Today I wanted to talk a little bit about music; the shorthand of emotion. I know a lot of authors who use music for inspiration, whether it be lyrics that jump out at them, or intense, powerful instrumental moments. The majority of my writing buddies like the instrumental stuff, because it gives them ambiance for whatever scene they might be writing and there are no words to distract them from their own. But there are a few who like vocals, and even have playlists that they keep for their stories. Rachel Caine is great about it. She has hours of music for each book. Music that inspired and directed parts of her story.
I am more like Rachel.
I have playlists that go along with each series. The Chronicles of New Hope has a pretty large playlist at this point, whereas The Gates of Humanity has only a few songs so far. The Gates is newer, and it’s not been as easy to bust those stories out–so there’s not as much music. New Hope on the other hand, that playlist is probably 20+ songs. They’re songs I heard at some point in life, and suddenly one of my characters was speaking to me. I won’t share all the songs, but I wanted to give you my New Hope Playlist Favorites today.
- Bed of Roses by Hinder
I know this isn’t the original version, but this is the version I heard and fell in love with. To me, this song is a lot of Caine’s internal monologue of his struggle with Tree. He loves her, and he wants her, and she’s mostly just a she-jerk about the whole thing. To me, this song captures that longing and frustration.
Tonight I won’t be alone – But you know that don’t mean I’m not lonely – I’ve got nothing to prove – For it’s you that I’d die to defend
I want to lay you down on a bed of roses.
For tonight I sleep on a bed on nails.
I want to be just as close as the Holy Ghost is
And lay you down on bed of roses.
- Too Close by Alex Claire
This song is the other side of the Love You/Love You Not spectrum. This song is Tree’s response to Caine’s pressure to be more than friends. What’s a quicker way to ruin a perfectly good friendship than to date? Not all the time, obviously–as my husband and I prove–but when you date, it’s hard to stay friends after that. After you take that step, there’s no going back. Tree isn’t willing to take that risk. Caine is too important.
You’ve given me more than I can return
Yet there’s oh so much you deserve
And it feels like I am just too close to love you
There’s nothing I can really say
I can lie no more
I can hide no more
Got to be true to myself
And it feels like I am just too close to love you
So I’ll be on my way
- Diamond Eyes by Shinedown
When this song plays, the end of Book 1 plays out in my head in a pretty epic music video-esque type action scene. The end of the book is a massive fight scene between the human colony and a zombie herd–with a little vampire help thrown in at the end. The lyrics and the beat of this song tie perfectly to how I see the movie of my book ending. Tree standing front and center on a large boulder facing down thousands of zombies…
I’m on the front line
Don’t worry I’ll be fine
the story is just beginning
I say goodbye to my weakness
so long to the regret
and now I see the world through diamond eyes
- Lullaby by Josh Groban
This song came in somewhere in the middle of Book 1. Caine is having trouble sleeping, so Tree sings him a lullaby… “Okay, so it was a song called “Lullaby” by my favorite artist, but I figured that would count.” This is the song that Tree sings to him to calm him down.
The world has turned the day to dark
I leave this night with heavy heart
When I return to dry your eyes
I will send this lullaby
Yes I will send this lullaby
- Innocence by Halestorm
I love this song. It is one of my favorite songs of all time, and it too found its way into my playlist. This song is how Tree feels about Lilly. She thinks that little girl is something special, and something innocent–and she herself is a walking cursed nightmare. The people around her are doomed to be hurt, and she doesn’t want that for little Lilly.
There’s no such thing as fate
Only yourself to blame
You never walked away
I told you
Just don’t follow me home
You’re just to perfect for my hands to hold
If you choose to stay you’ll throw it all away
And I just want to take your innocence
