David j. McMullen: Who am I – good question, I wonder that myself sometimes.
Well what I am is an Aussie author/songwriter (more a lyricist than a songwriter although I do play guitar, most would say not very well, but I can come up with a melody). My family tree is littered with literary folk, the best known being the much revered iconic Australian author/poet, Henry Lawson – so I guess I was always destined to be a wordsmith!
I was born in Tasmania – my mother was Tasmanian born, my father a US Marine from The Bronx in New York:
Where is Tasmania I hear you ask – Tassie is an island state off the south coast of Australia with rolling green hills and large areas of pristine wilderness much of which still unexplored and untouched by man – a secluded paradise with a climate/landscape much like England often referred to as The England of the south.
I have been writing ever since I could hold a pen: I have so much unpublished work you could probably fill The Library of Congress with it. But I also have a fair catalogue of published works which include two collections of poetry: Oz Words & Oz Words Too. A Children’s Illustrated Picture Book: Eucalypt Stew on which I collaborated with Michelle Molinari – one of Australia’s finest up and coming multi award winning young artists. A book of song lyrics: Just Add Music – for those musicians out there in need of a little lyrical inspiration. And my latest endeavor: A fictional journey through the 60’s 70’s music era, The Fearless Five trilogy which follows the characters through three distinct periods of their teenage hood. The first book ‘The Fearless Five – One Up’ as young teens, the second ‘The Fearless Five - A Journey of Discovery’ as mid-teens, and the last book in the trilogy, ‘The Fearless Five – Searching for a Niche’ when they are late teens and conquering the world with their unique blend of Blues & Rock through their band, Constellation J.
My song writing came about as a consequence of my books. I needed to write the lyrics for the songs the characters “wrote/sang” in the story – so to cut a long story short I wrote the soundtrack to the story, which included the fictional album, ‘Universe’ that, in the story, the band recorded in LA, as well as a number of other tracks “written” by the characters in the books. I had the entire soundtrack recorded, capturing the sound/feel of the era, using experienced musicians in both Australia and The USA. Many of them can be heard @ http://soundcloud.com/jamsongs
All my books are available @ http://davidjmcmullen.com as well as bookstores and all the online sites such as http://amazon.com http://barnesandnoble.com etc.
I am currently working on a follow up to The Fearless Five trilogy. A novel entitled ‘The Jordie Harper Hang-Up’ – it’s a continuation of the story. The music goes on!
Feedback: Yes please – on my books, on the songs I’ve created @ djmcmjam@gmail.com