Here to talk about Music are Chris Almeida and Cecilia Aubrey Authors of the Countermeasure Series.
Music Takes
You Higher
While running through Kally’s Facebook page, we
noticed readers and fans posting music—a song, an album—that reminded them of a
person or an event that took place in her stories. We, too, experience similar
discussions and posts with our readers and seeing that interaction brought to
light an important part of the creative process.
To us, music
is not just entertainment. Music carries a strong influence on our writing. Sometimes,
listening to a song can bring to surface entire sequences of events to mind. For
example, a song flowed out of the speakers one morning while Cecilia was
driving to work and caught her attention. The words, the emotions it evoked
flashed an entire scene into her mind. As soon as she could get to her computer,
she laid down the draft and later that day we discussed it, improved on the
original idea born from that song. That scene became a critical fight scene in
Countermeasure.
We have
playlists for every story as well as each character we create. We use that as a
tool to get us “in the mood” and under the character’s skin. Each type of scene
requires a different mood and corresponding soundtrack. Each playlist has the
exact emotional match for our plot lines so that it emphasizes characteristics
and thoughts of a character or pace of the scene itself. If we are struggling
with getting a scene just right, listening to a song gives us a flash of
inspiration, a direction.
Cecilia and
I are both audiophiles and collect music of all genres. Aside from using music
as productivity tool, we also use the playlists to differentiate the medium in
which we write. Being role players means we switch characters from time to
time. We might be writing storylines for a paranormal character one day and for
our contemporary techno thriller the next. In order not to confuse them, we
have specific playlists for each set of characters which helps us stay in
character and not mix them up.
As you can see,
as with readers, music plays a very important part in our writing, one we have
embraced and made work in our advantage. The result is clearly experienced
through the many scenes inspired by those songs and we hope to continue the
trend on our future releases in 2012 and 2013.
Sláinte!
Chris &
Cecilia
BIO
CHRIS ALMEIDA
and CECILIA AUBREY
Writing had
touched Chris Almeida’s and Cecilia Aubrey’s lives in different ways through
the years but had never taken flight. It was in 2010, when Chris and Cecilia
met and began role-playing online as a hobby, that writing placed itself front
and center in their lives.
Chris and
Cecilia have since chosen to release all their titles independently. They have
several short stories and two novels published under their own label, Éire
Publishing, and are vocal supporters of independent publishing done right. They
are currently working on the third novel in their series. Through all the chaos
and laughter, they still hold true to their roots, bringing their favorite
role-play characters and stories to life.
You can find
out more about them on their author and series websites:
TO RUSSIA WITH LOVE
Blurb:
In the
second novel of the COUNTERMEASURE SERIES, Trevor and Cassandra Bauer are
starting a new life across the pond where they continue their search for
Trevor's parent while he still works as an NSA consultant. When George Miller,
his best friend, comes across what looks to be a new piece of information on
his parents' case, they embark on a new adventure following a digital trail to
Saint Petersburg.
They are
encumbered with the task of infiltrating a Russia Mafia's stronghold and
recovering stolen files in exchange for that new clue. As they dive in the job,
Trevor becomes bound to a Russian mafia crime lord. What started as a simple
data file recovery turns into a dangerous game of cat and mouse deep in a world
of betrayal, hidden identities, and secret agendas.
Cassandra
will do anything to keep Trevor safe. When everything goes FUBAR and she finds
herself on the run, her sole focus is finding Trevor even it if means she has
to depend on those who might not have their best interests at heart.
Stephan
Connelan, Brennan Enterprises' CEO and Trevor's Parents' friend, has fought his
desire for Jessica Forrester since the day they met at Trevor and Cassandra's
wedding. Events in his past stop him from giving in to temptation, a temptation
that would cause them both regret and hurt. But how long can he resist
something so powerful as his attraction for the little vixen who has crowded
his thoughts for months.
