Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Artist to Artist - Heart to (Celtic) Heart - Feature #2

Here is an inspiration from author Cynthia Owens - Thanks, Cynthia!

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My inspiration came from a CD entitled “Celtic Hearts,” a collection of beautiful Irish music. Played mostly on traditional Irish instruments, such as the fiddle, the tin whistle, the harp, and the bodhran, it’s performed by Will Millar, of the Irish Rovers.

Two pieces of music inspired me most. The first was a medley called “Haunted Kenbane.” Haunting and soul-wrenching, every time I listened to it I could picture a devastated Irish village, a valiant band of survivors of famine and tyranny, and a bold hero arriving to bring that village back to life. Those pictures became my first novel, In Sunshine or in Shadow, released by Highland Press in December of 2006.

The second piece, “The Irish Brigade,” was equally inspirational for the sequel to In Sunshine or in Shadow, in which the hero is a veteran of Thomas Francis Meagher’s Irish Brigade, which fought so bravely during the American Civil War. This particular medley ends with a rousing version of Ashokan Farewell, the theme music for Ken Burns’ wonderful series of the Civil War, played mostly on the fiddle and tin whistle.

There’s nothing like Irish music to inspire tales of glory and great love.

Actually, I was lucky enough to be able to contact Mr. Miller, who kindly granted me permission to use part of “Haunted Kenbane” for the video trailer of In Sunshine or in Shadow. You can listen to the wonderful music and view the trailer at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybBhGrSGHo4

Thanks for the opportunity to share my muse.

Cynthia Owens
Historical Romances with passion, history and soul
In Sunshine or in Shadow
Available Now From Highland Press
http://pages.videotron.com/cowens/index.html
http://cynthiaowensromancewriting.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/cynthiaowens
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CynthiaOwens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybBhGrSGHo4

17 comments:

  1. I adore Irish/Celtic music and also have been inspired by it for my writing.
    Looking forward to checking out your links!

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  2. Thanks for sharing your muse with us, Cynthia! I simply adore this music (I own the CD) and listen to it quite often myself. Make sure to drop them a note and let them know we are talking about them...maybe we could get an interview! How cool would that be. Also, thanks for helping me get the word out...I need all the help I can get myself! :)

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  3. Your inspiration sounds inspiring. :-) I'll have to look for that CD.

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  4. Thank you, Jeanne and Holly. I love everything about Ireland, but particularly the music. A friend of mine (who coincidentally is also Irish) described this CD as haunting and sad, and it is, but there always seems to me to be a little not of joy under the sadness. A bit like Ireland itself.

    Minnette, I was glad to do it. It was fun to be a guest on your blog!

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  5. Intriguing post, Cynthia. I seldom write without Irish music playing and have different playlists for different types of scenes and moods. I'm glad the music helped inspire your stories. Thanks for sharing, and thank you, Minette. I enjoyed visiting your blog.

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  6. Thank you, Pat. Actually, I seldom do anything without an Irish soundtrack. There's always something Irish on my CD player.

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  7. Love Irish music, Cynthia.
    And the Irish Brigade as well. I'm going to check out your music link now.

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  8. Thanks, Susan. There's a great medley on this CD called Irish Brigade. Gorgeous stuff, and very inspiring for my upcoming series of Irish Brigade heroes.

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  9. Wonderful, haunting Irish music!! I'm also a fan of Celtic music and play it often when writing my Scottish stories. I also love hearing about what inspired others.

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  10. Thanks, Nicole. Nothing like the fiddle and the tin whistle to evoke haunting pictures of Ireland!

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  11. Fantastic inspiration for terrific books. Irish/Celtic music does seem to reach the hearts of a lot of writers.

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  12. I love Irish and Scottish music, so I will definitely have to check out that CD. Thanks for sharing with us Cynthia! And thank you Minnette for having her guest blog.
    Great post!
    Shannon Robinson

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  13. Thank you, Jo and Shannon. It's amazing how a few simple melodies, in the right hands and with the simplest of instrumentation, can be so inspiring.

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  14. Beautiful music Cynthia! I just recently found out that my great grandfather was from Ireland...guess that explains why I have always loved the music and longed to go there :)

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  15. Thanks, Kim. I don't have a drop of Irish blood, though, and the music still speaks to me. Although maybe I was a faery - or a pixie - in another life?

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  16. I also love Celtic music and listen to that when I write, Cynthia. The music is perfect for your story, too!
    Gerri

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  17. Thanks, Gerri. I listened to that particular selection more often than any other when I wrote In Sunshine or in Shadow.

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