Edited to add 1/19/10: The follow up to Lightbreaker, called Heartland is coming out soon and true to form, Mark has posted a soundtrack. Check it out!Listen to the interview here!Tell me a little about yourself and your writing.I'm more of a long form writer than a short fiction guy. Farrago's Wainscot serialized my hypertext novel, The Oneiromantic Mosaic of Harry Potemkin, in 2007 (and the expanded edition of it can be found here), and the print arm, Farrago Press, will be putting out the sequel/resolution, Psychobabel, in 2009. In September, my first print novel will be out from Night Shade Books. Entitled Lightbreaker, it is the first part of Codex of Souls, a multi-book romp through Western esoteric thought and occult history in an urban fantasy setting. Both are ambitious projects for the early part of a writer's career, but they seem to be the way my brain wants to tell stories, and I'm going along with it. I'm just a delivery vehicle for the Muse, really. Yes, that's my excuse. Though, honestly, I am at that point in my career when I still have a full-time job, and so I have the luxury of producing material that excites me foremost without necessarily being beholden to market forces. This is the way new writers find their way in, I think, by creating material that is filled with the passionate excess of their naiveté. Or, at least, that's the other excuse I keep using. Tell me about the story that you've created a soundtrack/playlist for.Lightbreaker is divergent from the nominal definition of "urban fantasy." There are no werewolves or vampires, and the magick is based more in actual occult history and practices than Dungeons & Dragons rules. I've never been comfortable with the reliance upon vampires and werewolves as fantasy tropes because their historical definitions don't hold up well in a modern setting. They are predators, really, and we are cattle, and I could never quite world-build them well enough that humanity wouldn't have gotten their shit together and wiped them out. It's a blind spot for me, and I didn't try to make it work. Besides, I'm fascinated with mythology, magico-religious belief structures, and whatever it was that Aleister Crowley was really trying to accomplish with all of his writings. He was either a complete nut or he knew something special, and I think his efforts--like a lot of metaphysical and religious thought--are worth examining. If I can do that while providing an entertaining story with lots of sex and death, then everybody wins. The book itself, in a few words, is the story of a guy, Markham, who has returned to Seattle, searching for a girl, Katarina, who, a decade ago, touched his soul and left it . . . damaged. What he stumbles upon when he gets to town is the girl's new friends, who are playing with very dark magick. These guys are a secretive cabal who are attempting to punch a hole through heaven, and make mischief with what they find. Markham must (to quote the marketing copy) "delve deep into his past, calling on every aspect of his occult training for there to be any hope of a future. But delve he must, for Markham is a veneficus, a spirit thief, the Lightbreaker . . ."Just so everyone has some reference points. I am, after all, about to geek out on a bunch of songs no one has heard in reference to a book no one has read, and I'm going to try to do so without offering spoilers. Yeah, good luck with that, I know. What is your playlist? (Why did you choose these songs?01. "Our Solemn Hour" - Within Temptation02. "Collide" - Detritus03. "Missing Link (Screaming Bird mix)" - Curve04. "Voiceover" - Darrin Verhagen 05. "Acidburn Aesthetic" - Stone Glass Steel06. "." - Darrin Verhagen 07. "Black Star" - Peccatum08. "Lethe" - Detritus09. "Agnus Dei" - Shinjuku Thief10. "Quest" - 302 Acid11. "Greater Than The Sun" - Covenant12. "Shadow Path" - Shinjuku Thief13. "The Great Destroyer" - Nine Inch Nails14. "With Small Shards of Glass" - E.P.A.15. "Uthul Khulture" - Sephiroth16. "Colorless" - Venetian Snares17. "Heaven's Blade" - Coil18. "Procession of Souls" - Shinjuku Thief19. "Shroud (Exordium") - Fields of the Nephilim20. "Straight To The Light" - Fields of the NephilimPlaylist Discussion1. "Our