Music is my Muse

    I am an avid reader.  Some (the husband) might even say I have an addiction to books.  I can safely say that I have read thousands of them.  I just can't seem to get enough.  I love everything from the classics to contemporary romance.  I love to be swept away into another world.  I love being able to live a thousand lives all while living my own.  It is the most exciting thing in the world.
 
    I have recently noticed a trend where authors post their playlists in the back of the book.  I always go and check out what the author was listening to as he/she wrote their story.  I find it interesting how some of the songs might have shaped certain portions of the story.  It wasn't until I set out on my own writing adventure that I truly understood how much music can shape and mold a story.

   It became quite the task to find the perfect music to inspire my writing.  Some parts of the book needed upbeat music, while a great deal of the book needed slow melodic tunes.
 
  As a homage to my book, I thought I might share my playlist with all of you here.  I hope that it might give a little insight into how my crazy mind works.  Enjoy, who knows, maybe you just might find something new!

Lindsey Stirling-  Okay, let's just get serious.  She is EPIC.  How could I not be inspired her awesomeness. Check out her self-titled album or this snippet to see what I am talking about.

                          http://youtu.be/8O12_eo_urM

Christina Perri-  There is something so beautiful and soothing about her voice.  It alleviated a lot of the angst I experienced while writing.  Her songs are like stories in and of themselves. She helped me to dig deeper and find beautiful ways to phrase ordinary things.

                         http://youtu.be/Vq6acZEDGuY

Florence and the Machine-    Alright ya'll, let's get serious.  She is just WOW.  Her songs have been featured in a ton of movies for a reason.  She inspired me to dig deep and get gritty.  I think my favorite has to be Seven Devils.

                         http://youtu.be/yJL5SE1i0u4        

The XX-       I listened to their entire Coexist album working on the first half of the book.  It is so mellow and it just made finding the sweet spot easy.  The husband kept asking me how I was able to stay awake listening to them.  Apparently the album triggers sleepy time for him.

                     http://youtu.be/drdCkc3xBOc

We Were Promised Jetpacks-  This song has been on my playlist for the past few years.  I can't seem to get enough of it.  I can see it playing out like a movie in my head.  Then I heard it again while writing and was floored.  It was on repeat quite a bit.

                                http://youtu.be/e6shmJaOD3Q

   Then of course there were a smattering of other artists I had mixed in.  Alabama Shakes, Metric, Of Monsters and Men, Sia, and so many more.  The ones listed above are where the big stuff happened.  Hearing the songs now makes me immediately think of my characters and their journey.  I can't wait for all of you to read the book and maybe you will come back and listen to the songs in the process.

xoxo,
Michelle