It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these!

To celebrate Charon’s Gold being up for preorder, today we’ll look at one of the main song’s from its playlist: the RIAYA feat. John Mark McMillan cover of Bjork’s “Hunter” (which you may recognize from the Terminator: Dark Fate trailer).

Given the end of Yampellec’s Idol, Charon’s Gold probably seems like it’s a very dark book. And it absolutely is, but at its core I think it’s also a book about hope. That said, yes, Livi is in a very different place than she has been previously–she’s not doing the work because she’s been hired to.

She is driven by her own mission now.

If travel is searching

And home has been found

I’m not stopping

There’s one particular scene I wrote directly to this song–Livi accepting the sacrifices made for her mission, running through the night (it’s in slow-mo in my head), intent on her destination, trusting coverfire to keep her safe while enemies surround her, diving into the unknown.

I’m going hunting

I’m the Hunter

Bring back the good

But in addition to that, it’s very much the overall book’s theme song (the same way “In the End” was for YI). Even while it may not line up with Bjork’s original meaning (lol), this dark epic cover version speaks to obsession and drive and trying to restore something thought lost–the solitary and lonely, single-minded, move-heaven-and-earth-for-family journey Livi is capable of.

Charon’s Gold is now up for preorder.

Usually I do a book’s full soundtrack the Sunday before release, but this time I’ll wait for the week after–just to avoid spoilers. But to celebrate Tuesday’s release, I thought I’d talk about the very first song on the playlist, from years before I even started writing it.

A lot of threads in all the books in the series so far have been leading up to the first big confrontation scene (which I’m sure everyone knew was coming by the time you read the end of Shiva’s Bow).

There was only one song for that scene.

Say something, I’m giving up on you

It’s that rare song that weaves through both POVs in a scene, this time Livi and West.

I’ll be the one, if you want me to
Anywhere, I would’ve followed you

I had it on repeat when walking at night for years, rolling that scene around and around in my head. I had it on repeat when I finally got to write it years later. And I still popped it on every time I reread/revised the scene the past year.

You’re the one that I love
And I’m saying goodbye

The somber quietness, the simplicity, the palpable pain–it’s a good contrast to all the screaming and shooting.

Say something, I’m giving up on you

(Look, I like my angst, okay?)

Yampellec’s Idol is up for preorder everywhere and I can’t wait to share it with you. Kindle | Kobo | iBooks | Nook | Payhip | Paperback

The full soundtrack will post next Sunday. Previous song features from this book included “In the End” and “Little Sparrow“.

The new book is nearly here!

The soundtrack is a strange one because while my playlists normally run heavily in favour of songs with lyrics, this one didn’t. If it was a movie, there would be a lot of long slow pans of isolated snowy landscapes and forests, and the music followed a similar pattern for me. That said, there are still a few with lyrics; the non-vocal ones, know that they were just on repeat most of the time.

SJ Tucker – “Girl Into Devil“
Talked about this one a lot here.
“Shouldering a rifle, more to prove with every breath,//stolen fairytale girls make the difference between life and death.//It all comes down to choices, but you’ve only the hard ones left,//and so, all you can say is//’I belong to me. Even now, even here.'”

Sarah McLachlan – “Answer“
Although her husband Nick has been missing and doesn’t appear on page, this was their song.
“I will be the answer at the end of the line//I will be there for you while you take the time//In the burning of uncertainty, I will be your solid ground//I will hold the balance if you can’t look down”

Gregory Alan Isakov – “If I Go, I’m Goin’“
Likely due in part to it being used at the end of The Haunting of Hill House, but it reminds me of being haunted at home; TSP isn’t paranormal, but there’s a weight to Nick’s disappearance and a sense of his presence in his absence that is like a haunting.

Lotte Kestner – “True Faith” (cover)
I had this one on repeat a lot while writing.
“I used to think that the day would never come//That my life would depend on the morning sun//That the day would never come”

Sarah McLachlan – “Dirty Little Secret“
“But nothing seems to help me since you went away//I’m so tired of this town”

Callum McGraw – “Wayfaring Stranger” (cover)

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – “Wind River“
So my primary music for the book was the Wind River soundtrack. I’ll link here on Spotify but share the tracks I listened to the most. Particularly during the final chapters surrounding the storm, but overall these were my “isolated cold Yukon music” tracks.

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – “Three Seasons in Wyoming“

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – “Second Body“

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – “Bad News“

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – “Breakdown“

The Silent Places releases on Tuesday! Preorder now or patrons can download a four-chapter sample at Patreon.

Kindle | Kobo | iBooks | Nook | Payhip | Print

Haven’t done one of these in a while!

Last week I finished the zero of my new domestic thriller (now up for preorder) so today we’ll do a song from that playlist.

Imogen Sharp, as you can tell from the jacket copy, is not all she seems. This is a book about how we’re shaped by trauma, what we become to survive, and rescuing yourself in ways that defy the expectations placed on women.

So one of her songs is SJ Tucker’s “Girl Into Devil (I Belong To Me)”, which seems fitting because in another life Imogen could’ve been a fairytale girl. But prince charming is not always that, and real fairytales–not the Disney version–tend to come with blood.

Shouldering a rifle, more to prove with every breath,
stolen fairytale girls make the difference between life and death.
It all comes down to choices, but you've only the hard ones left,
and so, all you can say is
"I belong to me. Even now, even here."

As Tucker’s guitar begins, I can clearly see the silent snowy woods of Imogen’s home in Red Fox Lake, Yukon, the trees seeming to march forever, and I can feel the temperature as it drops and a storm approaches.

"Who do you belong to, little girl? 
Why do you wander in the deep, dark wood?" 
It's not an easy answer, I'm afraid. 
I may fit the story, but I'm up to no good.

Meet Imogen this winter and uncover some of her secrets–The Silent Places is up for preorder now! Kindle | Kobo | iBooks | Nook