Solemn Hour" Within Temptation (The Heart of Everything)I used to write trailers for my books--big splashy write-ups done in screenplay style where I threw together enough of the high points of the book that I could remember what it was all about six months later, and to give myself a thematic overview of what I was trying to accomplish. For a long time, Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" and Peter Gabriel's "The Rhythm of the Heat" were my go-to songs for trailers, but "Our Solemn Hour" is much more fitting for Lightbreaker. Especially the first big explosion of sound that kicks everything off. Yes, this is the way the world sounds. 2. "Collide" Detritus (Fractured)The book starts with a bang, and it's chapter four before we even slow down enough to really introduce our characters, which is either going make readers love me for not boring them from the start or piss them off mightily. Detritus' "Collide" is a drum 'n' bass symphonic overture, and meshes nicely with a chase that starts in the woods, runs through a small town, and climaxes on the lower deck of a vehicle ferry.3. "Missing Link (Screaming Bird Mix)" Curve (Blackerthreetrackertwo EP)Toni Halliday's voice has always been something of an obsession for me--both in its husky weariness and its seductive allure. It's the voice of a siren who has grown tired of summoning men to their doom, but she knows no other way to find love. The "Screaming Bird Mix" was done by Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame), and he adds a layer of noisy guitars to an already caustic bombast. Markham's search for Katarina is a search for his missing link, and the combination of the relentless claustrophobia of the instrumentation and Toni's voice sums up the psychological history of his quest. 4. "Voiceover" Darrin Verhagen (D/Classified)6. "-" - Darrin Verhagen (Zero-Stung)9. "Agnes Dei" Shinjuku Thief (Medea)12. "Shadow Path" - Shinjuku Thief (The Witch Hunter)18. "Procession of Souls - Shinjuku Thief (The Witch Haven)Darrin Verhagen has a number of pseudonyms, and so his presence on the soundtrack is heavier than it appears at first glance. His choral and orchestral work is superb, and his ability to blend ethnic instrumentation and pure noise anarchy are just the sort of sonic impact I'd love to have in a film. The tracks picked out for the soundtrack are more subdued, but no less powerful. Well, other than the E.P.A. track, but there's no way to soften that blow, really. 5. "Acidburn Aesthetic" Stone Glass Steel (Dismembering Artists) Markham suffers from a bit of schizophrenia via a noise of voices that keep him company, and the "recontextualized" sound of Stone Glass Steel is fitting accompaniment. Phil Easter (SGS) builds his music by sampling and cutting from other works, building something new with elements that trigger other memories and associations in your mind. The mix of industrial noises, dark ambient drones, churning metal guitar, and atmospheric disturbances is schizophrenic enough, and the hints of nearly recognizable riffs from other artists is an added layer of identity confusion 7. "Black Star" Peccatum (Lost in Reverie)This one will be more obvious in retrospect after reading Lightbreaker, but if you read Irhiel (the female voice) as Katarina and Ihsahn (the male voice) as Markham's shadow and the whole song as being told from Markham's view, then it all makes sense. Really. "I am the black star, hostess of your dead heart sun." Some relationships are just doomed, you know, just flat out doomed. 8. "Lethe" Detritus (Fractured) 10. "Quest" 302 Acid (005)These two are mood music, downtempo tracks that try to capture some of the ghostly ambience of the book. The sort of thing you hear as backdrop during one of those rapid-time sequences in CSI where the team makes with the science and solves the crime. You don't want to cut this stuff because it's important to let the audience know that Things Are Being Done, but you certainly don't want it to drag by. A good bassline makes grunt work seem sexier than it really is. 11. "Greater Than The Sun" Covenant (Skyshaper)It's the rolling rhythmic line that really gets me. There are several introspective moments through