What Music Means to Me

Some questions I get asked a lot are, "What type of music do you listen to?" and, "Do you listen to music when you write?" I listen to all sorts of music to tell the truth (Anything ranging from Mudvayne to Hedley and almost everything in-between) but my favorite genre is rock. And let me just make this clear, I cannot stand ska, rap, or dubstep music. I've tried to at least appreciate their existence, but I just can't. Also, I despise Metallica. Anyways, my favorite bands of all time would have to be Breaking Benjamin (forever #1 in my opinion), Mayday Parade, Three Days Grace, Linkin Park, Paramore (at least, how they used to be... from their album All We Know Is Falling to Brand New Eyes), Evanescence, and Within Temptation. As for the second question, well, I don't think I could write if I wasn't listening to some type of music (Even now I have some turned on...thank God for La Dispute!!). That's because, to me, music is the most important thing in this world. In just a few minutes, an artist can basically explain everything you feel, think, and believe, which I find to be incredibly amazing (and a little envious). Plus, every song tells a story, no matter how you interpret it. That's why I can relate so many songs to my books... especially songs by Breaking Benjamin. As the great Benjamin Burnley once said, "It’s pointless to ask me what a song is about—it’s about whatever the listener feels when they listen to it. That’s what the song exists for." I see that as an important thing; if a song is set to be about one specific thing, it can't relate to as many people. But we all have our own story, and when we hear something we should be able to relate it to our own lives, not some stranger's. So, that's what music means to me...I would love to hear your opinions, so feel free to comment.
I'll leave you all with my favorite quote of all time:
"Music speaks what cannot be expressed, soothes the mind and gives it rest, heals the heart and makes it whole, flows from heaven to the soul." -Anonymous

Books, Books, and More About Books

So, I am very pleased to say that the sequel to Fusion Night is almost completed. I expect it to be done by the end of August, and if everything goes right it will be published before the end of the year. I have approximately 91 more pages to type before I'll be satisfied with its length (it'll only be a little longer than Fusion Night). It's so hard to believe that by the start of my Junior year of High School, I'll already have two published books. I do believe that's something I can be very proud of. Bitter Ascent is not the only book I'm working on however: I have another great story (a series of 4 books this time, the first of which I shall refer to as "mystery book" until I decide to release the title) coming up, that I promise will become huge someday. This is mostly because, after I finish The Fusion Night Trilogy, I'm moving away from my self-publisher (Outskirts Press) and I will be trying to get a big-name publisher for my books (hopefully Simon&Schuster, but I'll pretty much take anything). I realize this will take a lot of work, which is why I plan to wait quite a while before I attempt it. After all, I really need to polish up my writing before then. Anyways, that's it for now.  Au revoir!

Sweet Summer

Being such a young novelist is not an easy thing. What with school, homework, friends, sports, reading, and zombie-killing, there isn't a whole lot of time for me to write. Thank God that once a year Mother Nature gives me a break.... if not for summer I never would've finished Fusion Night! It's such a perfect season: no school, homework, or sports to tend to.... and can instead spend that time writing my sequel novel (not to mention swimming). It's a great thing to just be able to sit down for once, take a breather, and get lost in a fictional world. And I could not ask for anthing more.

Welcome

My name is Ellie A. Gray, and I am a fifteen year old novelist from Illinois. My first book, Fusion Night, was published in August, 2011. It is the first book in a trilogy, and I am in the process of writing the second book. Fusion Night is for sale on both amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. You can follow the links here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1432778528
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/fusion-night-ellie-a-gray/1105318363?ean=9781432778521&r=1