Book Playlists for Listening & Sharing with Readers

Usually when I write I have music in the background. My playlist includes songs that might remind me of certain characters or give me a feeling about what I'm writing.

Lately I've been taking some of those songs and putting them into playlists for my books. Though I use Spotify for my playlists, YouTube is also a good place to create one. Since I also have a Pandora account I've got favorites there, as well as Amazon Music and Apple Music. (The plus about using YouTube is that it may also include music videos.)

How easy is it to create playlist? Very easy! If you're on Spotify, just create a playlist then start adding songs to it. You can share the link even as you continue to find songs to add. Listeners will have access to the playlist even as you're adding (or removing) your music.

What should the playlist include? Any music that fits the mood of your book. Do you have favorite songs or artists that relate to your story? Add them. I've found a few songs that sound as though a character could've written the words. Or they describe the action in a certain scene or chapter. Those are the songs I usually listen to as I'm writing. So of course, I make sure they're included in the final playlist.

The fun is in setting the mood for your reader/listener. They can hear the songs that inspired you as you were writing. Music playlists are a wonderful way to give your readers a treat that they can enjoy while they're reading your book.

Click the link below to check out the Spotify playlist for my latest book, Worlds of Fire: Blood Red Moon.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6v5P5zZcDIt3PeyKGegiFj?si=d1a236554f8c4bac

Happy listening!

Music To Write Angst To

Way, way back, when I first started writing for publication, having the right music to listen to while I wrote was an absolute necessity--right up there with scented candles, an inspirational coffee mug, and the beverage of my choice--which tended to change on a scene-to-scene basis.  I  gradually grew out of my need for most of these (I still like the mugs, although I have let a lot of those go in this last move) but  then I began beg having trouble writing AT ALL, so I've been experimenting with bringing some of them back.

This year I've found myself listening to music once again, and that's been exciting because I've not only discovered some great new (or new to me) songs, but I've also been inspired to write more stories based on song titles (some old, some new) and/or lyrics. Like this one, for example:

 And, no, you won't be seeing him THIS Christmas, but I'm gonna try like hell to get him out there NEXT Christmas even though I already have TWO OTHER vampire Christmas stories scheduled to release next December because he's just too cute to keep to myself. 

But right now my playlists are filled with sad, alternative Christmas music, breakup songs, multiple versions of I'll Be Home for Christmas and at least a dozen different covers of Joni Mitchell's song River. I thought I'd share a few of my favorites:

Maybe in Another Lifetime

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7p4XcH1o8bvWweWGrPabmn?si=ee359609608148e6

Sorted Noise Christmas

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5zR15VSpMUiOUZR7SY9dZj?si=81771a07f30d4b20

River Covers

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2YssyZFYEjs3AHu5dV3jTT?si=b0d7d1eec7c14a35

New York City Christmas Benefit 

https://open.spotify.com/album/2h3KsArV2WCgXpyBdZQmZh?si=NiB35qh-TM6WACN5_i18OQ

Folk and Indie Christmas 2021 (AKA I Hate Christmas)

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/62ugl92OM7e4BbV1l3cghf?si=03daa868a11142f2

The Soundtrack of Writing

Some authors like to listen to music when they're writing, mostly to block out extraneous noise that would interrupt their stream of concentration. Other authors need absolute silence. Me, I fall into the former category.

However, I cannot listen to songs. As a professionally trained singer and musician, listening to a song means I pay attention to the lyrics and the melody. Yes, I love songs, especially when I can relate them to the hero and heroine in my book. But for general writing, I turn to movie soundtracks. More specifically, to the orchestral versions. But, again, I found myself being distracted at times because I'd recall the specific scene going on in the movie during that musical interlude.

It was by accident that I discovered trailer music. You heard me.

Trailer music -- music specifically written for movie trailers that studios can use in their trailers when the movie's actual soundtrack hasn't yet been solidified.