the book, and the persistent rotation of the world around Markham is mirrored by the looping motion of "Greater Than The Sun." The more I listen to this song, the more I realize it encapsulates Markham's journey through Lightbreaker, right down to the way the bass drops away as Eskil Simonsson sings the chorus, each recitation more fragile and naked than the last. And the title. Yeah, the title is perfect. So, in a nutshell, this is the book. 13. "The Great Destroyer" Nine Inch Nails (Year Zero)Every villain needs a theme song, and this one is probably overly dramatic and heavy-handed, but the sonic breakdown into Autechre beat-fuckery about two minutes into the song is a great aural representation of what happens when you let a guy try to reshape the world in his image. 14. "With Small Shards of Glass" E.P.A. (Black Ice)There is a scene in the book where the phrase "a chattering echo of a thousand knives being sharpened" is used. E.P.A.'s Black Ice is the power electronics CD of Darrin Verhagen's three-part Black | Mass. Yeah, it's an hour of howling, wailing feedback and noise. With subtle variations, of course. And the one "With Small Shards of Glass" seemed about right. 15. "Uthul Khulture" Sephiroth (Draconian Poetry)And, when the world is burning down around you, what do you need? Apocalyptic drums and dark ambient monster noises. The fact that the band is called "Sephiroth" is just a bonus. 16. "Colorless" Venetian Snares (My Downfall) This record is a departure from the drill ‘n' bass that Venetian Snares has been putting out over the last few years, and I think it's a fantastic new facet to his sound. "Colorless" is suffused with melancholy, but it's not quite despair. Not yet. It's mood music for the bleak part of the early morning when your protagonist has to face what he has done, and what he is about to do. "Our hands betray what we have done." 17. "Heaven's Blade" Coil (The Ape of Naples)You can't write a book about magick (with a ‘k') and not have Coil on the soundtrack. That's like showing up to a secret furry convention without a costume. Everyone knows you don't belong. The trick wasn't a Coil song, but WHICH Coil song. The ephemeral fragility of "Heaven's Blade" is well suited for the penultimate scenes of the book. 19. "Shroud (Exordium)" & 20. Straight To The Light" - Fields Of The Nephilim (Mourning Sun) Mourning Sun was on the master playlist for writing the book, and it was always welcome when it showed up on the rotation. "Shroud (Exordium)" and "Straight To The Light," especially (and, really, the first is a long intro to the second). The way the sound builds across the breadth of "Shroud (Exordium)" to that final angelic chorus is just incredible, and I wish--every day--that I had the money to buy an obscenely huge sound system just so I could experience that progression in the bone-shaking way it was meant to be heard. The transition to "Straight To The Light," that opening guitar riff, is the end of the book, that instantaneous cut to black, and if it was up to me, the screen would stay black until the song was over before the credits ran. What does music mean to you? To your writing?It's critical. Both as a means of fueling the muse, and a means of adding texture. We are ultimately responsible for how the words make the scene work, and being able to find music that suits the intent and the impression of a scene enables me to better articulate what I'm trying to do and to find an emotional kicker to the text. Some film directors are more aware of the music than others, and they understand that it's another layer of meaning--much like the lighting and the framing of individual shots--and to poorly execute this layer is to dress the film shabbily. Ridley Scott, with Bladerunner; Michael Mann, with Miami Vice and Heat (really, the whole Miami Vice phenomena came out of marrying sound to visuals); David Lynch, with nearly everything he's done, but especially Twin Peaks; early Eric Serra, with some of Luc Besson's early films (The Big Blue, La Femme Nikita); Peter Gabriel's work for Birdy and The Last Temptation of Christ: these guys have all done great work marrying soundtracks to the visual presentations. When I used