 |
| Click image to enlarge. |
-- Denise Elam Dauw's historical novel explores music, love & lucidity
--The Writers' Lens: SLWG Author Series: New Book Spotlight
Showing posts with label Denise Elam Dauw. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Denise Elam Dauw. Show all posts
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Denise Elam Dauw at 6 North on 3/29
-- Denise Elam Dauw's historical novel explores music, love & lucidity
--The Writers' Lens: SLWG Author Series: New Book Spotlight
Monday, February 17, 2014
Denise Elam Dauw's historical novel explores music, love & lucidity
What brings your writing into focus? The characters. I've always felt perceptively attuned to other's thoughts, feelings, and emotions my whole life. Likely because I grew up being very shy and quiet, so observation of character and the empathy associated with emotions comes easily. I also would not have written this book had it not been for my grandmother, who was a primary inspiration in my life and for a large portion of this novel.
How do you find time to write and do a demanding job? My simple answer? ... With a full-time teaching job as a band director and two kids at home, the answer is coffee! That, and I absolutely love my work teaching music; it is my raison d'être (my reason for being).
What inspired your latest book? "If Music Be the Food of Love" is a historical fiction novel about how music has the power to bring about true love and bring people back to lucidity - if only for a few moments... this story is about the fight to save the one you love through the music. Initially, I was inspired by a visit to see my grandmother in the hospital, who was suffering from an infected bed sore and pneumonia at the time. She was also diagnosed with Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease nine years prior and was completely unresponsive to touch or speaking. After several moments, I started singing a favorite song of ours: Judy Garland's "Dreamland." Within just the first verse she started to turn her head slowly toward the sound of my voice, gradually open her eyes, and then remarkably tried to mumble the words. I'll never forget that moment as it validated all I strive to do with my students on a daily basis - create meaningful connections through music. I would say Part 1 of the novel is slightly more fact than fiction as I outline my grandparent's beautiful love story.
What inspired your latest book? "If Music Be the Food of Love" is a historical fiction novel about how music has the power to bring about true love and bring people back to lucidity - if only for a few moments... this story is about the fight to save the one you love through the music. Initially, I was inspired by a visit to see my grandmother in the hospital, who was suffering from an infected bed sore and pneumonia at the time. She was also diagnosed with Late-Onset Alzheimer's Disease nine years prior and was completely unresponsive to touch or speaking. After several moments, I started singing a favorite song of ours: Judy Garland's "Dreamland." Within just the first verse she started to turn her head slowly toward the sound of my voice, gradually open her eyes, and then remarkably tried to mumble the words. I'll never forget that moment as it validated all I strive to do with my students on a daily basis - create meaningful connections through music. I would say Part 1 of the novel is slightly more fact than fiction as I outline my grandparent's beautiful love story.
What do you think readers will like about your book? It moves quickly, travels through multiple historical periods, and musically has something to offer everyone. From the '40s with Frank Sinatra to the '60s with the Beatles, to classical piano repertoire that shapes so vividly in your mind that you swear you could play it yourself!
What movie star would be perfect for (your main character) and why? I am currently working on a screenplay and know who I'd like for each of my female characters, but I have to be very particular about the male lead. Without giving away the plot, the male protagonist has to be able to sing, play guitar and play classical piano, which is a huge undertaking. When creating and visualizing the main character, Robert Pattinson was actually my muse - I know he could handle the role!
What's the highest compliment someone could make about your writing? That reading my book touched their heart in some way, helped them deal with the emotions of losing a loved one to Alzheimer's, or most importantly, inspired discussions on the topic in their home or involvement in Alzheimer's research. This is a love story more than anything, but my mission is to raise funds and awareness, and create opportunities to learn more about the disease.
IF MUSIC BE THE FOOD OF LOVE: Relive the passion and romance of Mae, Jean, and Ellie - three ailing women whose lives were forever altered through the powerful presence of music, opening gateways to true love. Amidst their current illness, the women are separately visited by a man of alleged paramount significance. Who is this man? Is he the key to helping these women or can music unlock the answers in time to save them all?
Website: www.denise-elam-dauw.com
Purchasing links (also on website):
Tate | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
SLWG Author Series: New Book Spotlight
SLWG
Author Series: New Book Spotlight
In
October, the SLWG Author Series event featured the New Book Spotlight. A couple
of times a year St. Louis Writers Guild showcase some member’s new books. This
time, we featured two area authors Fedora Amis and Denise Elam Dauw.
The SLWG
Author Series is held on the third Thursday of the month at All on the Same
Page Bookstore, 11052 Olive Blvd. The interviews are streamed live online and
recorded to be posted on www.stlwritersguild.net.
St. Louis Writers Guild members are sent a link and can watch and interact with
the event live online.
The
SLWG Author Series: New Book Spotlight showcased:
Jack the Ripper in St. Louis by
Fedora Amis
And
If Music be the Food of Love by
Denise Elam Dauw
Fedora Amis
Fedora Amis won the Mayhaven Fiction
Prize for her Victorian whodunit, Jack the Ripper in St. Louis. She dons
corset and hoop skirts to perform as real historical people and imagined characters
from the 1800s. Fedora loves live theater, travel, plants and cooking. She
has one son, Skimmer, who partners Fedora in writing science fiction and
fantasy. “Why do I write? I love words—always have--reading them, writing them.
I even like looking them up in the dictionary. So call me eccentric. Call me crazy—but
call me a writer.”
Denise Elam Dauw
Denise Elam Dauw is a music educator in
west St. Louis, Missouri. She holds a M.M. in Music Education from the
University of Missouri – St. Louis and a B.M. in Music Education from Millikin
University in Decatur, Illinois. Specializing in instrumental music as a band
director, Ms. Elam Dauw also has experience teaching choir, orchestra, piano,
music history and appreciation, guitar, jazz band, marching band, and color
guard. She is currently a member of the St. Louis Writer’s Guild, the National
Association for Music Education (NAfME) and volunteers for the St. Louis
Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association.
I’ve
posted the interview on The Writers’ Lens Tumblr page – http://writerslens.tumblr.com/
The
video can be viewed on www.stlwritersguild.net
or on Youtube by searching for the SLWG Author Series!
You can
find all the SLWG Author Series interviews at www.stlwritersguild.net/members.html
or on Youtube.com
SLWG Author Series
The
third Thursday of the Month
All on
the Same Page Bookstore
11052
Olive Blvd. 63141
7-8pm
Next
Event: November 21, 2013
Brad R. Cook is a historical fantasy
author and President of St. Louis Writers Guild. Please visit www.bradrcook.com , follow me on Twitter @bradrcook https://twitter.com/bradrcook
,
or my tumblr page Thoughts from Midnight http://bradrcook.tumblr.com/
Friday, June 28, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)