Stories about rock stars are huge nowadays. Massive. There’s just something about ordinary, everyday people meeting super-stars and falling in love with them that draws readers in.
As a reader, they sure draw me in. I’m a huge fan, and I reckon there are two reasons I love this theme so much:
1) It’s a fantasy we’ve all daydreamed of at some point – accidentally meeting a hugely famous star and striking up a conversation, or even better, a relationship!
2) It takes characters who are usually far out of our reach and makes them human. It makes them real
I think one of the things I enjoyed most about writing a series based on rock stars meeting everyday people, was tackling the responses of the everyday people they met. Putting myself in their shoes, and trying to work out what I’d say or feel in a similar situation.
Truth is, I’d probably be so star-struck and awed by the situation, I wouldn’t even be able to stutter out a simple hello. I once bumped into one of my sporting heroes, a South African cricket player, as he walked through the cricket stadium during a game. I was totally stoked to see him and opened my mouth, determined to dazzle him with my brilliance. But of course my brilliance failed me at the essential moment, and all I could manage to squeak out was a garbled and unintelligible “good luck, Brian,” as he strode past me. His response was a nod of thanks coupled with a confused glance in my direction, and then he was gone, never to be bumped into again.
There it was. One golden opportunity blown to smithereens.
I decided not to blow the next opportunity. Fortunately, as a writer, I had that opportunity three more times – with the books of the Speed series. Where three everyday women, like you or me, got to meet superstars.
So how about you put yourself in that same position? How would you react, if out of the blue a rock star walked up to you, called you beautiful and gave you two red roses?
I put Eve Andrews in that very situation in Rhythm Of My Heart. Jonah Speed, drummer from the band Speed, presents her with two red roses right after a live concert in Melbourne. This is her reaction:
Excerpt
Before a startled Eve Andrews had time to react to the drummer’s presence and unexpected gift, Jonah Speed turned around and headed back in the direction he’d come. He’d stared at her through his startling green eyes, called her beautiful, given her the flowers, blown her world clear off its axis and then walked away.
Just walked away.
What the…?
Eve blinked through her surprise and stared dumbfounded at the roses. She didn’t see them. All she saw were those eyes, so incredibly green they didn’t seem real. So incredibly arousing, she suspected she’d seen the promise of fulfillment of a million carnal fantasies in them.
Her heart beat jaggedly. Just as well he hadn’t hung around to chat further. Breathlessness rendered her incapable of speech.
Jonah Speed had just called her beautiful.
Her. Of all people. The irony was enough to inspire hysterical laughter. It bubbled in her chest, but she bit it back.
Photographs and movie clips did Jonah little justice. On paper and onscreen he was criminally sexy. In real life, drop-dead gorgeous didn’t adequately describe him. Heart-stopping, breathtaking, toe-curling, goose-bump-inducing…
Nope. Even those words weren’t powerful enough. They didn’t capture the essence of his blistering appeal.
His aura still held her frozen to the spot. Frozen, but heating up with every second that passed. And it wasn’t just the fact that he was Jonah Speed.
Speed’s drummer, Jonah Speed. The man Rolling Stone Magazine had described as a rock legend, drummer extraordinaire and lethal lady magnet.
Hands-down the sexiest rock star in the world, Jonah Speed.
No, it wasn’t his superstardom that had her awed. It was just him. His very presence.
She raised her eyes to watch him walk away. He had his back to her, and his damp T-shirt stretched taut across shoulders broader than a football field. Even from behind, he oozed sex appeal. It radiated off him in waves.
Her stomach curled in around itself, capturing millions of tiny butterflies fluttering wildly about within.
The crewmembers milling backstage stopped to watch Jonah approach his brothers and their band manager. More than one audible intake of air echoed through her ears as he walked by, confirming they too were struck by his tangible sexuality.
Eve’s heart raced like a hummingbird’s wings.
For long seconds she held the roses, stunned. These flowers had been tossed to Jonah by his rabid fans. From her view in the wings backstage, she’d seen the face of one woman who’d thrown roses, seen the star-struck adoration in her expression, the desperation to be noticed.
Could one of these roses be from her?
Eve was pretty sure when the roses were first offered to Jonah, they’d been fresher than they were now. Although still striking, the petals had wilted, their edges turning black. When she raised the flowers to her nose to sniff their delicate fragrance, she found none.
Her gaze returned to Jonah. He stood with the band, listening to whatever Luke Struthers was telling them. At regular intervals one or other of the Speed brothers nodded, commented or looked in the direction Luke pointed.
Goose bumps erupted over her skin.