to story-storm late at night, I would put on some film filled with eye-candy, turn down the sound, and put the headphones on. Total sensory overload, and every time I'd stop writing in my notebook and look up, my brain would have to parse the music and the visuals. It would always keep me off-balance, always seeing and hearing something not-quite-right but always exciting. Occasionally, I'd find marginalia in my notes that would record songs for scenes, pairings that worked well and left me with the germ of an idea. Music, like film, is communicating via a different sensory avenue than the word, and frankly, we don't steal from it enough. We're happy to heist stylistic tics from other writers, but I don't think we pay enough attention to rhythm (or lack thereof) or visual cues in other media. 5. What kind of music do you like to write to?Writing music is very different from soundtrack music. My primary writing space is the commuter train, and the music serves two functions: propelling me forward and drowning out the constant chatter of the other three people at the small table I'm sitting at. The playlist is noisy, metallic, and operatic: filled with things that are labeled Teutonic Industrial (Rammstein, mostly), Big Broken Beat (Clark, Detritus, Enduser), Rhythmic Noise (Tarmvred, Iszoloscope, Empusae, and Ah Cama-Sotz), Symphonic Metal (Within Temptation, Nightwish, After Forever, Sirena), Tribal Illbient (Monolith, Sephiroth, and This Morn' Omina), Black Metal (Fields of the Nephilim, mostly), and Industrial Angst (Nine Inch Nails, Ministry, Otep, Die Warzau). The current playlist has about 700 songs, and I just let it spin on random. If this story was made into a movie, who would you want to do the soundtrack?Either Darrin Verhagen or David Dando-Moore. Verhagen writes these evocative film scores and dance company soundtracks that are a combination of ambient soundscapes, tribal raves, cataclysmic waves of emotional angst rendered as chaotic noise, and cinematic downtempo stuff. A lot of the first draft of the Lightbreaker soundtrack was huge chunks of his records, under his own name and his various aliases (Shinjuku Thief, Shinjuku Filth, E.P.A.). His work always evokes a lot of imagery and wild scenarios. Dando-Moore records as Detritus, and his latest record, Fractured, is an smashing collection of Big Beat downtempo instrumentals that make Massive Attack look like a bunch of octogenarians noodling around with primitive tape loops. I wish Hollywood would discover him for the next Bond film, as his tracks would add an extra level of aural eroticism and bang 'n' snap to every scene. I just watched Michael Mann's Miami Vice again the other night and was quite taken with how Mann used his soundtrack in place of actual scene sound. Having the right guy providing "mood music" can create an emotional impact of a scene that doesn't require words.Anything else you'd like to say about music and writing/creating?One of the ideas that I've never been able to figure out how to accomplish effectively is a series of novellas and EPs. Writer and musician produce an object that is a story with a soundtrack. You listen to one while you read the other. Brian Evenson did a spoken word disc for Ant-Zen a couple of years ago called Altmann's Tongue. He read from his stories and Xingu Hill and Tamarin made creepy dark ambient noises underneath. It's a very cool disc. But I'd like to separate the two a little more, and have the music be a pure soundtrack to the reading experience, and not marry it quite so closely to the text. Package it all up in an overly thick DVD case (CD on one side, short book on the other, much like the current PC game cases). I think both writer and musician, provided the pairing is good, could find fuel in the creative efforts of the other. That's what it's really about anyway: fuel for the creative engine. Nicolas Chevreux at Ad Noiseam has just made available a PDF magazine to accompany Raoul Sinier's latest record, Brain Kitchen. Formatting aside, it's exactly the marriage of art, word, and sound that I was thinking about. Visit the Brain Kitchen.To learn more about Mark, visit his website.Next week, I interview author Mandy Roth.