Jessica
knows what she wants. Their age difference won't stop her from having the man
of her dreams. She is determined to find a way to reach the heart he has locked
away behind high walls. Little does she know that her greatest obstacle is
Stephan himself.
Chapter 19 -
Excerpt:
As each
camera was set and turned on, their images began displaying on the screen and
the feeds were automatically saved to their external hard drive. They were also
motion activated, transmitting data only when activity was detected. That meant
they could run the surveillance for hours on end without running out of disk
space.
Cassandra
became lost in the flow of activity and jumped slightly when she heard Trevor's
devious chuckle ripple through the connection. "Damn it, Trevor. I know
that laugh. What the hell are you up to?!"
"What?!
Can't a guy have a little bit of fun on the job?" His voice held a rasp of
excitement.
"Why is
it that when you say 'fun' I hear 'trouble'?"
His voice
held a hurtful tone. "No faith, whatsoever, in my skills."
She
guffawed. "Yeah, yeah."
"Okay.
About to set last camera."
Trevor
checked to be sure that the coast was clear before he left the cover of the
trees and sprinted for the sidewalk across from the park. He hugged the wall as
he pulled the last camera from his pack. Staying out of view of the security
camera he'd spied earlier atop the gate's side pillar, he used the intricate
design of the wrought iron gate as a ladder to reach the camera. Its location
was ideal to record the faces and license plates of cars arriving at the gates,
and its angle prevented any peripheral activity from being recorded. Eejits
made it too easy.
At the top,
he swung a leg over the rounded edge of the gate, balancing himself to keep from
falling on his face as he reached from behind for the encased camera with both
hands. He carefully attached their micro-camera and battery pack to the top
front edge of the casing.
His voice
was hushed and cartoonish: "Oh, grandmother, what big eyes you have! The
better to see you with...."
Cassandra's
snort of laughter traveled over the audio link.
"Oh,
you liked that, didn't you?"
"Just
because I laugh at your jokes, doesn't mean they're good, you know." Her
voice oozed disdain and he could picture her rolling her eyes.
He kept tabs
on the surrounding area as he adjusted the position of the micro-camera. He
switched it on and gave Cassandra the last signal.
"Let me know if this
one has a good angle."
After a few
moments, her voice exploded over the link.
"What the hell?! That is from
pretty high up. Really good view, but really high up! How the hell did you
accomplish that one, Trevor? Hold on a second. Where are you right now?!"
"Setting
the cameras?" He feigned innocence.
"Get
your ass out of there on the double!" Anxiety bled through her words.
Her fear
beat at him. He sobered immediately.
"I'm on my way down; I'll be out of
here in no time, Cassie."
Trevor swung
his leg back over the gate. Suddenly a deep growl blasted his ears and a heavy
weight slammed against the fence, knocking him from his perch.
"Umpf!" he exclaimed as he hit the sidewalk. Pain seared through his
entire body. His vision dimmed and ears grew muffled as he exhaled in shallow
breaths to ease the radiating agony. The low menacing growls and barks from at
least two dogs penetrated his haze. Move
your arse, man! he grimaced to himself, rolling instinctively up against
the wall into the cover of shadows. Sucking in a deep shaky breath, he held his
position and tried to regroup.
"Trevor!
Report!" Cassie's frantic voice demanded in his ear.
Winded, he
couldn't squeeze out the words to comfort her. A commotion inside the gate
forced him to press tighter against the wall, hoping his dark clothing would
help as additional camouflage.
"Trevor!
Report. Now!"
"Here!"
he gasped out with a groan.
A voice
behind the wall yelled. Trevor smirked. The guard blamed the dogs' barking on a
stray cat.
Someone else
cursed at the dogs to shut up.
"I
would like that, too, thank you very much!" Trevor mumbled to himself as
he completed an internal assessment. The pain was fading and, although nothing
seemed to be broken, he had landed on his back and on the small toolkit box in
his backpack. That's going to smart in
the morning. Confident he hadn't blown his cover since he wasn't kissing
shoes or facing gun muzzles, he finally responded to Cassie's frantic requests.
