Blog Tour - Man Made Boy

Today I'm happy to be part of the blog tour for Man Made Boy by Jon Skovron. This book is a lot of fun and definitely something different.

About the Book: 

 "Sixteen-year-old Boy’s father is Frankenstein’s monster and his mother is the Bride. A hacker and tech geek, Boy has lived his whole life in a secret enclave of monsters hidden beneath a Broadway theater, until he runs away from home. Now, the boy who’s never set foot outside embarks on a madcap road trip with the granddaughters of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde that takes him deep into the heart of America. Along the way, Boy falls in love, comes to terms with his unusual family, and learns what it really means to be a monster—and a man."

"About Jon Skovron
Jon Skovron is the author of STRUTS & FRETS and MISFIT.  Visit him at jonskovron.com."

Guest Post from autor Jon Skovron:

"Music of the Night

Just to get it out of the way, the Phantom of the Opera doesn’t actually appear in Man Made Boy (maybe another time…). But the title was too perfect for a post about monsters and music. I couldn’t resist.

My first novel, Struts & Frets, was all about a high school indie rock band. So it’s probably no surprise that every book I write has a playlist and that I obsess about them a little. Okay, a lot. So here are the albums I listened to while writing Man Made Boy.

Stridulum by Zola Jesus

Probably the closest description I could come up with for this album is “goth pop”. It’s got a strong beat, a dark and disturbing tone, and yet somehow manages to feel welcoming, perhaps comforting even. Nika Danilova’s rich vocals are the centerpiece of the album, layered on top of hard synths and complex rhythms to create a haunting yet hopeful feeling. And I think all of that describes the world of Man Made Boy as well.

One Cello x 16: Natoma by Zoe Keating

I never really thought of myself as a big classical music fan until I heard Zoe Keating. The album is literally nothing except her playing her cello. No vocals, no one else. Unless you count her laptop. Because she feeds everything she plays through her laptop, where she’s written her own looping software that is connected to a set of pedals. So she’s playing the cello and at the same time using her feet to sample and loop what she’s playing. The result really does sound like 16 cellos. It is at once classically, romantically old and bleeding hacker edge new. Which fits Boy, the main character of Man Made Boy, perfectly.

Body Talk Pt. 1&2 by Robyn

Robyn is serious dance hall fare. But she’s not some cheesy pinup girl who lets other people write her songs for her. Not only does she write her own songs, she also produces her records on her own label. She is a smart, sexy, empowered lady from Europe. And therefore the perfect artist to listen to when it’s time to write the character of Sophie Jekyll.

O’Be Joyful by Shovels and Rope

If Sophie Jekyll gets an album, then certainly her sister Claire Hyde should get one, too. And even though Claire was born and raised in London, her heart belongs to American Country music. Personally, I’ve never been a huge fan of country. In fact, it was in writing Claire that I learned to love it. And this album, soulful, sincere, and full of bite, is just her style.

xx by The xx

There are kissing scenes in Man Made Boy. They were all written while listening to this soft, smooth, unpretentious album. I’m not sure anything else needs to be said, really.

Tarot Sport by Fuck Buttons

By far one of the most epic electronic albums I’ve ever heard, it more or less powered the entire last third of the book. Sweeping in grandeur, delicate in nuance, it hits every level from soaring triumph to crushing despair. In my mind, it is the modern equivalent of a classical symphony. I cannot even imagine writing Man Made Boy without the inspiration this album brought me time and again.

There is one sad thing I’ve discovered about adding albums to a book playlist. Once the book is finished, I find I can’t really enjoy that album anymore. It’s like I’ve mined it for all it was worth and extracted every drop until there is nothing left. A hard price to pay."