The Business of Writing: Quoting Song Lyrics in Your Book #amwriting #ASMSG #RLFblog

Music is—quite literally—in my blood. My great-great-grand uncle was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Russian composer of what is arguably the most famous 90 seconds in all of music history: "The Flight of the Bumblebee."

Much as Nikolai as a 4-year-old was already becoming accomplished at playing the drums, I began singing in choirs at a very young age. Later in life I would gravitate toward groups that performed classical oratorios and even helped to found an oratorio society in North Carolina in the early 1990s.

Thus it was only natural that I also developed a talent for composing original lyrics to popular tunes. Some are reverential, some humorous, and some are designed to drive telemarketers crazy. :D

Since I write mainly historical fiction, the only lyrics I ever feel compelled to include in my books are those I write myself, such as "The Caledonian Warrior's Lament" referenced in Morning's Journey and intended to be sung to the Scottish folk tune "Gloomy Winter."

I have included a copyright notice in the frontmatter of Morning's Journey to avoid any confusion.

But what about quoting someone else's lyrics in your book?

Kathryn Goldman of The Better Novel Project blog covers this scenario in quite some depth and breadth of legalese here:  http://www.betternovelproject.com/blog/song-lyrics/

The takeaway I get from Ms. Goldman's article is that unless the song is of critical importance to your story or its characters, it's best to err on the side of caution and refrain from including its lyrics in your book. Quoting lyrics—or any other type of poetry or prose, for that matter—without the express written permission of the copyright holder exposes you and your work to legal action under current copyright laws, unless the quoted work can be proven to exist in the public domain at the time of your book's publication.

And, yes, that awful pun in the preceding paragraph was indeed intended.

Now I'm off to compose the lyrics to a tavern song I reference only by title in Dawnflight, "The Seven Saxon Sisters." :D

May all your musical interludes be inspiring ones!

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The Kind of September from the Dawnflier (Sept. 2015) #IAN1 #ASMSG #MFRWOrg

Try to remember the kind of September

When life was slow and oh, so mellow...

Thus begins the lyrics of Try to Remember, which first appeared in the musical comedy The Fantastiks. It's a song that I have always loved but couldn't bear to listen to for the past fourteen years.


Here is one of my favorite recordings,
sung live by Andy Williams in 1965.


Why am I waxing so sentimental this month? Fourteen years ago, while the nation was reeling from the terrorist attacks, my mother—a Brooklyn native who was residing in Seattle at the time—died that same day. According to my dad, she never realized what was happening to her beloved city; she thought she was watching a disaster movie.

Although that was a stark testament to her failing mental capacities, I am thankful she was spared suffering the emotional anguish on her last day on earth.

For me, stuck in Washington, DC with no way to be with my dad because the national airspace had shut down, it was sheer torture—all the more so because I couldn't get this song out of my head.

Today, Try to Remember and the memories it evokes makes me tear up a bit, but at last I can enjoy it once again. I am thankful for that too.

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This wouldn't be an issue of The Dawnflier without updates about my books:

• Snow in July hit #1 in the Amazon category of Kindle Teen Historical Romance twice in August (the 10th and 30th); thank you, everyone who bought a copy to make this amazing feat possible!
• The Challenge is being produced as a graphic novel; stay tuned for Episode 1 to be released on Kindle soon. :)
• There are still spots available for The Challenge 3-day blast tour, September 16-18. The novella will be offered FREE on Kindle for your blog's visitors to download during this time, regardless of whether they are subscribed to Kindle Unlimited. Please visit the signup sheet for more information, and it's only a 6K-word read if you're thinking about writing a review.
• The Dawnflight review tour is now full and set for Mondays this month beginning September 7th. Keep watching the Dawnflight page for all the latest reviews and other news. If you are one of the reviewers who has signed up, thank you very much!
• Other tours with an opening or two include Morning's Journey (Mondays in October) and King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court (Mondays in November).
• Hot off the press: December 1–7 will be a review tour of three unrelated novels: King Arthur's Sister in Washington's Court, Liberty, and Snow in July. Bloggers who sign up here will have their choice of reviewing one, two, or all three books!

I don't have any appearances scheduled this month other than making a semiannual trek to Myrtle Beach for another "mom's vacation" to write and relax. My next appearance will be at Rising Star 24 comic-con (Bluefield, WV) October 23-24, where I will be unveiling my workshop, The Business of Writing, based on my weekly blog posts.

As always, thank you so much for your interest in and support of my work!

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All this month, you are invited to...
— Follow Kim on Twitter
— Follow Kim on Pinterest
— Subscribe to Kim's YouTube channel
— Leave a comment on any page of The Maze, especially if you have done the Twitter, Pinterest, and/or YouTube follow
...and each action this month is good for one chance to win an e-book copy of Dawnflight. Please enter often, and good luck!