Eolyn's Play List (Part II)

We've just been through the blizzard of the century in Kansas City, and another storm is descending on us tonight. 

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. . .

Eolyn's Playlist (Part I)

In the Midwest, the American robin is one
of the first signs of spring. 

A couple days back, an American robin showed up on my front lawn as I pulled the car out of the driveway. This morning, an entire flock of these melodious creatures greeted me outside O'Reilly Hall when I arrived on campus.  There can be no doubt: spring is coming.

The annual reappearance of the robin has always had special significance for me.  There is a brightness about this migratory thrush that bids me to set aside my dark moods, to shed the sadder side of winter.  Spring has arrived!  And with it green fields and blooming flowers, the dawn chorus and the evening crickets.  Bicycling on breezy days.  Wandering through budding forests.  Flying kites over open fields. Breathing in the fresh spring air. 

Spring is also Eolyn's season.  She was born during the months when winter is transformed into summer; her name is, in part, derived from the spring festival of Eostar. 

By way of celebration, I've decided to put a little music into my blog.  I'm going to share with you the playlist for Eolyn, something I've often thought about doing but never gotten around to. 

These are some of the songs that inspired me while I was writing the first novel, from 2006 to 2010.  I've picked twelve in all -- appropriate, since 12 is a sacred number in the tradition of Moisehén. Today I will embed six, with the other half dozen coming a post or two down the line.  (Yes, I do have a play list for High Maga as well, but Eolyn has been waiting her turn for a while, so let's attend to her first...)

I'd very much like to know if any of these songs resonate with you.  I'm also very curious -- for those of you who have read Eolyn -- whether there are other songs out there that have reminded you of the novel.

Enjoy!

Playlist for Eolyn: the First Six Songs

1. Evanescence: Sweet Sacrifice

I actually discovered The Open Door just a couple months after starting the novel, and the music from this charismatic group accompanied me through many scenes.  Sweet Sacrifice is a song I associate with the first chapter of Eolyn.




2. Vangelis: The Conquest of Paradise

I love the majesty of this song, and I especially love the fact that the video features scenes from the beaches of my adopted country, Costa Rica!  I'd tell you which scene is connected to this song, but that would be kind of a spoiler. 




3. Evanescence: My Immortal

Yes, Evanescence.  Again.  I always thought this an appropriate love theme for Eolyn and Akmael.




4. Evanescence, Snow White Queen

This song brings to mind the Mountain Warrior Khelia, an enigmatic and magical woman who can not only fight -- and shape shift while she's fighting -- but has a powerful and enchanting voice. 




5. Cirque du Soleil, Alegria

Cirque du Soleil did not actually inspire Corey's Circle -- like Evanescence, I came across it after I had started writing the novel.  But wow! This spectacle of art and acrobatics fits perfectly with the magical mood that I associate with Mage Corey's traveling show. 

In terms of characters, I always imagined Adiana, Eolyn's friend and a musician from Selkynsen, singing songs like Alegria.




6. Sting, Desert Rose

Here we are at number six already, and who better to close out today's show than Mage Corey himself?  Yes, this is Corey's song.  The passion.  The power.  The image of eternal fire.  Though Corey doesn't look all that much like Sting.  Or does he?   You tell me. . .  (And while you're at it, let me know if you, like me, suspect that might be Rishona playing the violin in the background.)




That concludes today's musical tour! I'll be back soon to post more songs from the playlist for Eolyn.  Until then, may your spring transition be filled with magic, music, and dance!