Hey y'all! I have a guest post from Brynn Chapman, author of the
awesome historical fantasy book THE REQUIEM RED! I am freaking in love with
this book!!! Oh and stick around for the giveaway!
Haven't heard of THE REQUIEM RED? Check it out!
Title: THE REQUIEM RED
Author: Brynn Chapman
Pub. Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Month9Books
Pages: 300
Formats: Paperback, eBook
Patient Twenty-nine.A monster roams the halls of Soothing Hills Asylum. Three girls dead. 29 is endowed with the curse…or gift of perception. She hears messages in music, sees lyrics in paintings. And the corn. A lifetime asylum resident, the orchestral corn music is the only constant in her life.Mason, a new, kind orderly, sees 29 as a woman, not a lunatic. And as his belief in her grows, so does her self- confidence. That perhaps she might escape, might see the outside world.But the monster has other plans. The missing girls share one common thread...each was twenty-nine's cell mate.
Will she be next?
Now on to the post!
Music and Synesthesia
Synesthesia is a neurological anomaly—where senses
combine. People with synesthesia may ‘taste shapes’ or a common variation is to have mental images of letters paired with
colors—leading to early
readers. There is a myriad of sense combinations.
For REQUIEM RED- I expounded on this concept…and paired music—the notes
specifically, with colors.
Jane, our main character—is not only a
musical prodigy—she has been playing since the age of
three—violin and cello—but she sees notes
in color. Resulting in a cognitive rainbow of music and lights and colors as
she plays and composes music.
This power has been her savior and her persecutor, simultaneously.
Because Jane…hears voices in the
music. Not all music, not all the time—but in a specific
type of music
That music is different because…all of the notes
are in RED. Which for her…is frightening, and highly unusual. Music
is her comfort…but not when she hears THE REQUIEM RED.
The voices are why she has been incarcerated in
Soothing Hills Asylum since the tender age of three. The voices are the reason
she ends up in solitary confinement. The voices keep her from being
who she really is…
If you want to imagine what it is like to live in Jane’s brain,
Here is a wonderful illustration of synesthesia—from a
neuroscientist gifted with the ability.
Also of note, if you are a visual reader, is my pintrest board for
REQUIEM RED—filled with cold, beauty, music and heartache.
So if you’re intrigued…come visit Jane and Mason. Watch as they
fight to unravel the mystery of the musical language—and follow it to
its origin.
Will the revelations help Jane escape—or drive her
further into insanity?
Pic of the Asylum in Jane’s time.
About Brynn:
Born and raised in western Pennsylvania, Brynn Chapman is the daughter
of two teachers. Her writing reflects her passions: science, history and love—not necessarily in
that order. In real life, the geek gene runs strong in her family, as does the
Asperger’s syndrome. Her writing reflects her experience as a
pediatric therapist and her interactions with society’s downtrodden. In
fiction, she’s a strong believer in underdogs and happily-ever-afters. She also
writes non-fiction and lectures on the subjects of autism and sensory
integration and is a medical contributor to online journal The Age of Autism.
She also writes under the pseudonym R.R. Smythe.
Giveaway Details:
· Five (5) winners will
receive a digital copy of The Requiem Red by Brynn Chapman (INT)
