Soundtrack Sunday – SHIVA’S BOW Edition

I first wrote the book in 2014 so there’s a mix of older songs and more recent ones from when I was revising it. Trying to leave off repeats but check the other soundtracks for more Livi & West tunes (Civil Wars – Poison & Wine was another big one for this book again).

Pearl Jam – “Just Breathe“
Second and third chapters.
“Stay with me// Let’s just breathe” and “Did I say that I need you?//Did I say that I want you?//What if I did and I’m a fool you see“

Troels Brun Folmann – “Nepal Theme“
Misc nepali trekking and lodge stops.

Cary Brothers – “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You“
“If you were anyone else, Olivia, I would have.”

Screaming Trees – “Look at You”
Look, it’s a good song for banter and sudden kissing, okay? (It’s also very West POV for me)
Her ghost hides/ In my mind/ In the night/ In a way she’s haunting me/I’m wanting her still and When I look at you I’ve got a second chance/ Really need to take it now

Colbie Caillat – “Killing Me Softly“
Whenever Livi’s feeling a bit betrayed or confused.

Jason Graves – “The Descent“
Snaaaakes (around 1:30).

The Wind and the Wave – “Chasing Cars” (Cover)
Second scene in ch 23. “Don’t leap,” he breathed against my skin, sending a shiver through me. Because I couldn’t promise that, I didn’t reply.
I don’t quite know // How to say // How I feel // Those three words // Are said too much // They’re not enough // If I lay here // If I just lay here // Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Jason Graves – “Scaling the Ziggurat“
Livi climbs to the top of a temple interior.

Rachel Platten – “Fight Song”
I have this one on a loop in a lot of Livi’s books, particularly writing the first four books. I stuck it with this soundtrack because I there’s a scene where she jumps out of a helicopter and very specifically saw that moment at the 2:50-ish point in the song where it gets quiet and the chorus kicks in again.
I might only have one match//But I can make an explosion

Colin O’Malley / Troels Brun Folmann – “Croft Manor Catacombs”
Exploring the temple.

Troels Brun Folmann – “Lost City Suite”
Final temple/battle scenes.

Alex Hobbs – “Something I Need” (cover)
As I’ve said a bunch of times, “Something I Need” is very much the Livi/West series theme song, so I listen to a bunch of variations and covers during writing certain scenes. This was the during the second kiss scene before the epilogue.
This line, though: With broken words I try to say/Honey don’t you be afraid/if you’ve got nothing you’ve got us. was exactly what went through my head in the second chapter when he holds her hand at the hospital.

Survivor – “Eye of the Tiger“
You’ll see…

Lana Del Rey – “Ride“
Yeah this was some kissing and smexing in the epilogue…

Ingrid Michaelson – “Can’t Help Falling” (cover)
So the epilogue is called “A Kind of Blind Love” in reference to “I Only Have Eyes For You” (recurring song in the series), but it was this cover of Can’t Help Falling I wrote the end of the epilogue to–I almost called the epilogue “Can’t Help Falling” instead. It’s a melancholy sort of cover, almost (esp at 2:10), that hits the right emotional notes for that final scene.

Print available now and get ready for the ebook on Tuesday!