This is fully orchestrated music, written in song-length excerpts of 2-3 minutes each, and featuring everything from soaring dynamics to upbeat tempos. From gentle measures that almost caress your inner soul, to harsh and pounding drumbeats that sound like advancing armies or themes of war.

So if you have eclectic tastes like I do, and if you enjoy this kind of music, I heartily recommend you check out the following four artists: Audiomachine, The Immediate (look for their Trailerhead series), Position Music, and Two Steps from Hell. 

These are the soundtracks to my books.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

New!

THANN
A Sensuous Paranormal Romance
Word Count: 42.2K
$3.99 e / $9.99 p
#horseshifter

It started with a winning lottery ticket, and could end with her death.

What would you do with $597 million? 

Despite her estranged fiancé raving that it’s a waste of money, Maren Padgett decides to try her luck and buys a lottery ticket with the last few bucks in her wallet. What could it hurt? What Burke Shavet wasn’t expecting was for Maren to actually win. With dollar signs in his eyes, he starts making big plans for the big winnings, contrary to Maren begging him to slow down. She’s uncomfortable with how fast he’s moving, with good reason. 

She should’ve trusted her instincts. Pushing a spur of the moment trip to the Grand Canyon, Burke had it all planned out… 

Maren owes her life to the people living at the bottom of the canyon. Especially to the mysterious black-haired man named Thann who rescued her. The problem is she doesn’t remember why her life was in danger to begin with. She can’t remember anything actually. But slowly, her memories are returning, and no one is happy with what she’s recalling.

Warning! Contains lumpy soap, a shopping spree, a heavy load, an Oscar-worthy performance, five hundred million reasons, white water, petroglyphs, and a devastating act that brings two people together seeking justice...and love.

Excerpt and Buy Links

Music Can Be a Magical Time Machine

By Maureen L. Bonatch

When I’m in the car I usually listen to my favorite, hand-selected songs I’ve accumulated on my phone or iPod, but occasionally I get a free trial of satellite radio. Even though I might only have the extra stations for a short time, I immediately lock in a few favorite stations to listen to when I’m in the car. 

One of the stations is usually for songs that I recognize but don’t know the name performed by artists I never really knew, singing songs about experiences I’d never lived through from a time before I was born—the 1960’s. 

Music is in my Blood

I love music. I’ve never played an instrument, but I was raised with the radio on and my mother singing along. Or tossing an album, or a 45 record, on the player to dance in the living room with my Mom and sisters was something that could happen on any day. 

When I hear those old songs from

the 1960’s, and into the 1970’s, I’m transported back to that time in my life when things were simpler for me. 

Memories of lazy summer days and long afternoons reading on the sofa were plentiful. 

I can almost hear the scratch of the needle as we changed the album, and I can fondly recall bragging to my friends that we had all the Elvis Presley records. Today when I listen to these old songs on the radio, and sing along to some, I temporarily forget my troubles as the years slip away with the magical time machine music provides.

Let Me Hear the Magic

Imagine watching a movie without the soundtrack. Think of how many movies have a distinctive theme song. One that when you hear it, you return to those characters to visit their world. Surely, I’m not the only one who imagines the wind blowing through my hair and the sound of the waves when I hear My Heart Will Go On? The Titanic theme song is only one of many songs whose sound transports me away from my every day.

Many songs on my iPod evoke a memory. Perhaps they were playing during a significant event, or their verse takes me there. Some of these memories are ones I’d rather forget, because they evoke painful emotions, although these emotions prove helpful to pour into a character and enrich the story while absolving me of the discomfort.

The Playlist Chooses 

Many authors create a playlist when they’re writing a story to help them feel the character and their world better. Writing is the only time that I don’t have music on and I prefer silence, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have a playlist. I don’t intentionally choose songs for the story, but rather the song chooses. 

I’ll hear a particular song and realize it fits the story perfectly, or that I’m longing to run back to write more as it inspires me and delivers character secrets that they’d kept hidden until now. Because to me, music is magical. 

What kind of impression does music make on you?

