Aubrie Dionne goes naked for contemporary romance

Aubrie Dionne didn't want to write about reality. Not when her writing career was based in outer space and other fantasy worlds. But she gave it a try anyway, and Playing the Maestro is the result …

Aubrie: When my editor at Entangled suggested I try a new genre -- a modern-day contemporary romance -- I almost gave up before I started. No fantastical worlds? No spaceships or aliens? No hobbits, dragons, elves or swords? No magic?

Ick. Without all that, I'd be naked. My characters and their romance would have to speak for themselves without all the fancy word-building and fantastical settings.

For me, writing about reality was like jumping off my fantasy cloud into the slums of New York. Not only was real life not as interesting to me, but everyone knows when you write about real life, you have to get the facts right or people will call you out on every detail. I couldn't possibly write about policemen, because I had no idea what their procedures were, or being a doctor, or flying an airplane, or constructing a building, or scuba diving on the Great Barrier Reef.

Sure, I could create worlds, but I didn't know a whole lot about my own. Or did I?

Before I became an author, I'd already established a career as a professional flutist. I'd played in orchestras, taught flute lessons, and performed at weddings for a living since I graduated with my flute performance degree back in 1999. Music was one subject I could write about, but because it was so personal, it also made it scary, almost taboo. Talk about being naked. Did I want to mix these two very different aspects of my life?

So I wrote the first chapter. My story was going to be about a flutist who falls in love with her boss, the gorgeous guest conductor from Berlin. The words flowed like magic and the story practically wrote itself in just a month and a half -- the fastest I'd ever completed a project. I drew upon my life experiences, my prejudices as a musician in today's society, and all the characters I'd met along the way.

Even though Playing the Maestro is a silly little romantic comedy, it's probably the most heartfelt story I've ever written. When my protagonist describes sitting in the front row of Symphony Hall watching the famous Jean Pierre Rampal play flute, I'm really describing my own experience as a high school kid back in 1995. When my hero says he'll fight to get a musical instrument into every child's hands instead of a video game controller, I'm describing my own mission in life.

All these years I'd discounted real life. After embracing my own experiences in the modern-day world, real life held the most intriguing emotions to infuse in my writing.

Here's the blurb for Playing the Maestro (courtesy of Entangled Publishing):

Melody Mires has sworn off dating musicians, but when sexy European conductor Wolf Braun takes over her struggling symphony, her hesitation almost flies out the window with the notes of her flute — until he opens his mouth. Wolf is arrogant, haughty and seems to have a personal vendetta against Melody. Oh, and he's her boss. If she wants to keep her job as principal flutist, she'll have to impress Wolf while simultaneously keeping her undeniable attraction to herself.

Wolf came to America to get as far away from his past as possible, and to recover some of the swagger he had as one of the world's best maestros. He never imagined being forced to reassess the entire orchestra's talent — and potentially fire anyone who doesn't make his cut. Dating the attractive flutist is out of the question, but as their feelings reach a fever pitch, can they risk both their careers for a chance at love?

To find out more about Aubrie and her books, you can visit her website, authoraubrie.net.