I loved the
concept of this book. You just don’t see a lot of stories like this. That alone
made me excited to read this book. Aging 80’s metal bands getting involved with
the normal world is always entertaining. It was just a fun ride to see Hydra
slowly put an album together, and even when I thought I knew what was going to
happen, something jumped up and surprised me. It was a really easy read full of
fun and entertainment. A lot of enjoyment for anyone who likes this genre of
music. Really, anyone in general could get into this one.
Now let’s meet
the author!
As a former
college radio station DJ, BJ was inspired to write this book after asking
herself “Whatever happened to all those 80’s rock stars and one-hit
wonders?” Her writing career has
contributions to RI Fit Magazine. But
her prouder achievements are her original angry chick rock songs, usually about
bad boyfriends, accompanied by her out of tune guitar. She blogs at http://bjknapp.com.
BJ resides in
Rhode Island with her husband, Todd, and dogs Nemo and Potter. She is an avid sailor and scuba diver, and
also enjoys pretty much any outdoor activity such as hiking and geocaching as
well. She has also single-handedly
orchestrated hundreds of failed attempts at cooking.
First up, give us a Twitter synopsis of
the book (140 characters or less):
What happens to
a marriage when an 80s metal band moves in?
Brenda Dunkirk will find out that it is impossible to be one man’s wife
and another man’s muse.
Where did you come up with the idea for Beside the Music?
I am an 80s
metal junkie. But there have been so
many bands that have not stuck around for the long haul. What happened to them? Then I had this scene play out in my mind of
these rockers getting called into a conference room at the label, and they all
stroll in with their eyeliner and leather on, and get told that the bank
accounts are empty and they must now get office jobs in cubicles. Then I thought about what would happen to a
band that then decides to modernize and try to stick around. That's how Beside the Music came to be. I actually had that scene in the book
originally, but I couldn't get it to fit in because I wanted to have a first
person perspective.
Do you have any personal experience with
the content in this book?
Everyone asks
me this. If I had a nickel... The only
part of this story that bears any resemblance to my real life is the story
about how Brenda and Tim met. That is
exactly how my husband, Todd, and I met.
I used to play the open mic nights and eventually opened for his
band. We became friends. Then we became more than friends. Everything else in the book is pure fiction. Especially the meddling mother in law. My mother in law is very cool, she wouldn't
even dream of pulling the stunts that Portia does.
Who is your favorite 80’s metal band
(beside Hydra, of course)?
I love
Rush. Neil Peart is my boyfriend. And I love Midnight Oil too... Peter Garret
is also my boyfriend.
Who was your side favorite character to
write?
Portia. By far.
She's so totally over the top. So
much so that a manuscript coach told me to dial her back, but I said no
way. I wanted her to be that character
that shows up at the most inopportune times to annoy Brenda. Remember that movie Better Off Dead? The paper boy who always seems to pop up
demanding his $2? I wanted Portia to be
that... only more demanding.
Who is your biggest writing influence?
Janet
Evanovich. Her book "How I
Write" is a great kick in the butt.
I've listened to it a few times on audio. It's like she comes in through my earbuds,
grabs me by the hair and says "Sit down and write and don't move from that
spot until you're done."
What can we expect next from B.J. Knapp?
I am muscling my way
through a first draft about a couple that wins the Powerball lottery. I think I need to get Janet's help on getting
myself to sit down and write it. I had
an idea of how the story would go.... but then I changed my mind and I am going
rogue straying from my outline. Let's
see what I can do with it.
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