 

Author Bio: Maureen Bonatch grew up in small town Pennsylvania and her love of the four seasons—hockey, biking, sweat pants and hibernation—keeps her there. While immersed in writing or reading paranormal romance and fantasy, she survives on caffeine, wine, music, and laughter. A feisty Shih Tzu keeps her in line. Find Maureen on her website, Facebook& Twitter

The things I'll do for research: taking up the fiddle!

If you’ve read Faerie Blood and/or Bone Walker, you know that my heroine Kendis Thompson is a fiddle player. There are reasons for that! One is that I am myself an amateur musician, so I’m very inclined to have my protagonists also be musically inclined. Another is that fiddle-playing protagonists are very common in fantasy (and urban fantasy), but also in fiction in general—and in the mythic sources that modern fiction can draw from.

And if you’re a fan of traditional music—Celtic/Irish/Scottish, or if you’re like me, Quebecois—certainly you can’t swing a stick without hitting a fiddle player. Either in the band, or as subjects of songs! “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” is what a lot of Americans think about these days when they think about fiddle players in songs, but in trad music, there are dozens of songs where the subjects involve the fiddle. If you have a song about people showing up for a party, chances are there will be a verse about a fiddle player. If you go up on TheSession.org and search for tunes, you will find lots of them that mention ‘fiddle’ in the title.

And when it comes to songs about musical deals, my favorite, hands down, is Heather Alexander’s Faerie Queen—which has not only a duel, but also a female protagonist fighting the queen of the fey to win back the man she loves. Way more entertaining to me than the idea of just trying to win a fiddle made of gold, because seriously, have you ever thought about how heavy a fiddle made of gold would be? Not to mention whether it would actually produce anything resembling a musical sound.

All of which leads me to note that since I’m a) a writer, b) an amateur musician, and c) a fan of traditional music, it will therefore probably surprise none of you that writing about Kendis has led to me taking up the fiddle myself. When I wrote Faerie Blood, I hadn’t ever handled a fiddle before. But by the time I wrote Bone Walker, I had at least picked a fiddle up once or twice and tried to get noises off of it—and that had led me to discover that if you hit a good strong note on the instrument, that thing will resonate right up your arm. It feels just like magic. There’s a bit in Bone Walker where I describe this, and it’s entirely because I have in fact handled a fiddle now.

When Warder Soul drops, though, I’ll have gotten to the point where I can make better noises—and hopefully even play tunes. I’ve been taking lessons for several months now with a highly skilled teacher, and there are all sorts of things I’ve come to learn about the subtle nuances of motion a fiddle player needs to keep track of when she plays. You have to think about where to put your left hand’s fingers on the instrument. You have to think about where to put your right hand’s fingers on the bow. There’s a certain way you have to twist your left wrist to get your fingers into position. Your left elbow needs to work like a pendulum when you’re changing strings, just to help the angle of your fingers. Your right arm needs to stretch in certain ways as you’re bowing, to help you keep bowing in a straight line.

Which is a lot to keep track of, and that isn’t even touching on playing actual music and how you can do ornamentations and accents on tunes to make them more awesome! All of this is entirely why I wanted to take lessons with an actual teacher—because let me tell you guys, when your native instrument is the flute and you’re used to just having to think about your embouchure and what order you put your fingers down on keys, the fiddle is a whole new paradigm.

And I’m adoring learning about it all. I ain’t gonna lie, my love of music is fueling this a lot more than any needs I have as a writer. But there’s still a lot here I can mine for ways to improve how I write about Kendis. I’ve already utilized some of the ideas of what you have to do with your hands, elbows, and arms to roll over into writing about Kendis getting lessons in magic, just because for me—and by extension, my characters—music and magic are often one and the same.

What about the rest of you? Writers, have you taken up new hobbies as a result of characters you’ve written, or are planning to write? Readers, have favorite characters of yours inspired you to learn a new instrument or craft or other form of art? Share your experiences with me in the comments!

