Fun Time! And I Need Your Opinion...

I'm going to shake it up a little with this month's post.

Trivia time!!! (You gotta help me out by imagining flashing colored lights and a booming game show voice. Good thing you're reading this, otherwise you might be too deaf to hear, right?)

Not to mention I want your opinion with a this-one-or-that-one question.

So stay tuned!!! (Think confetti going everywhere.)

But first, for any of this to make sense, you will want to sign up for my newsletter to receive my freebie short story Defender. I know, I know, it sounds like click-bait, but I'm going to share a little behind-the-scenes to the story, and before you can give me your valued opinion to my oh-so-spectacular questions, you'll want to be in the know.

....Okay, have you read it? All the way to the end? No cutting corners now!

As you may have gathered from a previous post, I'm a soundtrack nerd, and I constantly search for fresh, beautifully composed film orchestrations whether or not I've seen the movie, (and in most instances, I haven't, just as a disclaimer.) I guess it's an indication of my propensity for the dramatic because I'm always imagining how my stories would be like on the big screen in relation to cinematography and music.

In that same vein, I'll run across a song, though not always from a soundtrack, and be like, "That would make an excellent end credits song,"- You know, where the story has been satisfactorily resolved and the credits are inching up the screen as you sit in silence, too stunned to move from the plush couch.

I have found two songs that fit perfectly with the ending of Defender, and I can't decide which one is best.

So here's where you come in.

You guys have to give your opinion on which one you think should be playing at the imaginary end credits of my short story.

I don't limit myself to modern things, so the songs I listen to may be a little old by some people's standards. But here we go:

Ledger – My Arms

Or

Francesca Battistelli – Defender (Neon Feather remix)

Be sure to reply with your answer to the newsletter email or in the comments below!

Now for a little about Defender.

Just in case some of you are rule-breakers and decide to peruse this post before reading the short story, (tsk-tsk!) I'll avoid blatant spoilers.

Because of the nature of the story, I wanted the names I used to have meaning, which involved a deal of hunting to find the perfect ones for my protagonists and villain.

As stated by the hero, his name Alexander is Greek for Defender, protector of man. And he goes on to say that Aimée, the heroine's name, means Beloved of God.

But to delve a little deeper, his surname of Lev is Russian for Lion, as Mankin is a twist on mankind. Getting the drift now? And it likely goes without saying that Drake is an old term for Dragon, which is also used as a nickname for the villain.

Lion, defender of man... a dragon on the hunt to kill and destroy... sounding familiar now?

Go ahead, you must be thinking, "There is a method to her madness after all!" But I can't guarantee it for everything I do, so be warned.

I blame my steady diet of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien early on in my childhood for making me into a sucker for allegories and compelling me to seek ways to incorporate deeper meanings into my writing that may not be apparent at first glance. Little Easter eggs, if you will, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

But before I let you go, would you also consider answering a few questions that would help me as a writer hone my stories to what you, my reader, like to see in a book? Just five, teensy little questions regarding Defender...

1. What aspects of the story resonated with you?

2. What aspects did you dislike?

3. Can you relate to the characters, what did you like or dislike about them?

4. What would you have changed about the story, if it was up to you?

5. Was the plot predictable?

And that's about it for now! I'd love to hear your thoughts!

God bless!

~Alissa