The Magic of Music:
The power of music and the soundtrack of Runaway Lyrics
Music is the closest thing to magic we can wield in this world.
Think about what music does. It moves our emotions. Music can force the happiest man to shed a tear. It makes the brave feel fear.
With music the scared feel calm. The sad are uplifted. Music can paint a picture in the mind’s eye. It can inspire. It can create worlds we can only dream of.
So when I started writing a musical magic system, I knew I was going to need a fantastic playlist.
Once I knew that my main characters favored the violin over other instruments, I thought of Lindsey Stirling.
Her modern take on violin music has the perfect amount of magic and wonder.
For Runaway Lyrics, I listened to Lindsey Stirling. If you’ve never heard of her go google her right now. I picked out one of her songs for each of the major musical moments in the book.
Only two of the major music moments are music other than Lindsey Stirling. They reference other stories that have been adapted to the musical format of either opera or ballet.
The sound track:
I have a YouTube playlist of music videos that correspond to specific parts of the book:https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLK8DRS5lDIJblN566s384zlEvkYpw9zxY
· Opening: “Endgame of Thrones”
This song emphasizes the odds that the sisters find themselves at. Each with different goals and different dreams.·
The song Rose plays in chapter five to control the storm is “Take Flight.”· The song Snow plays in the solarium during the hunter’s attack is “A Midsummer Night’s Dream’’ by William Shakespeare.
(In the book I call it an opera, but I write better to Instrumental than sung, so I used the ballet version on the playlist.)·
The song that Snow plays to freeze the Fae Slavers in the forest is “The Little Match Girl’’ by Hans Christian Andersen. The Song of Shattered Sight is “Shatter Me.”
Obviously.· During the lighthouse scene with the kraken, listen to “Master of Tides.”· “Zelda Medley” is in the forest when Snow and Bayare get cornered by Grand Wizard Arken.
I needed a lot of distinct tones, so a medley worked for this. (Can you tell when the forest fire starts?)·
The song of Entropy is “Elements.”· The epic fight against Arken is “Dragon Age.”·
Epilogue music is “Kingdom Hearts.”· “What you’re made of,” is inspiring and serves as an ending credits song.· The last video on the playlist is just Amazing Violin Music that I used while writing.
If you listen to the playlist, or if you don’t, I hope you enjoyed learning about the musical inspiration for the novel. Writing each scene was easier when I knew what the music sounded like.
Were you already a Lindsey Stirling fan? If not, I hope you give her a listen. What kind of music do you like?
Featured New Release:
Snow loves music.
She has spent her entire life learning new instruments and memorizing new pieces, only to while away her life in a country manor with only her mother and twin sister as company.
If only she could get out on her own and play in front of a real audience.
Rose loves magic.
The things she can do with music would amaze her twin sister, but whenever she shows her, Snow quickly forgets as if the event had never happened.
If only Rose could get out on her own and work some real magic.
When an airship crashes near their home, Snow’s magical abilities awaken. Together the sisters must learn to use their magic, rescue a pair of cursed princes, and discover their own secrets.
Discover the magic of music in this retelling of Snow White and Rose Red.