About four years ago, I began freelance writing for Unrated Magazine and it was while writing for them I decided to start this very blog you are reading now - The Music Hot Spot. If you're reading this and know me personally, you know that I love music and am drawn to music on many levels. You would also know that my creativity usually comes out in writing or through music. As a small child, I was classically trained in Suzuki (classical piano instruction). In grammar school, I wrote my first two books, The Two-Inch Boy and The Idea (lol). As a teenager I started writing rap and r&b songs. As an adult, I penned my first song for an artist.
My life transitioned. But one thing remained constant.
I was a writer.
I wanted to marry both my loves. Writing and music. And freelance writing allowed me to do that.
Soon after completing my first writing assignment for the magazine, I was going to listening parties, interviewing celebrities, attending exclusive events and awards show. And at every turn I learned something new and interesting about the world of celebrity. I learned that celebrities are people just like you and I. That some can have inflated egos, while others are so down to earth you wonder if they really know how popular and adored they are? I learned that artists are extremely passionate about their craft and would probably do it for free, even if the celebrity weren't attached to it. I learned that there is an immense amount of scrutiny that goes with fame and its something you must accept if being a star is what you seek. But most importantly I learned that at the end of the day every artist is searching for the same thing - buzz!
Clearly, this celebrity life was a novel waiting to happen! But how could I tell the story in a unique way that had never been told before?
Unbeknownst to me, the answer would soon come.
While the magazine was a great outlet for me, I was looking for additional ways to share my writing. I frequented a few websites and blogs and loved their content but I wanted to occupy my own corner of the Internet, to talk about and showcase the artists I loved. Afterall music was and is a central part of my life, it only made sense.
I would visit one messageboard in particular, Blackvoices.com to gather content for my blog. If you're a fan of entertainment, Blackvoices.com has one of the most visited and commented on entertainment messageboards I've encountered on the Internet.
It's a hub for all things gossip.
And since its inception, I've been a frequent visitor to the site.
As far as messageboards are concerned, I'm what you'd call a lurker. I read but don't comment. As writers we are usually observers, so there I was reading threads on Beyonce, Karrine Steffans, Ashanti and any other celebrity that was creating a buzz at that moment. I would read the exchanges of the fans and "stans" and was intrigued by how intense the debates conversations would get. It was upon frequenting Black Voices that I realized how much interest there is in celebrity gossip and that because of the Internet, the music industry was going through a seismic shift. The popularity of an artist could literally change overnight - based on one Internet rumor, one blog posting, one Youtube video.
Gossip blogs were becoming the norm and regular people were posting and sharing celebrity gossip at ever turn. Being the person I am...I wondered, how do we know these rumors are true? Where's the proof?
Besides...unsubstantiated rumors were being reported by reputable news sources.
Then I began to wonder, who starts celebrity gossip? What about a person's character would make them create a rumor about someone, even if that someone were a celebrity? And really, how harmful is celebrity gossip? Afterall...it does create a buzz!
And there came the idea for my debut novel!
The Buzz is told from the perspective of a person who would start celebrity gossip. But also from the perspective of a person trying to break into the music industry and a person who's recently acquired fame and fortune. What would their lives be like? What would their struggles be? And what would happen if all of their lives collided?
Well that's exactly what happens within the pages of The Buzz. Celebrity gossip. Scandal. Internet addiction. Revenge. But most of all - Buzz!
To purchase a copy of The Buzz: When celebrity gossip goes wrong...please visit writeonepublications.com or Amazon.com!
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