Digital Reads Reviews

I have been working with Steve for quite some time now. And he is honestly the most genuine author I have come across. He is quiet, sweet, very caring, and absolutely understanding. From his demeanor, it is obvious that he has seen the world and understood it. I must say, he is quite a gentleman!!

I take great pleasure today to show you a facet of this man, who is a great author too

I seem to take great pleasure in grilling my authors. I asked so many questions to Steve, and yes, he answered them all.

Digital Reads Blog Tours presents Author Steve Moretti

1. Hey Steve, welcome to my blog. It is so wonderful to have you here. You have been one of the most gentle and straightforward authors that I have ever met. So tell me something about yourself. What makes Steve Moretti tick?

Thanks for your invite and your kind words, very much appreciated!

I am drawn to stories from history that involve people breaking boundaries, especially in art or science. I also don’t like to be bound by reality, so time-travel and the idea that there are mysteries we cannot explain has always fascinated me.

For me good stories are about people and their relationships – their lovers and enemies, their families and friends, their obligations and the things that terrify them or excite them. And a great love story – whether happy or tragic is always important.

2. Why did you write this genre? And how did you get the inspiration for this book?

I was inspired by the music of Loreena McKennitt. Her music seems to talk directly to me and when I listen to it, stories kind of naturally fill my mind. There is a really deep emotional response to the combination of her instrumentation, her voice and her lyrics that inspired me to try and find a story that could somehow match what I was feeling when I listened to her music.

3. This is quite an unusual story with blending music history and time travel. How did you get to writing it, where did you start from, present to the past or past to the present? And did you have to do a lot of research for it?

As I mentioned, Loreena’s music was the original inspiration. With its Celtic and Middle Eastern themes it got me thinking about a musician who connected with someone she loved long ago. I say “she” I guess because I imagined someone like Loreena as the musician.

I always thought though that things would not end well, but that it would not matter. Connecting with your true love, even if it is doomed and you know it is doomed, even if it is from another time and place still doesn’t matter. You will do anything to connect with it.

I started with the present, but my research involved finding a time and place where this kind of music might fit (18th Century) and a place where it could belong (Scotland). I stumbled across the Duncan Cello in my research, and a castle (Kinnaird) and as I read about them both, the story started to come together. The Duncan Cello was built in Abeerdeen in the 1730’s and Kinnaird about 40 miles away, was goes back at least to the 15th Century. I visited the castle with my wife and I knew it was the right place for the story I wanted to write.

4. I loved the title of your book, there is something mystical about it. How did you get to this title?

It comes from the inspiration for the book – a song so powerful it can connect the composer / performer with a lost love from the past. Since the one she loves is doomed along with his kingdom, the title just kind of naturally wrote itself!

5. Is there a story behind using the cello as the main bridge to both times 1700s and present? I found the cello both fascinating and elegant.

I think this really comes from listening to the music of Loreena McKennitt and to some extent the albums of Enya, which I never getting tired of hearing.

The impact of haunting music, a powerful voice and emotional lyrics often takes me to another place in my mind. As I listened one day on to Loreena McKennitt on a plane ride down the West Coast of the United States on my new Bose headphones, I closed my eyes and felt like I was travelling in time and space with the music. I imagined I was playing a cello or a violin and the music was carrying me back in time – back to the time and place I envisioned in the song.

We’ve probably all felt transported by music to some extent. I just took it further and used it as the basis for the fantasy part of the book. I started my research, discovered the Duncan Cello and found it just seemed to fit my idea very nicely!

This was part 1 in getting to know Steve, we have plenty more to go. Stay tuned…

The blog tour can be checked here

Digital Reads Blog Tours