Last Thursday, about a foot of snow was dumped on us in the space of 4 hours. There was even lightening and thunder! I've never witnessed a thunder snow. It was pretty awesome.
I must admit, I was grateful that Mother Nature decided to storm through the neighborhood and give us all a break from routine. Until, of course, I had to shovel off the driveway. And if the storm tonight is as bad as they say it will be, I will be shoveling snow again tomorrow.
I have gotten a lot of writing done, being trapped in the house and all. I'm up to almost 10,000 words on the third companion novel to the Eolyn series. The working title of this third manuscript is Daughter of Aithne, but that may yet change, so don't get too attached to it just yet.
High Maga, the sequel to Eolyn, will be out in just over a year -- April of 2014, to be exact. The manuscript is ready, and has been for a while, but due to constraints with Hadley Rille's publishing calendar, we have to wait just a little while longer to see High Maga in print.
Another way of saying the same thing: Hadley Rille Books has a lot of awesome novels coming out between now and the release of High Maga! Three of those novels are by Heroines of Fantasy authors, so be sure to check out my other blog for regular updates on those releases.
Last week, I posted the first half of Eolyn's play list; this week I'm continuing my tour of the songs that inspired scenes from the novel. If you, like me, are snow-bound, what better way to pass the time than listening to some music?
Eolyn's Playlist, Part II (Songs 7-12)
7. Lacrymosa, by Evanescence
A haunting interpretation of Mozart's Lacrimosa, this song inspired a climactic moment in the novel, when Eolyn is apprehended for witchcraft, a crime that means certain death under the laws of Moisehén.
8. Presagio, by Malpais
This song is one of my all-time favorites. Malpais is a Costa Rican group, and Presagio, captures the spirit of momentous change. Revolutionary change. The kind of change that everyone hoped to achieve when they united behind Eolyn in her struggle against the Mage King.
I also really like the images in this video; obviously geared to inspire another kind of momentous change, one that is perhaps more relevant to our contemporary world.
9. Si Tu No Vuelves, Miguel Bosé
This guy, Miguel Bosé, has the sexiest voice in all of singingdom. If you haven't heard him yet, you must listen to him now. And be prepared to fall in love -- after all, sometimes all it takes is a good voice. The song, Si Tu No Vuelves, is another love theme for Eolyn and Akmael.
10. Angel, Massive Attack
Here's a high-tension song if there ever was one. I would often listen to Angel while I was trying to envision the details of the final confrontation between Eolyn and her arch-nemesis. Who is her arch-nemesis? Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out!
11. Bring Me to Life, Evanescence
Evanescence makes yet another appearance on the playlist with this song, especially suited for portions of the battle sequence.
12. Tear Drop, Massive Attack
Time for a little background-on-Eolyn trivia.
Tear Drop is on this list for a couple reasons.
First, in the year I started writing this novel, I began studying modern dance with Jorge Corrales at the Taller Nacional de Danza in Costa Rica. Jorge choreographed a dance to this song, which we performed as part of TNC's annual presentation at the Teatro Melico Salazar. This was an important time for me; I had been looking for a 'home' in dance for some time in my adopted country, and I had finally found it in this class, and in this studio. The magic of dance was returned to my life. This is part of the reason why Corey's Circle made it into the novel -- and why dance became an important part of Corey's Circle.
Tear Drop is also, interestingly enough, associated with the end of the novel as I had originally envisioned it -- which is quite different, by the way, from how the end was actually written. So I guess we could call this song, "Theme for the Lost Ending of Eolyn". Though I think some of the spirit of that original vision was preserved in the denoument of the final manuscript.
That completes Eolyn's play list, parts one and two! I hope you've enjoyed it, and I'd love to hear if there are other songs that remind you of the novel.
Later on down the line, I'll be back with a brand new set of artists on the play list for High Maga. . .
