THE BONE CONDUCTOR
Art is the keepsake of madness.
THE BONE CONDUCTOR
Art is the keepsake of madness.
WRITTEN BY KRISTEN KESSLER
AUTHOR + JOURNALER
Diaries are their own genre. An uncensored autobiography, curated for no one, is a pure record of human existence: inconsistent, mundane at times, and probably embarrassing.
I've kept journals and played the piano since I figured out how to use my hands, so when I found Beethoven's "conversation books" I was deeply interested in the self-composition going on in his pages. It made my favorite musician come alive, and I wanted to share that experience through a novel. THE BONE CONDUCTOR is my first manuscript in this style, and as I pursue its publication I'm collecting more behind-the-music stories to tell.
I have a background in academic writing and research (M.A. in Applied Psychology, A.A. in Theology) so historical fiction is a natural fit for me. Using primary sources makes it feel like a collaboration with someone on the other side. They write themselves, and I fill the gaps with a little off-world weirdness.
My work is focused on differentiating the forms of love, which are shown through characters I call "the Muses". Inspired by Plato's Theory of Forms and named after Ancient Greek words for love, I pictured them as spiritual superheroes who show up to assist, and sometimes interfere with the mortals.
Because so many have written the romantic experience well, I wanted to explore the other connections we feel: passion for our work, the communal bond of shared hardship (or joy), the relentless ties of family. Most importantly, I show characters developing compassion and understanding for themselves. I like finding that crash moment where everything seems to be going wrong, and follow the arc until it makes sense again.
Besides music biographies, my current topics of interest are philosophy, herbalism/naturalism, and metaphysics (especially the concepts of time and consciousness). In fiction I'm a sucker for Chinese literature because it usually plays with those areas (Lisa See is my auto-buy author), and I can always get into a psychological thriller. I attend literary and music events whenever possible, and have links to some favorites below.
When I'm not writing stories, I'm writing contracts for the commercial marina I run with my husband here in Florida. Sailing and beach walks with my two sons and goofy Weimaraner get my head out of the clouds, and I've developed Fahrvergnügen (German, love of driving) from our 1989 sports car.
To contact me: kristen@kristenswritings.com
