Frequently asked:
Q: Did you ever have a glass of wine beside your keyboard while you were writing? A: When I was writing in the evening, I would. It was sort of a prop. I didn’t see much difference in the results, except that I just enjoyed sipping a wine when there were wine references all over the place. That’s what Ela Zalewski would have done. I didn’t when I was editing though.
Q: What was in your glass?
A: I love white and red wines, but for some reason when I was writing Book 1 - PRIVATE RESERVE, I went with whites like Domaine Millet Chablis Premier Cru “Vaucoupin”, Domaine Feuillat-Juillot Montagny Premier Cru “Les Platières” Domaine Henri Darnat Meursault Premier Cru “Clos Richemont Monopole”, Blue Pyrenees Chardonnay “Cuvée Midnight” Sparkling Wine, and Champagne de Venoge Le Blanc de Noirs. All of the whites are 100% Chardonnay, except for Champagne de Venoge Le Blanc de Noirs which is a white Champagne made from the two dark grapes allowed in the making of Champagne: Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The third grape would of course be the white Chardonnay grape. The Champagne really made me feel decadent. I was channeling my inner Ela Zalewski.
Q: Sounds like a lot of wine?
A: It’s a long book.
Q: Some writers have talked about listening to music while writing to get into the mood. Did you do that at any time?
Q: I would listen to music sometimes before sitting down to write, and that put me in touch with certain emotions.
Q: What did you listen to?
A: The ones that stick out are : Chis Isaak (Wicked Game, Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing, Somebody’s Crying, Life Will go On), Joe Bonamassa (A Place In My Heart, Too Much Ain’t Enough Love), Melody Gardot (Baby I’m A Fool, Your Heart Is As Black As Night) and Beth Hart (I’d Rather Go Blind, Don’t Explain, Ain’t No Way), Jeff Beck (the Emotion & Commotion disc.: I Put a Spell on you – Joss Stone, Lilac Wine – Imelda May, and Nessun Dorma by Giacomo Puccini), Jeff Beck (Cause We’ve Ended as Lovers, Santana (Love of My Life – with Dave Matthews), Joe Cocker – You Can Leave Your Hat On, Unchain My Heart), Giacomo Puccini’s Un Bel Dei from the Madame Butterfly opera soundtrack.
Q: That’s a lot music.
A: It’s a long book.
