Wednesday 8 May 2013

Drummer Girl Blog Tour


Welcome to the Drummer Girl Blog Tour. I'm so glad to be one of the hosts.
On here I will be telling you about the book, have a short interview with the author, and will have a giveaway!! =D

Let's talk about the book shall we?

Five London schoolgirls form a band, Crush, and win the UK final of Project Next – so far, so fabulous! And for Harper, Toni, Iza, Lucy and Robyn, winning a summer in LA and a spot in the
Vegas grand final is the stuff of dreams. Whisked off from London, the girls land in LA and are soon enjoying a whirlwind of recording, practising and personal stylist sessions, not to mention the sunshine, the parties and the boys. But things soon start to turn sour and the music business reveals a gritty underbelly that threatens to unravel Crush’s rock ’n’ roll dreams. Does winning the grand final come at a price that is not worth paying?
Bridget Tyler’s rollercoaster novel opens with lead singer Harper found dead in the swimming pool at the girls’ luxury pad. How did it come to this? And who killed Harper McKenzie? Rewind eight months and find out in Drummer Girl, published by Templar.
Drummer Girl is currently in development for TV with producer Tom Jacobson. 

Purchase Drummer Girl now from Amazon & Waterstones







About the author

Bridget Tyler studied Creative Writing at NYU, including a formative stint at
the London campus. After graduation, Bridget traded New York for Hollywood
and worked her way up from CAA assistant to feature film executive.
But writing and storytelling has always been her passion, and she wrote
Drummer Girl based on her observations of both Hollywood and England.
Bridget lives in Los Angeles where she is a television writer on USA Networks’
hit show, Burn Notice. She is also currently co-producing a pilot she wrote
for USA – Horizon – with Gale Anne Hurd, producer of The Walking Dead.


Interview


1: What age did you decide you wanted to be a writer? 

Well, if you ask my mother, it was clear I was going to be a writer when I grew up by the time I was 4. It took me a while to settle into the idea – I started seriously pursuing writing as a career at about 26. I originally came to LA to be an executive in the film industry. 

2: What/who inspired you to become an author? 

My parents surrounded me with stories from pretty much the moment I was born. They read books and plays and poetry to me and took me to the movies - I saw The Return of the Jedi in the theatre when I was just over a year old, I don’t remember it but it must have sunk in since I’m wearing a Star Wars t-shirt as I type this. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love stories and story telling. 

3: Are you very organised when it comes to planning out a story? 

I’m all about outlining and organizing the structure of a story before I get started writing. I like to lay the whole thing out and see where it’s going before I start. Of course, it often changes course dramatically once I actually start writing but having a sense of the bones of a story from the very beginning keeps me from getting lost in the weeds in the middle. 

4: What's a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal? 

A typical day varies depending on whether I’m working on a television show or not. Every writer has a time they work best, for me that’s early-o’clock, unfortunately. That means, if I’m on a show, I get up early, go to the gym then get an hour or so’s work done on my personal projects before getting into the writer’s room. If I’m on hiatus, then I generally get up early and write for at least four hours. Sometimes I’ll go all day, if I’m in the final stages of something. If I’m just starting something new, sometimes I’ll end up spending the day cleaning the house or walking around my neighbourhood, trying to crack whatever piece of the story is being stubborn at the moment. I used to have to write in coffee shops or libraries to stay focused, but after a year or two of writing full time I find I can write almost anywhere. I usually write at home or in my office if I’m on a show. 

5: What was the hardest part to write in the book? 

Proof reading! I’m a sucker for language, so I like to make sure every word and every sentence is in its place. That’s a lot easier to do with a 52 page teleplay! But I loved writing
Drummer Girl so much that even going through it with a fine tooth comb and making sure everything was just so was a joy.
 
6: Which character did you love developing the most? 

Well Lucy, obviously, is my great love in this book. It’s her story and her world, so getting to know and love her was the first item of business when I started on the book. I’ll confess though, she didn’t turn out to be the most fun to develop and write. That honor has to be awarded in a tie between Harper and Skye. Figuring out how to fall in love with Harper was tough – she’s such a brat a lot of the time, particularly in the early chapters of a book. But once I dug in and found how vulnerable she really is, I found that I could really understand why Lucy had become such great friends with her. That was a very important part of making these girls feel realistic. Skye was a total surprise to me. She was a minor character when I first conceived her but as I wrote her she became something that was so much greater. As I realized how layered her personality was, and how deeply she loved the people she loved, I really fell for her. 

7: How did you come up with the story 'Drummer Girl'? 

Usually, I tend towards fantasy and science fiction stories, but with Drummer Girl I challenged myself to write the same sort of coming of age story about a young woman coming into her own that I love to write, but in a real world setting. In a lot of ways, Lucy learning that she has what it takes to be a rock star isn’t so different than a teenage girl discovering that she’s a fairy or a troll or an alien with super powers, you know? Real life talents, like being an amazing drummer and a great leader, are just as hard to accept and understand as magical ones. I really enjoyed exploring Lucy and her world, and seeing her come alive as she discovered her gifts and discovered that she’s strong enough to use them to help her friends… and of course, be a rock star! 

8: What's your favourite flavour crisps? 

Sour cream and onion! 

9: If you could have dinner with one person dead or alive, who would that be and why? 

Paul McCartney! The Beatles were my first favourite rock band and McCartney was my very first celebrity crush at age six. Of course, at the time I hadn’t really processed the fact that he wasn’t still 22 in 1987 so seeing him on live on TV for the first time was a real shock! As an adult, however, I know what an amazing life he’s led and I really respect the things he’s
stood up for and used his fame to support. I’d love the chance to talk to him about all the amazing things he’s done and seen! 
 
10: If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be? 

Hmmm… this is a tough one. How about: Types for a Living: An Experiment 

11: What do you like to do when you're not writing? 

I’m lucky enough to call my favourite hobby (writing) my work, so I do that a lot! I also love to read and watch TV, that’s my go to for relaxing and recharging. I’m getting into cooking now, which is really fun. I just made a big batch of Spaghetti Squash for lunch tomorrow and it’s so tasty! On the weekends I tend to find active things to do – hiking, golf (I know, I know, but it’s fun, I swear!), skiing, going to festivals. I’m always up for a new adventure! 

12: Finally, do you play any instruments? 

My mother is a piano teacher, so I play the piano as well as the flute (though I haven’t played one since high school) and a little guitar. Learning how to play the guitar is next on my to do list, actually! 

Thank you so much, Bridget for agreeing to do that inteview.

 And now the most exciting part: a giveaway of goodies!!

Prizes include: a finished copy of Drummer Girl & some make-up from this awesome picture!!

UK ONLY!!


 A big thank you to Templar publishing for letting me do this & to you guys for taking a gander.

I love you all =)

~Katie~  

1 comment:

  1. That sounds like my type of book, im into the music industry myself so i think i would enjoy this book!

    ReplyDelete