WHY IS THE BOOK CALLED THE PRETTY MAIDS JOURNALS?

The name come from 'keeping a journal', a more grown-up version of writing a diary. The idea was to write a journal, with posts of every day from the beginning to today. As it turned out, some stories couldn't be split into smaller entries without losing its purpose, so instead the book is split into four parts. 

1. The Story

2. The Journal

3. The Music

4. The References

You either read it from beginning to the end, or here and there. 

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The Story of Pretty Maids began at a Thin Lizzy concert where Ken Hammer asked Ronnie Atkins for a cigarette. Ronnie remembered Ken because of the embroiled Thin Lizzy patch on the back of Ken's blue jeans jacket. Ken saw an advert in Tartan Musik store in Veijle and yes, that is when it all began. But the story is over four decades. 40 years is a long time. Specially when you hardly remember what you did a week ago. When I began writing I was sure Ken Hammer would be my first source of stories, but it turned out his memory is named  Ronnie, haha. 

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The music. Writing about music is difficult. There are so many feelings involved and what means the world to me may not evoke the same feelings in you. This is where my editor Lars Schmidt had to do the most work - to remove myself out of the book and make it interesting for everyone. For me however it was the most interesting to hear how the songs are made, and the lyrics of course.

A couple of years ago I read a book by a singer/songwriter who was in chock because his new wife, who claimed she loved his songs, had no idea what the songs were about she just liked his voice and the melodies but wasn't bothered with the actual lyrics.

Some people are like that, while others love to read the lyrics like poetry and analyse them. There's a little bit of everything in WE CAME TO ROCK, and a complete list of all the songs! And an extended discography!

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