As a successful musician in one of Wisconsin’s hardest-working rock bands, DamnNation, he had always envisioned melding his two passions—music and fiction—together into a unique experience for readers.
“I’ve always had music in my heart,” says Brosky, whose short stories have been read by over five thousand people in various mediums. “And I’ve always been interested in telling stories. It was only a matter of time before I finally tried to combine the two.”
After publishing over a dozen short stories, Ken Brosky wrote his first novel, Grendel, and immediately set about creating a unique soundtrack to accompany the novel by using his own instruments and his Apple Garageband program. The novel, based on the classic Beowulf myth, takes place in modern times and features a protagonist who is torn between the real world and a dream-like state where he is plagued by the monster known as Grendel. In order to develop a soundtrack, Brosky approached the book with two unique moods, and developed songs that would correspond to both worlds.
The result: 16 unique songs, divided into two sections. Seven songs were developed for the chapters when Grendel’s protagonist is awake, and nine for when he is asleep.
“It was always an experiment,” Brosky says. “Some songs turned out better than others, but overall I’m proud of the accomplishment. It’ll develop as I write more novels. I won’t stop, that’s for sure … I had an absolute blast doing it. Besides, it keeps me busy during those months when the manuscript is sitting on the editor’s desk.”
And music is just the beginning. In addition to the soundtrack, Mr. Brosky is also providing a free translation of the original Beowulf myth available through Project Gutenburg, as well as the complete first draft of his novel, complete with original editor’s marks.
“I’m trying to add to the experience of reading,” Brosky says. “Some people like to listen to music while they read. Some people like to learn more about a story. Some people like to get inside a writer’s thought process. It’s all a part of the fun of living in a digital age where books are continuing to evolve into something new and exciting.”
For information: www.kenbrosky.com/grendelnovel.htm
Contact: Ken@KenBrosky.com
Phone: 414-803-5351