"I'm
okay. Just sore. All cameras placed. I'm heading back."
"If you
think you can just scare the crap out of me and walk home like nothing happened
you are very wrong, mister." Cassie's voice, although steady, was now
seething with anger. "What the hell happened out there, Trevor!?"
Trevor
checked his surroundings, crawled closer to the gate, and popped his head
around the corner of the wall to check the house. Again, loud growls echoed in
his ears and the gate shook under the weight of a body butting up against it.
The dogs were right in his face, doing what they were trained to do—guard the
property.
"Dogs,
Cassie...big dogs happened."He pushed to his feet and leaned back against
the wall. Concern worried at his heart and, to avoid leading a possible tail
directly to Cassandra, he decided to take the longest route back.
He headed in
the opposite direction from which he had arrived. "ETA, seventeen minutes."
Cassandra
immediately picked up on the change of plans. "Why seventeen? Why not the
twelve it took on the original route?"
She was like
one of the freaking dogs behind the gate chasing him for answers. He sighed.
"It's all okay, Cassie. Just taking a different route back. I will explain
when I get there."
Cassandra
continued to badger him.
"Oh, damn straight you will! What the hell were
you thinking, climbing the fence to plant the camera up there?" She
interjected, "Mind you, it was truly brilliant, but that's not the point!
You can't let yourself get carried away and lose perspective of the goal here,
Trevor!" Her implication left an ache in his chest.
"It was
just the perfect location to get the shots we need of both the people and
license plates of cars arriving at the mansion," he commented quietly as
he briskly walked around the block and to the street that would lead him to the
bridge and back to Cassandra. The risk had been great, but Trevor didn't regret
a minute of it. It was a necessary one to get what they needed. Still smarting
from the fall, he limped, listening to the concern and anxiety coloring
Cassandra's voice as she ranted about how reckless he had been and how she was
going to kick his ass when he got there.
The
connection had gone quiet as he approached the building and he wondered what it
would take to get back on her good side and out of the doghouse. Entering the
code, he limped up the stairs and entered the apartment. Cassandra stood right
at the door, her flushed cheeks a clear sign of her anger toward him at the
moment.
"What
the fuck, Trevor?"
As those
words hung in the air, his thoughts narrowed to her, her flushed face, the
anxiety in her tone, and the pulse beating out of control at the base of her
throat. Without a word, he kicked the door shut, dropped the pack to the floor,
and roughly hauled her into his arms, seizing her mouth in a hot, searing kiss.
Cassandra's
stomach churned. Her throat was so tight she could barely breathe, let alone
speak. Her anger was directed both at Trevor for taking risks and at herself
for knowing the risks—handling the risks—and still dying inside each time he
did. How had she ever let him have so much control over her heart? It was as if
he'd chipped away the ice and nursed the flames that now engulfed it.
A part of
her wanted to grab him and hold on tight, happy he was back in one piece. But
the part of her ruled by anger twisted in his arms, trying to push him away,
unwilling to set aside the emotions that ate at her. Her efforts were thwarted
by his tight hold, the press of his body against hers, and his relentless kiss
determined to conquer her anger.
Under his
assault, her struggles subsided and she sagged with a sigh of relief at having
him back safe in her arms. Soon, it was washed away in a flood of desperation
fed by the last couple of hours filled with pent-up worry and an overwhelming
need to feel every inch of Trevor's body against hers.
Cassandra
returned his demanding kiss with one of her own, pulling at his jacket and
searching for the zipper until her groping fingers landed on metal. She quickly
unzipped it and pushed it open, desperate to touch him.
She groaned at the feel
of his heat beneath her hands before sliding them up and pushing the jacket off
his shoulders. Trevor held the kiss, sucking at her lips and tongue while
shrugging the jacket off.
Their
tongues continued to dance as her hands pulled the turtleneck from Trevor's
waistband and slid underneath it, brushing up along his chest, loving the feel
of his skin hard and quivering under her touch.
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