-----

Angela writes as both Angela Korra'ti and Angela Highland, and you can find out all about her books, all of whom have at least one musician in them, at angelahighland.com! Come geek out with her about your favorite fiddle players, and find out who her favorite fiddle players are, on Facebook or Twitter.

Portrait of an Unseelie bard

A friend and reader sent me a link to this story on the newspaper site for the Lexington Herald-Leader, a nice little local color piece about how a bunch of locals gather to make music at a Hardee's restaurant. She thought it'd be relevant to my interests since one of the participants is a gentleman who moonlights as an Elvis impersonator, and she even clipped the picture out of the physical newspaper and sent it to me!

To wit: hurray! A reader thought of me! Thank you, Nancy!

But I do want to talk about what she sent me, because she hand-wrote the question "Elessir?" on the clipping. Since, of course, I have Elessir a'Natharion, Unseelie bard and self-appointed Elvis impersonator, as a major character in Faerie Blood and Bone Walker.

But here's the thing—if you click through to the article, you can find the guy in the carousel of photos. Like pretty much all Elvis impersonators in my experience, he's doing 70's-era Elvis, the Elvis of jumpsuits and scarves.

For the record, Elessir a'Natharion never, ever impersonates 70's-era Elvis.

Part of this comes from my own history as an Elvis fan, and part of it comes from Elessir's in-character experience with Elvis' music.

The part of this that comes from me is that every single time I've seen Elvis impersonators depicted in popular culture, whether on TV or in a movie, it's always played for laughs. And it's always 70's-era Elvis, in full gaudy jumpsuit and scarf glory. The impersonator does up his hair and practices a sneer and drawls "Thank you very much" in as thick a drawl as they possibly can.

I can think of two examples of this off the top of my head—one, an episode in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman back in the 90's, wherein all the cast were inundated with pheromones that lowered their inhibitions. Now, in this version of the Supes storyline, Daily Planet editor Perry White is portrayed as a devout Elvis fan, and I was down with that; I found how he frequently swore "Great Shades of Elvis!" kind of adorable. But in the pheromone episode, what does he do? He slaps on a jumpsuit and a scarf, and tries to imitate Elvis. And it was cringe-inducing for me.

Another example is in Castle, in the episode "Heartbreak Hotel", where Castle and detectives Ryan and Esposito all wind up in Elvis impersonator costumes for plot-related reasons. Not quite as cringe-inducing, but it's still played for comedy.

And none of this is what Elvis actually means to me. None of it touches on Elvis' music.

Now, mind you, I have never actually seen a real live Elvis impersonator perform either. Part of me would be a bit afraid to do so, on the grounds that I'd keep expecting too much emphasis on Elvis-like mannerisms and not enough on actual musical talent.

But there's also the simple matter that I like 50's and 60's era Elvis way more than I do 70's era. The Elvis music I listen to over and over and over again comes from those eras. I'll absolutely break out 70's era stuff every so often—the Aloha Via Satellite concert album is still hugely important to me, as is the live performance of "Let Me Be There" that is one of the earliest Elvis concert tracks my dad ever played for me—but it's the simpler stuff that appeals to me most. The simple 50's-era rock, and the best soundtracks from his movies as well—like King Creole's soundtrack, which crackles from start to finish, and which contains what I consider Elessir's theme song: "Trouble".
Or the sweeter, simpler ballads from movies like Wild in the Country (which I do passingly reference in Faerie Blood), Follow That Dream (which has a lovely little song called "Angel" in it), or Kid Galahad (which has "Home Is Where the Heart Is", which I can actually play on guitar).

And to this day, I have yet to hear of an Elvis impersonator that does young Elvis. Show me one of those, and I might actually consider going to listen to him! (Or her! I do not require my Elvis impersonators to actually be the same gender he was. And if you'd like an idea of how a woman could sound like Elvis, go listen to recordings by his very own daughter. I've heard clips. Lisa Marie sings spookily like her dad.)

