayla loves seems to wind up dead. 

Returning home to England, Kayla is left with a barely-functioning family, a string of gruesome nightmares and the niggling feeling that nothing is as it seems. And as she confronts her brother's suicide, she starts to suspect that something is very wrong.

Three months. Two tragedies. One connection: there's more to both cases than anyone is willing to admit. And Kayla’s determined to uncover the truth…no matter what the cost.

What was your inspiration for it?

I’d heard about this awesome emerging genre called New Adult, which sounded perfect to me because I’m 24, and love reading about other people my age. Okay, a bit younger, but in my head I’m still a student, okay? But all the NA I could find was sexy contemporary romance, and while that’s great, I struggled to find anything else, like suspense or fantasy. So I started dreaming up gap year locations – Thailand and Cambodia – and imagining all the sick ways I could make the trip go wrong. *evil grin*

Can you tell us more about the main character(s)?

Kayla is twenty-years-old and has had a pretty rough time. Her younger brother committed suicide, and she found his body, so she escapes her grief on this gap year scheme, falls in love... then he disappears too. So she’s understandably grieving, but feels like there’s something more sinister going on. And as she digs her teeth into the investigation, we see more of her personality begin to shine through: she’s fiesty, sarcastic and determined to defy her super rich parents. 

We also have Sam, Kayla’s ludicrously tall and clumsy missing love interest; Dave, a lovable Indian with ALS; Russia, a Russian (obviously) girl with a pretty face and a big heart; and Bling, a mildly irritating tagalong who meddles in relationships. Because the story is told alternating between past (in Thailand) and present (in Northumberland), you get to see this group of misfits experience wild adventures and suffer massive heartache – and at the same time, Kayla’s trying to figure out what it all means.

What do you like most about writing?

I love all of it and none of it! Kidding. I love all of it. I love finally working out an annoying plot hole, or writing a really sparkling dialogue scene that captures your characters perfectly, or coming up with new ways to tell an old story. Anyone who’s read my work will also know I love playing with location and setting in my stories – some of which I’ve never been to, so it’s incredibly fun to research. It’s like travelling from my couch. (Yes, I know how tragic that sounds.)

Are you working on something at the moment?

Yes, I’m working on a few different things! Firstly I’m writing a proposal for my next New Adult romance, which is set on a press trip to Serbia with hapless magazine interns. And I’m also plotting and planning a four-book YA fantasy series I’ve been dreaming up for over a year – I can’t wait to finally be able to put pen to paper on that one.

Where and when do you write your stories?

Anywhere! No, really, anywhere. I’ve written on public transport, in hairdressers, in a park, in bed... but I mostly write either in my cute little office or on my sofa. Very few things can distract me when I’m in the flow. And I like to have the TV on in the background, which is controversial, but silence actually throws me off more than anything!

What do you do and enjoy when you’re not writing?

I’m a huge foodie, so anything that involves cooking, baking or eating is a winner. I also like to run, cycle, play tennis, drink gin, read, sketch, paint, play video games, binge-watch Netflix and sometimes, very occasionally, go out into the real world and see other human beings. 

Which stories influenced you most when you were a child?

Before Harry Potter came along and changed my life, Enid Blyton was my hero. I started on The Faraway Tree stories (I must have read that bumper book at least twelve times), then graduated to the Famous Five and Secret Seven books, all of which my mum had kept from her childhood. I got really mad when I found out last month she’d thrown them all away! Okay, I’m still mad. 

Who is your favourite author and why?

I know it’s incredibly unoriginal, but to say anyone else would be inauthentic. JK Rowling. I love her with all my heart.

If you were shipwrecked on a desert island what three books would you want with you?

You’re so cruel! To Kill A Mockingbird, The Help and 1984. I think. Maybe. Probably not. I CAN’T DO THIS.

If you could change something about your life, what would you change?

I would conjure up a cleaner/housekeeper/superhuman who’d do all my chores for me. I hate housework. Actually, I don’t, but I can always think of something I’d rather be doing (and usually I’ll just do that instead).

Imagine on Run Away would be turned into a movie. Tell us about your dream cast.

*fans self with nearest book* Oh wow. What a question. I’m going to be completely absurdly outrageous, because hey, you said DREAM cast! I’d like Felicity Jones for Kayla, Sam Claflin for Sam, Margot Robbie for Russia, Aziz Ansari for Dave, Constance Wu for Bling. 

What tips would you give aspiring authors?

Don’t get trapped in a negative mindset. If you constantly tell yourself, “This is going to suck, there’s no point, I’ll never get anywhere with it, I might as well not bother,” you’ve lost before you’ve even started. 

Coffee or tea?

Can I say both? I’m a peppermint mocha fiend but couldn’t live without tea. So, both. I refuse to choose. *crosses arms defiantly*

Paperback or e-reader?

