The Making of an Unlikely Rock Star Romance Writer!
Hi Inspy Romance Readers! My guest today is author Emily Conrad, and I’ve enjoyed her inspirational stories with these musical characters. I’ve asked her to share about creating her rock band heroes! Welcome Emily!
Thank you for having me! If you met me, I doubt you’d walk away thinking, “I bet she writes about rock stars.” Laughing, I’ll admit I’m just not that cool.
Yet, my Rhythms of Redemption Romances follow the rock band Awestruck. Lead singer Gannon starred in To Bring You Back, and up next is John, Gannon’s best friend and the band’s drummer, in To Belong Together.
So how did a quiet, bookish person like me take an interest in writing about musicians? In high school, I had friends who were into music and attended concerts and Christian music festivals.
I was intrigued by lyrics that addressed the conflict between the public persona and the human behind the performances. The idea of a normal girl being noticed by someone famous also drew me. Wouldn’t it be amazing to be picked out of the crowd and swept into a fairytale romance?
And so, the rock star stories started to pile up.
As time went on, I did end up marrying a drummer (for my church worship team), but I left my interest in rock star stories behind for “more serious” plotlines. It wasn’t until a period of disillusionment years later that I picked the rock stars back up.
While I hoped for a fairytale escape, I also longed to write meaningful fiction that explored meaty topics. Writing rock star romance for Christian readers offered an opportunity to merge both.
But, by then, I was thoroughly bookish and more aware that I didn’t have the knowledge or experience to imagine the lives of the men of chosen to be heroes for my stories. So, what’s a bookish writer to do?
First, I turned to the most obvious resource: books!
A stack of non-fiction books taught me about the music industry, fame, life on the road, and addiction and recovery. (Though if you choose to read some of the books pictured, use your discretion, as most of them aren’t Christian.)
I also read Christian fiction centered around musicians. Some standouts include:
A Long Way Gone by Charles Martin
Wild Montana Skies by Susan May Warren
The Trouble with Love by Toni Shiloh
Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury
One More Song to Sing by Lindsay Harrel
Come to Me Again by Leah Atwood
Goodbyes and Second Chances by T.I. Lowe
I also had the pleasure of trading manuscripts for feedback with rock star romance writer Anne Carol, author of the Faithfully Yours series.
Videos complemented the books. I watched documentaries, movies, music videos, and YouTube tutorials about topics from ear protection for drummers to electric bass guitar basics.
Penning lyrics for my band meant applying lessons on word choice and cadence from college poetry classes. When I wondered if a lyric had a workable rhythm, my drummer husband solved my problem by belting out my words to the tune of a song that was in heavy rotation on the radio.
Did all this transform me from the bookish introvert into the kind of person you’d peg as a rock star romance writer? Maybe not. I’m probably still not cool enough, and I’m still sometimes entranced by idea of being picked out of the crowd.
That longing to be special and chosen lurks in so many of our hearts, doesn’t it? But here’s something I have learned: we are each special to Someone famous.
Jesus Christ has the name above all names, and He died that we might have a relationship with Him. Our feelings of not being cool enough or of longing for the validation of being chosen and loved are a reminder to turn again to our famous friend and savior, Jesus. From bookish authors to famous rock stars, we all need God, and the grace, hope, and belonging we can only find in Him.
So maybe it doesn’t matter so much if you peg me as a rock star romance writer. My aspiration is that instead, when someone meets me, they’d walk away thinking, “I bet she writes about grace.”
I love this, Emily!! Thank you so much for your wise words :)
Here’s a little more about To Belong Together and how to connect with Emily!
Fame and money have a way of complicating love.
Drummer John Kennedy can keep a beat, but he can’t hold a conversation, so he relies on actions to show he cares. Unfortunately, when he’s instantly intrigued by a spunky female mechanic, he can’t seem to convey the sincerity of his intentions. And the rejections don’t stop there. His own sister is pushing him away just when he could help her most.
Erin Hirsh’s life would be easier if God hadn’t given her a love for cars. Only her father understood her, and she’s losing him to dementia. Her brief romances have always backfired worse than a mistuned engine, and she refuses to give John the chance to wreck her heart. A rock star with a supermodel ex can’t possibly see anything in her.
At least that’s what she thinks until they find common ground in faith and their worsening family situations leave them each longing for a place to belong. Could God intend for this pair of opposites to belong together?
To Belong Together is the second novel in the Rhythms of Redemption Romances. It’s available from most major online retailers, and until it’s release, you can pre-order for the discounted price of $2.99.
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Belong-Together-Contemporary-Christian-Romance-ebook/dp/B09PWJ24JR/
Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/to-belong-together/id1604452529
Barnes and Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/to-belong-together-emily-conrad/1140852378?ean=9781736038840
Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/to-belong-together
Author website: emilyconradauthor.com
Emily Conrad writes contemporary Christian romance that explores life’s relevant questions. Though she likes to think some of her characters are pretty great, the ultimate hero of her stories (including the one she’s living) is Jesus. She lives in Wisconsin with her husband and their energetic coonhound rescue. Learn more about her and her books at emilyconradauthor.com.