All of which swings me back around to Elessir. Something y'all should keep in mind about this boy is, his Elvis affectation, as much as from anything else, is because he likes screwing with the minds of mortals. This boy is Unseelie, after all, and the fey have a long and venerable history of being ready, willing, and able to do exactly that. A big part of him likes to imitate Elvis simply because he knows it screws with humans' heads.

But the part of him he doesn't often show to anybody, the part of him that actually responds to human music in ways the rest of the Unseelie Court looks down on, is drawn to simpler stuff. Elvis singing a simple love ballad with a guitar type stuff. Big, gaudy spectacle like what Elvis did with his concerts in the 70's doesn't impress Elessir. But what will get his attention is the heart and feeling behind a performance—the kind of heart and feeling that made a young Elvis Presley's singing first capture my young ears. The kind of music that in the Unseelie Court, as imagined by me, is a rare and precious gift.

It's the same kind of heart and feeling that has since drawn me to Great Big Sea and Newfoundland music--and much more recently, to Quebecois trad. The kind of powerful joy that comes from being in a session, in a house full of people making music, is exactly what draws Elessir in.

So no, Elessir won't ever put on a jumpsuit or a scarf. He'll be the Elvis impersonator who wears a denim jacket and jeans, with the collar of his shirt turned up behind his neck.

He'll be the one who needs no more instrumentation than a single guitar, and who can enthrall an entire bar just by singing about wild country roses. Hell, if you're an Elvis fan like me, you already know that Elvis was perfectly capable of doing that, and he was a mortal.
But never make the mistake of underestimating Elessir just because of what human he happens to resemble. Because he isn't human. He is born of the Unseelie, a bard and mage, a son of midnight and frost.

And when he unleashes the full strength of his singing, he can call down lightning.

--
Angela writes as both Angela Highland and Angela Korra'ti, and when she's not hanging out with Quebecois fiddle players, she writes fantasy novels with Unseelie Elvis impersonators. Follow her on angelahighland.com or her Facebook page! Or come tell her your favorite Elvis movie on Twitter.

The Magic of Music--More Than You Think

I’m at Conflikt, the Seattle-area filk convention this weekend, and I’m writing this post from my hotel room as we speak. The place is full of filkers, with such luminaries on hand as Cecilia Eng (guest of honor), Alexander James Adams (toastmaster), the PDX Broadsides from Portland, S.J. Tucker, Vixy and Tony, and more! And I can’t think of a better place from which to officially release Bone Walker, Book 2 of the Free Court of Seattle—because we’ve also got the soundtrack that goes with this book and with Faerie Blood, and we’ll be doing a release concert in honor of both the books and the album.

(In fact, if you see this post before 2pm Pacific time on Sunday the 1st, you can actually see that release concert streaming! It'll be available up on fansupported.tv!)

A bit of background! Some of you may recall that Faerie Blood was originally published via Drollerie Press. But when Drollerie folded and rights to our books reverted back to Drollerie authors, I resurrected Faerie Blood via Kickstarter in 2012. I made enough from the Kickstarter to support not only re-releasing that book but also to do Bone Walker. The soundtrack became a stretch goal, offered in digital form to all backers who chipped in at $25 or more.

But 2012 got complicated, since that was also the year I got my contract with Carina Press. I had to let my alter ego Angela Highland do the Rebels of Adalonia trilogy before I could unleash Bone Walker on the world. Meanwhile, medical challenges delayed my wife Dara’s ability to get the soundtrack done. But it all started coming back together the last few months, particularly the soundtrack.

See those names up there in the first paragraph? Some of those people are on our soundtrack album. And some will also be performing at our release concert. We’re particularly excited to have Alexander James Adams involved.

All of this means a great deal to me, because music is critical to the Warder universe. Most of the main cast members of Faerie Blood and Bone Walker are in fact musicians. My heroine Kendis plays violin. Her boyfriend Christopher, Warder Second of Seattle, is a bouzouki player. And Elessir a’Natharion, bard of the Unseelie Court, can pretty much play anything he puts his hands on, not to mention his long and varied history of being able to wreak havoc on mortal listeners with his voice.