Even in work mode, Jonah stood out. His presence made Eve want to tug at her shirt—yank it over her shoulders and present herself naked to the enthralling sex god.
Stunned by her impulses, she ran a calming hand gently over the left side of her face, from her forehead down to her neck.
It calmed her not at all.
Her interaction with Jonah had lasted a minute, maybe two, yet it had left her with an unexpected hunger.
A desperate, greedy need for more.
Shaking off temptation and grounding herself firmly in reality—the same reality where she was just a regular person and she hadn’t been given half-dead roses by Jonah Speed—she turned back to the table behind her and finished packing her portable makeup box with trembling hands.
Rhythm of My Heart is available now
from Samhain, Kindle, Nook, Kobo or your favorite ebookstore
There definitely is something about meeting a rockstar. I was 17 when I met the rockstars of my dreams. Mind you…I was 17. I ran into the entire band of Great White while I was in college. They were playing a concert at the college I was attending. Of course I had tickets to go, but I had to work earlier in the day. They were staying at the hotel across from the restaurant I waitressed for at the time. I was leaving work and they were coming in. All I could muster was a “See you tonight”. Pretty lame.
Mel
OMG, Mel, you ran into the whole band?
I would have gone seriously fan girl crazy in your shoes. And then not have been able to think of a word to say.
Jess
I think if a rockstar did that with me I would just become speechless. I wouldn’t have the slightest clue what to say. That’s one of those fantasy things that you never expect to happen and if it really did, I’d just be lost and thinking I’m dreaming. 🙂
Me too, Jamie.
And lets be honest – it really is just a lovely fantasy.
🙂
Jess
I never met a Rockstar. These days, my rock stars are the authors I love. With that in mind, if I ever had a chance to meet any of them (yes Jess this includes you), I’m not sure I would even be able to stutter. My jaw would drop & I would be in total shock that I was in the same room with them
LOL, Lisa, that would never happen.
We’d sit down with Tim Tams and talk for hours!
(Plus I’d be just as excited to meet you.)
I don’t know what I would do. Definitely be surprised. Not sure what I would say.
Thanks for sharing the excerpt. can’t wait to read this.
I guess it’s true. In the end there’s just no way of knowing how you’d react if you really did bump into a rock star.
Hope you enjoy the book.
Jess
The closest I have gotten to a rockstar was seeing Edgar Winter in the car next to mine at a stoplight. Not much interaction there. Count me in on this one.
Did you gape at him stupidly through the window?
I would have. And maybe pointed like an idiot.
🙂
Jess
I’d probably be speechless if I encountered a rock star.
I would probably be too starstruck to speak! If any words did come out of my mouth, I’m certain it wouldn’t be anything remotely intelligent! Thanks for the chance to win!!!
I’m sure I would be too star struck to speak! If I were able to speak, I’m sure it would not be anything remotely intelligent! Thanks for the chance to win!!!
At least we’re all the same, Linda. Convinced we’ll all be too overwhelmed to make any sense whatsoever.
Jess
Me too, Jess.
(Cool name, BTW)
Jess
Kathy,
Thank you for having me over today.
😀
Jess
I have a confession … I am a concert junkie! I usually try to squeeze at least one in a month … that is if there is anyone good coming to town. Although that hasn’t stopped me from driving up and down the east coast to see my all time favorite band … Avenged Sevenfold! I have been fortunately enough to be invited to an after party at a strip club down in S.C. and park next to the tour bus for an event in PA … both for Avenged Shows. I even had breakfast one time win the members of Burn Halo which was pretty cool too.
Oh, Zany, you are lucky!
But you gotta know – I’m now dying to find out more info about the after party in the strip club…
Rock Stars do make for great reading.
Agreed, Mary.
And I’m kinda crushing on drummers this month.
🙂
I met the members of Live and couldn’t even breath. Good thing my friend was there and was able to get me autographs. I don’t do well in social situations.
I hope you hug your friend daily, Janice. She did good!
🙂
This looks great and that’s one hot cover!
Ah, Meghan, thank you. I love the cover.
Jess
Such a beautiful beginning to a Rock God story. Thanks for the post.
Thanx, Lisa. (And it’s my pleasure.)
Jess
I think the draw behind rock stars is that at one point in time, they were just regular people. Since they started out as just ordinary people, it makes it more likely and easier to believe they could fall in love with everyday people.
You are so right, Emily.
We tend to forget that behind the fame and the lights there are very real people.
I tried so hard to capture that aspect of my characters’ lives, portraying them as every day people, like you and me, when they are not in their rock star personas.
Jess
I love rockstar’s When I was young I was lucky enough that i got back stage on a couple of concerts.of that was the time of my life.