Writers and Their Soundtracks

Author Interview: Mark Teppo

Listen to the interview here!Tell me a little about yourself and your writing.I'm an award-winning writer of historical fiction set in the Middle Ages and just about to have my seventeenth novel, THE TIME OF SINGING, published in the UK. In the USA I have recently agreed a deal to have two of my novels published – THE GREATEST KNIGHT and LORDS OF THE WHITE CASTLE.I began by writing near the historical romance end of the genre and have gradually moved along the line to mainstream historical fiction, telling the life stories of people who actually lived in the Middle Ages. I guess I'd be on the same author page list as Sharon Kay Penman, Philippa Gregory, and Anya Seton.As far as my personal writer's journey goes, I have been telling stories since I was old enough to talk. My earliest memory is of being three years old and making up a story one light summer evening when I'd been put to bed. I wasn't sleepy, so I opened out my handkerchief and I made up a story about the fairies printed on it. It's quite a vivid memory. I loved adventure stories as a child, both the historical kind and the ones that covered myth and legend. I loved folk tales from around the world and the ancient stories such as the Illiad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid. If I hadn't taken to writing historical fiction (after falling in love with a tall, dark handsome knight on a TV programme when I was fifteen), then I'd probably have taken to fantasy writing instead. Indeed, I still have a slight yen to rework some of the Scottish Border Ballads into new branches! Tell me about the story for which you’ve created a soundtrack. I create soundtracks for all my stories; it's an integral part of the writing process, so I guess I'll go with my most recently completed novel, THE TIME OF SINGING. This is about a twelfth-century lord called Roger Bigod whose father, through treachery, lost the trust of King Henry II. The latter razed the family castle at Framlingham and took away many of their lands. After his father died, Roger had to work his way back up fortune's ladder. While at court doing this, he met Ida de Tosney. She was King Henry's young mistress (reluctantly so) and had borne him a son. She and Roger got together after a few hiccups and married, but that didn't mean they left their problems behind. Far from it. Roger was still struggling to regain his inheritance and Ida was grief stricken over some things in her past (not to give the plot away). Her sorrow, combined with Roger's long absences on business for the Crown meant that their relationship was in danger of foundering. Both had to fight battles on several fronts - physical, political, emotional. The history of England at this period is woven into the story of Roger's and Ida's struggle. What is your playlist? 1. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS - ApocalypticaThis is an instrumental that runs as a general theme throughout the novel. The bittersweetness of the tune and arrangement are perfect for starting out Roger and Ida's story.2. THE PROMISED LAND - Bruce Springsteen.This is the hero's viewpoint as he faces up to his father. His feelings of desperation and anger. His grit to do something about the situation, especially the last verse. 'Gonna be a twister to blow everything down, that ain't got the faith to stand its ground.' 3. PRAYER OF THE REFUGEE - Rise Against. Roger burns his bridges on the eve of a battle.4. THE MONSTER IS LOOSE - Meat Loaf. The battle of Fornham.5. BEAUTIFUL GIRL - INXSKing Henry sets eyes on Ida de Tosney and her vulnerable innocence is irresistible to him. 6. THE MAN WITH THE CHILD IN HIS EYES - Kate BushIda encounters Roger at court for the first time.7. A GOOD HEART - Feargal SharkeyRoger is attracted to Ida but wary because she is the King's mistress8. SWEET SIXTEEN - Billy IdolKing Henry's relationship with Ida and having to let her go 9. LOVE IS ONLY A FEELING - The DarknessRoger's feelings towards Ida in the long term10. ETERNAL FLAME - The BanglesIda falls heavily for Roger 11. SWETE SONE - Mediaeval BaebesIda's grief at a certain particular leave-taking 12. INEVITABLE - AnberlinRoger and Ida's wedding night. 'I want to be your last first kiss' is so romantic. A wonderful, poignant song. 13. SLOW HAND - The Pointer SistersIda's feelings towards Roger in the first days of their marriage14. YOU BURN FIRST - AlexisonfireA jousting scene with vicious family conflict. I love the building angry menace in this. In a very warped way it kind of reminds me of Ravel's Bolero! 15. LIGHTNING CRASHES - LiveThe birth of Roger and Ida's first son - Hugh. The mingling of angst, sorrow and over-arcing joy.16. JEALOUS GUY - Bryan Ferry and Roxy MusicRoger's jealousy over Ida's past17. TURN, TURN, TURN - The ByrdsRoger rebuilding his life and his family's prestige.18. CHINA - Tori AmosRelationship troubles19. JUST LIKE THAT - Monique BrumbyMore relationship material20. FORTRESS AROUND YOUR HEART - StingThe attempt at conciliation. This also ties in to the building of the new castle at Framlingham and the strains it has put on Roger and Ida. 21. SNOW - Grey Eye GlancesIda in sad and thoughtful mood but with a glimmer of hope.22. PLAY IT AS IT LAYS - Patti ScialfaLife goes on and one has to make compromises. 