A Photo Shoot for my next Novel

 

 

Song:  Willow's Song

Artist:  Aythis (Carline Van Roos)

Yesterday evening...

my elder sister agreed to be my model for the cover of my next book...

The Lady of Fallen Leaf Lake.

I wanted a gothic ethereal look to it...

as the Lady arises from the depths of the lake to woo a man into the depths 

almost every evening near sunset with her song of the lake on her bass flute

(I will be composing and performing songs for this book...

just as I do for all of my novels).

And...

the photo shoot took place at the actual location I am writing about...

Fallen Leaf Lake

(It lies about 1.5 hours from home...just a little ways from South Lake Tahoe).

And the lady in the above music video had actually given me the idea for this book

as I watched this and another music video (Falling) on YouTube

(I love her music).

The public marina actually closes at 7 PM...

but luckily...

the security didn't kick us out...

although they were standing by from a respectable distance until we left.

My elder sister's husband was also taking photos from his camera on a tripod

from various angles (although all of these photos are mine)...

and his set up made us seem to be professionals...

and so...

the security tacitly allowed us to keep taking pictures until the sun set ended

(Thanks guys...).

I just had to get some sunset photos...

as the clouds overhead told me it would be a nice one.

I had taken over 300 photos as I experimented with angles and lighting...

until I got some which would be perfect for the book cover.

I had originally visited Fallen Leaf Lake with my son...Alex...

some years ago.

It has a special feel to it...

a beauty that is unique to it.

As I wrote the beginning of the story...

I relied upon my memory of our first visit there.

Although I am now in music mode...

I hope to finish the book before summer's end.

As I am retired...

I engage in my passions in life as the mood strikes me...

as I alternate between my passions of writing and music.

If I don't feel inspired...

I don't write...

and so...

I don't put deadlines before me.

However...

music and locations almost always inspire me to write.

I will be using a photo from this photo shoot for my cover.

For the day lit photos...

I was thinking of adding in mist...

and then...

the magic of the sunset changed my mind...

as you will see.

My elder sister had actually held my bass flute for long periods

of time as I changed angles over and over.

I purposely wanted to give the photos a darkened look...

as the Lady is an apparition who lives in the depths of the lake

(It really is hundreds of feet deep).

To give the photos some realism...

I first showed my elder sister how to hold the flute...

and then she would blow into it as I took the photos...

and she had actually started to get some muted notes from it

before the photo shoot ended.

My elder sister wore the robe that she had made for my mother

for this photo shoot.

Fallen Leaf Lake has many private homes surrounding it.

It has a campground near the other side of the lake.

It also has a trail which goes around it...

but the marina has the best vantage point for any sunset shots.

As the sun began to set...

the colors started to come out.

Although the dock plays a part in the story...

I was thinking of misting the photo so the docks were hidden in mist...

but, again, decided against any alterations.

Then I started angling the shots so I wouldn't have to make

any alterations to the photos.

I laid on my back for some of the shots.

I experimented with some flash shots...

but quickly realized they didn't fit the feel I wanted to express.

And so...

I will decide on a photo at a later time

for use as my next book cover.

We had a great time there...

minus our battle with the mosquitoes.

Flight Of The Arn

 

 

Song:  Flight Of The Arn

Composed / Performed:  James Toller

This is the last song for The Halo Trilogy...

from book three...Halo: The Return.

The Tiger's Den - My Writing And Music Studio

 

I had just finished hanging up my guitars in this photo

(I installed the hangers directly into the wooden studs).

The electric Bass Guitar is on the left...

the Classical Guitar my son had bought me is in the center...

and the standard Electric Guitar is on the right.

And of course...

my Bass Flute is in front of the computer.

I kneeled on my bed to take this photo.  

Hopefully soon...

I will have my Medeli AKX -10 keyboard music arranger

 just to the right of where my chair is.

And even though I am still a beginner in music...

I hope to soon be able to play covers of some of my favorite songs

with these instruments.

I use the condenser microphone only to record the bass flute.

When I play the guitars...

I plug them directly into the computer interface...

even the classical guitar my son had bought me.

I had placed a contact transducer microphone in the middle of...

and just behind, the bridge of the guitar.

The sound is superior with this type of microphone for classical guitar.

(Addendum:  Actually, I had originally thought this because of the lack of a quality

universal condenser mike to record all the music.

I upgraded my mike and I now record everything with it).

For those wondering how to layer music...

I merely use the software included with the Mac...

GarageBand.

It allows you to listen to the previously laid track/s on headphones

as you record the next track.

This is how one may keep time with the other instruments already recorded...

while recording multiple layers of a song.

I then use the software included on the Mac...iMovie...

to make the music videos for YouTube.

I also use Pages...

the included software on Mac...

to write and publish from.

It is all so interesting and so much fun.

I just love my Mac computer.

Anyway, this is where I do all of my writing and music.

I have two basic modes of operation...

writing...

and music.

When I write...

I listen to beautiful music.

I spend most of everyday here.  

I have a comfortable captain's chair which is generously padded.

When I get deep into my writing...

I will sometimes sit in the chair in front of the computer

 for more than 20 hours at a time.

When I am really absorbed in writing a story...

I will often fast for a few days...

as I don't wish to interrupt my thought process by having to cook or eat...

and I will write until I get sleepy...

wake up...

and start writing until I again get sleepy...

and so on...

sometimes for days on end

(I usually do this when my younger sister has my mother for those days).

I had blacked out the window...

and insulated it from light or noise.

I am nocturnal.

I am most creative after the sun sets...

until the sun rises.

I generally write and play music by the light of the computer only...

as it aids in feeling isolated from the rest of the world...

so I may indulge myself in my world.

This is the Tiger's Den.

For me...

there is almost nowhere else I would rather be.

Until We Meet Again - Children's Chorus Version

 

This is the children's chorus version.

I haven't recorded it yet...

I may never.  I like the improvised flute and guitar version much more.

Song Of The Golden Doors

 

Song:  Song of the Golden Doors

Composed / Performed By:  James Toller

This song was played by Alex, a main character in the Halo Trilogy...

in book two:  Halo:  Dei Terra.

The song was composed by someone from the distant past.

Morning Song

Song:  Morning Song

Composed / Performed By:  James Toller

This song was composed and played by a main character

in the first book of the Kuma Trilogy.

Alex had recorded this to play on Halo as Mom and Dad awakened.

 

Earth Song

 

Song:  Earth Song

Composed / Performed By:  James Toller

This song was composed and played by Noah...

a main character in book one of the Halo Trilogy.

He had played it to remember his former wife, Natalie, and the daughter 

he had only seen in the videos Natalie had sent, and of whom he knew 

he could never see again.