Do you have any inspirational romances with musicians you’d recommend?
Janet W. Ferguson is a Christy Award finalist and the FHL Readers Choice Award winning author of realistic inspirational fiction. An avid reader, she loved books so much she found a job as a librarian so she could be around them all day. Then she turned that love of story into writing faith-filled novels with characters who feel like best friends. You’ll laugh and cry as the quirky heroes and heroines chase their happily ever after. Janet and her husband live in Mississippi where they say y’all a lot, and she forces him to visit the beach as often as possible. They have two grown children, one really smart dog, and a cat that allows them to share the space. Connect with her at http://www.janetfergusonauthor.com/
I can’t think of any, but I love the whole idea.
Hi Emily and welcome to InspyRomance!! Thanks for giving me some more ideas for my TBR list!
My book Crescendo follows the rise of local country band Ace in the Hole to national fame. Along with it comes the dark side of drawing that attention.
Oh, that sounds interesting! Thanks so much for sharing about it!
I didn’t realize how many there were until I started writing them, so I totally get it! I hope you enjoy any you come across :)
Thanks so much for having me on Inspy Romance today, Janet! This is such a fantastic community!
Thank you for hanging out with us!
Oh neat! I’ll have to check it out!
I love it too!
This series sounds really good! Alexa Verde has a series that has a musician in them, and I’ve read others. Jo Grafford has a musician in her Heart Lake series, too. I know I’ve read others, but I can’t think of them right now.
So many good books! Thanks for the recommendations!
Hi Emily! Thanks for joining us at Inspy Romance today, and thanks to Janet for inviting you! I think my favorite rock-star romance series with a Christian worldview has been Clari Dees’ Men of KWESTT, beginning with Some Enchanted Evening. Leah Atwood’s Come to Me series is also fun. I’ll be checking yours out!
The only two books I can think of off the top of my head that feature musicians are Tamera Alexander’s “A Note Yet Unsung” and Roseanna White’s “A Song Unheard”. I’m a fairly new Indie CF reader (within the last year or so) and I’m just starting to discover new-to-me authors. I’m sure there are a number of them that write characters with musical talent!
Thinking about it, I haven’t read too many stories with musicians in them.
I have read some musician books or books that had musicians on the sideline. But most of them were in Dutch, and I don’t think that they are translated into English. Thanks for sharing your research story! I always like reading about how authors do research for their stories.
Oh, I’m not familiar with that series, so thanks for pointing me to to it. I’ve read one of Leah Atwood’s books, and I’m sure the others are great too!
Oh, yes! My reading was mostly contemporary, but there are some great historicals involving music, too! I hope you find some great new indies to follow! There really are so many fantastic writers (and stories) out there.
The funny thing is, I write contemporary because research intimidates me… but as you can see, I didn’t get away from it! Ha! It’s so interesting that you’re bilingual! That must open up a whole world of new reading possibilities.
Jo Grafford has one..
Good recommendations!
Those sound good! I’ll have to check them out!
Those are sweet novels!
Interesting! I love that you are multilingual!
I’ll have to look that up!
Just began your book To Bring you Back and I’m really enjoying it. You have a gift!
And I love that you include so much about personal faith in your book and show practically how it must impact all of our life.
I love Chana Keefer’s One Night with A Rock Star and One Night with a Rock Star – part deux!
Hi Emily! I love your series. All your research has paid off. The stories are realistic and don’t sugar coat a business where being on the road can cause hardship. Congratulations.
Thank you Janet and Emily!
You’re welcome! Great to hear from you!
It’s a great series!
Sounds interesting!
Yes! It’s so good!
Thank you so much for sharing. I cannot think of any at this moment. God bless you.
Thank you for stopping by!
Thanks for stopping by, Debra!
Of course! Thanks for visiting!
You’re such an encouragement to me, Barbara! I’m grateful to hear that balance came across ❤
I’m not familiar with those. I’ll have to look them up! Thanks for the tip.
Thank you so much for reading To Bring You Back, Sherry! That book definitely helped me work through some questions I had, so I’m glad the faith element came through in an uplifting way.
Thanks for the recommendation!
I have a few but can’t think of the titles at the moment
I have a couple books & biographies as well. I enjoy them but my most favourite is Will (Will Smith)
Oh, I bet that’s a good one!
So many good books to keep track of, right? :) Thanks for stopping by!
He seems interesting!
I’m the same way!
Loved this post! The only one that comes to mind is Liwen Ho’s “A Single Spark”.
I’ll have to look it up! Thanks for the suggestion!
Sounds good!