23. KEEP THE FAITH - Bon JoviRoger trying to work a deal with his brothers. It's the slower version I'm using from the album 'This Left Feels Right.' 24. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS - Lucie SilvasThe grand finale from Ida's viewpoint and linking into track 1 25. NOTHING ELSE MATTERS - MetallicaThe grand finale from Roger's viewpoint. What does music mean to you? To your writing?Music has always exerted a strong pull for me. Right from the moment I wrote my first novel as a 15-year-old, I have used songs as a way of understanding my characters and for getting into and developing their emotional lives. Songs in themselves tell stories - frequently of deeply or strongly held feelings and I harness the resonances in lyrics and music as part of my creative process. I had popular music soundtracks to my novels long before film makers started using them regularly in blockbusters or on TV to sell cars and insurance! People are often surprised to know that I use modern hard rock music (among others) to inspire my novels, but it's my opinion that society changes, not people. The lyrics in a song such as Cat Stevens' Father and Son are as relevant to the Middle Ages as they are today, juxtaposing as they do the impatience and fire of youth with the tolerance and knowing of maturity. What kind of music do you like to write to?I don't actually write to music. I listen to the music away from my PC screen and I know when I get an adrenalin surge in the gut that it's right for the novel. I will gradually lay down a soundtrack during the first draft of writing and I will listen to it over and over again around the house or at the gym - basically while doing mundane stuff. The above mentioned resonances will come into play and enter my subconscious where they join the general melange of ideas and creativity. When I come to actually write, they'll have been processed ready to take their part in the writing. My favourite music is melodic but hard rock - Anberlin, Seether, Fair to Midland, The Used, Springsteen, Counting Crows, AFI. However, my tastes are eclectic. At the softer end I love traditional folk with a modern edge such as practised by Show of Hands. The only things you won't find me listening to are opera and hip-hop/rap. Having said that I do like operatic rock. Meat Loaf's a favourite and everyone should listen to the album Oceanborn by Nightwish. If THE TIME OF SINGING was made into a movie, who would you want to do the soundtrack?Loreena McKennit would be good. I love The Mummer's Dance and I'd be happy with a background track like that. Although rock works well for me as a creative medium, I think a movie would need something a bit more fluid with a wistful historical feel. To learn more about Elizabeth, visit her website.Next week, I offer my own soundtrack and some thoughts on what I've learned during this series!

Author Interview: Elizabeth Chadwick

Listen to the interview here!Tell me a little about yourself and your writing.I am an actor/writer/fight choreographer - though mainly focusing on novels these days. I began writing plays and had two produced, in London, Calgary, and Vancouver. But I always dreamed of being an historical fiction novelist. I had the idea for French Executioner in a gym when I looked ay my neck and thought how easy a target it would be for the executioner's sword. Six years later I began writing it... and a career was born!I have written nine novels in eight years: six adult and three young adult. People read my work and say: Ooh, I can see the film! My acting background I suppose - big on visuals and character.Tell me about the story that you've created a soundtrack/ playlist for.I used the following playlist as I wrote my latest novel, VLAD: THE LAST CONFESSION. I was at a retreat on the west coast of Vancouver Island, overlooking the pounding Pacific in a remote cabin and these tracks seemed to fit for reasons that are largely unexplainable. Taking me to other places, other times.What is your playlist?I call the whole thing after one song: 'Please read the letter.'Love Her Madly - The Doors. Used to live in LA. Loved it, hated it. Same goes for her. This is love. New York, New York - Ryan Adams. Ditto NYCIn These Shoes - Kirsty MacColl. Sexy, funny, great horn section. Sultanas de Merkaillo - Ojos de Brujo. Parents lived in Spain. Wanted to be able to say I was into Acid flamenco. I am.Nothin' - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. I love stories in songs. This is tragedy.I'm Set Free - The Velvet Underground. Theme music that closed my first play. Set free to find a new illusion? Yupp!Loose Change - Bruce Springsteen. An obscure track from the best storyteller.Constellations - Jack Johnson. A stargazer/storyteller's song.Nocturne in C Sharp Minor - Chopin. Heartbreak. And what cello!Picture This - Blondie. Just because its my favourite ever romantic pop song. 