Paperback, always. Although I do adore my e-reader (and even reading on the Kindle app on my phone) – what did I do without it? I honestly read so much more since I bought my super cheap Kindle. 

Mountains or the sea?

The sea. I grew up a mile from the (admittedly very cold) beach in Northumberland – it’s truly my happy place.

Summer or winter?

Neither – I like spring and autumn! I’m not great with extreme temperatures. I get very whiny.

Sweet or salty?

SWEET. Oh my god, sweet. Give me all the baked goods. Are you sweet? Can I eat you?

About the author:

Laura Salters is a YA/NA suspense author (represented by Suzie Townsend of New Leaf Literary & Media Inc) from the northernmost town in England. Her debut novel, RUN AWAY, will be published by HarperCollins (Witness Impulse) on 05/05/15. When she isn't writing, reading or thinking about writing or reading, she's a music lover (and terrible singer), pet cuddler, beach-goer, runner (*cough* jogger), passionate foodie, caffeine addict, tennis player, lipstick wearer, Harry Potter fangirl (yes, still), housework dodger and relentless chatterbox. 


About the book:

"Ignorance is bliss…until there's blood involved."

Drenched in blood and sitting in the sweltering interview room of a Thai police station, Kayla Finch knows that Sam, the love of her life, is dead. It doesn't matter that there's no body. All that blood can mean only one thing.

It isn't the first time Kayla's had blood on her hands. After finding her brother dead by his own hand, she tried to outrun her grief by escaping to Thailand. Heartbroken, the last thing she expected was to find love on the smoggy streets of Bangkok. But everyone Kayla loves seems to wind up dead.

Returning home to England, Kayla is left with a barely-functioning family, a string of gruesome nightmares, and the niggling feeling that nothing is as it seems. And as she confronts her brother's suicide, she starts to suspect that something is very wrong.

Three months. Two tragedies. One connection: there's more to both cases than anyone is willing to admit. And Kayla's determined to uncover the truth…no matter what the cost.

Preorder links

Amazon UK

Amazon US

Barnes & Noble

HarperCollins

Learn to Love Again – by Ellen Faith

Original Cover

My own copy

The blurb:

Living in a small seaside village can have its perks, but after the death of her husband, Lillie Gilbert finds the people she grew up with turning against her faster than the tide rolls out.

As she grieves for the life they planned, the life they’ll never live, she leans on her best friend for support and tries to come to terms with the fact that one day, she may have to open up her heart to a new life and new love.

After losing her childhood sweetheart, can Lillie really Learn to Love Again?

My Opinion:

*Book provided by the author in exchange for an honest review*

First of all, I was really excited about this book, the blurb sounded intriguing, the cover is gorgeous and I loved Ellen’s other books. She is one of the authors, who I am in contact with regularly over Twitter and she’s become a great friend.

The start of this book is heart breaking, emotional and really touching. Ellen took me right into it with her beautiful and genuine writing.

I felt really close to Lillie from the start and I wanted to be there for her.

Her best friend Sam comes back and takes care of her, he’s so patient, sweet, caring, funny, just what Lillie needs. He lost his best friend as well, but he wanted to be there for Lillie first of all, without thinking about his feelings. Sam lived in the States for the past few years and that had a reason, we learn by the end of the story, what that reason was, I had my suspicions.

After her husband’s death Lillie had to go through a lot, she wouldn’t let anyone near her. It was not only dealing with the loss, but also with her guilt feelings and some other people being mean to her.

I have to come back to Sam, because he was just the sweetest in this book, oh and that little surprise he got her – awwwww – and it got her talking and being positive again.

The question was, when was he going back to the States?! It would break her heart all over again. I won’t tell you more here, read the book, it’s wonderful.

I adored the ending, it’s touching and full of hope. I cried a lot reading this gorgeous story. I loved the flashback, reading more about Nick’s and Lillie’s relationship and also their friendship with Sam. They had something special.

I was drawn into the story immediately; it had such beautiful flow, genuine characters and so many memorable moments. It’s all about two characters healing each other and learning to love again, the title is so perfect, I can’t even describe it. Ellen’s writing is vivid and real, I felt like being there in this world. I need more!!!!

Rating:

My possible cast:

Lillie: Emelia Clark

Sam: Jamie Dornan

Nick: Matt Bomer

AUTHOR BIO

Ellen lives in the wonderful county of Yorkshire, England where she spends most of her time baking, eating, baking, and eating. Occasionally she does leave the house to go to the cinema or do some food shopping though.

After spending years with an overactive imagination, she decided to put all the magic in her head to some good use and put finger to laptop where The Story of Us was born and became her debut novel.

She loves to travel, her favourite destinations so far have all been in America, hence the love of all things, and all people, American. The food rocks pretty hard too, she ate until her jeans begged her to stop whilst she was there. True fact.

Aside from day dreaming and eating, Ellen is a sucker for a lolcat, penguins and monkeys - she has never claimed to be normal.

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Book Trailer