The Warder lineage in general is chock full of musicians too—because when your magic constrains you to physically stay in the same city for the rest of your natural life, you need to do everything you can to keep from going stir crazy. For the vast majority of Warders, this means music. Moreover, in my universe, the grand traditions of Celtic and Quebecois music, with their vast wealth of tunes, have the additional punch of magical power. If you see a Warder busking on the street, they’re not just out there to make music. They’re channeling power into the Wards of your city. Every jig and reel is a thread of audible magic.

Because I may be an author first and a musician second—but I’m also a musician. Music has held power for me throughout my life, the power to fan my emotions, to make me sing at the top of my lungs when I’m out walking, and to heal my heart when I’m struggling. It makes me want to grab an instrument of my own every time I see my most admired musicians perform, or to get up and dance and sing along. Sometimes all three at once. (There are reasons my nickname is Anna the Piper!)

It is therefore entirely just and proper that the Free Court of Seattle, the books of my heart, should be full of music that has all that power and more.

And now, some of that music is itself unleashed. The Bone Walker soundtrack is officially available for digital purchase, and you can order the CD too if you want it. Hear it for yourself right over here on Bandcamp, and my official page for the soundtrack with a roundup of other places you can buy it is here!

Meanwhile, Bone Walker the book releases to the world this Tuesday, February 3rd! You can preorder it from Amazon for the Kindle right over here, and many more places to get it are on its official page! You can even order it in print off the Crime and the Forces of Evil Bandcamp site, here!

I hope y’all will consider checking out the book and the soundtrack—and that you’ll see something of the power I hear in music. And if you, yes YOU, would like to win a print copy of Bone Walker for your very own, answer me this question in the comments: what song, in any genre, has magic for you? One week from today, on Sunday the 8th, I will choose a commenter at random and give a copy of the book to that winner.

Thanks for listening!

--
Angela Korra’ti is the author of the Free Court of Seattle urban fantasy series, and her alter ego Angela Highland writes the Rebels of Adalonia trilogy for Carina Press. Come see her geek out about Quebecois trad at angelahighland.com, or follow her on Facebook or Twitter!

(Created), Lost and Found

I was floating around the Twitterverse the other day, as I am wont to do, when I came across a link to the first single of a new album. The artist is Regina Spektor, who I’ve listened to in the past but haven’t heard in awhile. I LOVE this song, "All the Rowboats". It’s beautiful, and surprisingly dramatic for a song about a museum. (Has anything ever appealed more to my nerdy, academic heart? Mmm....no.)

Later, while puttering around on Youtube (please note I was supposed to be writing during all of this), I searched for the song in order to listen to it again.

I found this clip of Ms. Spektor playing and singing it live about a year ago. In her introduction she says that she was searching online for a song and came across a video a fan had uploaded of “All the Rowboats”. She’d forgotten about it. The debut single for her first album in three years, and she’d written, performed, and forgotten about it.

What surprised me was that I knew exactly what she was talking about. So much thought goes into the production of something new, whether it’s a song, a poem or a story. So much effort and energy, hours spent searching for the right word, the perfect intersection or harmony. And then…a shinier idea rears its needy head, or a deadline approaches, or there’s an issue with family, or you move and those precious notes get packed tenderly into a box that’s then crammed into the back of a closet three states away.

We move on. We move on and these stories and characters, those choruses and bridges, they’re left behind. Never heard or read by another, these things cease to exist.

Until their time comes again.

I’m working on a new story. New in that it’s only a year and a half old. I’ve set the cast, the starting and ending points, and certain twists in between. I’ve forgotten it nine times since I created it, but I remembered it ten. And now, it is time.

Have you ever obsessed over something, whether of your own creation or another’s, only to lose it for a spell? Have you ever stumbled upon something only to feel like you've come home?