'I would gve you my finest hour/the one I spent, watching you shower'The Raggle Taggle Gypsy - The Waterboys. Explosive Celtic lust.Seven Nation Army - White Stripes. One to march to.Please Read the Letter - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. Heartbreak again. The misunderstandings of love and the difficulties of words. What does music mean to you? To your writing? What kind of music do you like to write to?I use music as an escape from writing. I never write to music. That's why, even though I am immersed in 15th century Romania, I can escape to 20th Century LA with The Doors. Or I need to calm after a hectic battle. Chopin works!If this story was made into a movie, who would you want to do the soundtrack?The guy who did the music to 'Last of the Mohicans' [Trevor Jones and Randy Edelman]To learn more about Chris, visit his website.Next week, I interview author Elizabeth Chadwick

Author Interview: C.C. Humphreys

Listen to the interview here!Tell me a little about yourself and your writing.I’m a 21-year-old British woman, I graduated from King’s College, London last summer with a BA in War Studies and History, and I now work as a Content Editor for Jane’s Information Group.I’ve been writing for about ten years now, in which time I’ve amassed (and lost, sometimes) a lot of terrible juvenilia and, more recently, a novel (The Bone Queen) that I hope to submit to agents early next year. Two years ago I started writing short fiction. In that time I’ve sold stories to several magazines, including Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet, Electric Velocipede, Sybil’s Garage and Farrago’s Wainscot.  I’m currently working on several things: revising The Bone Queen; starting a novel about a war between humans and the so-called “water-people” in an alternate world based on Thailand, told in the form of various texts from the world; and I’m writing some short fiction.  Most of my writing tends to the fantastical, with some science fiction in the mix. I don’t apply further labels; I find them a waste of time. Tell me about the story that you've created a soundtrack/playlist for. I tend to have very few songs for a story, sometimes even one, not a whole soundtrack. Rather than give you the one song that I played a lot while writing The Bone Queen, I’ve compiled various songs that have either been mini-soundtracks or inspirations for three pieces of work. The Bone Queen is about the deal that Beth, a gunslinger, gets involved in with a story-figure, Kaili, who requests that she steal a necklace from the Bone Queen in return for the information that the Bone Queen can rid Beth of the angry ghosts following her. Meanwhile another gunslinger, Jeckel, pursues a monster that desiccates towns; and Imi, a Professor of Oral History, pursues an old tale about a man with carpets for skin. It has storytelling magic, a monster made of squares and other fun things. The second piece of work is a short story, “Tattoos of the Sky, Tattoos of the Days,” published in issue 5 of Sybil’s Garage and free to read online. It’s about unhappiness and finding love.Another short story is “An Orange Tree Framed His Body,” which is about an eighteen-year-old boy doing two things: participating in a violent rebellion against the government that’s killing the semi-sentient plumbing of the city, and facing the pattern of suicides in his family. The story is set in an alternate world with fantasy elements, but with a technology level among the elites of the society that includes cloning. I finished the first draft of it in early August; it was a difficult story to write, it pushed at what I’m able to do as a writer, so the first draft was not very good. I’m hopeful that I can edit it into something strong. What is your playlist? DeVotchKa - La LloronaDeVotchKa - Charlotte Mittnacht (The Fabulous Destiny Of)DeVotchKa - TragedyCornershop - We’re in Yr CornerAugie March - The Night is a BlackbirdPatrick Wolf - The StarsSnow Patrol - You Could Be HappyAugie March - Bolte and Dunstan Talk YouthAugie March - The Baron of SentimentLa Llorrona is the song that I often put on repeat to get into the right mindset for The Bone Queen. Something about it contains deserts, open spaces, a hint of the unusual. When not listening to just that song, I put on all my songs by DeVotchKa. Charlotte Mittnacht and Tragedy are two of my favourites. I also listened to Cornershop through some stretches.The Night is a Blackbird inspired the opening of “Tattoos…”; it became the line “The night is a blackbird and it lives on Gemma’s arm.” The rest of the song didn’t do anything for the story, just that opening line. Then, a couple of months after I wrote it, the story was accepted for publication by Sybil’s Garage. If you take a look inside an issue of Sybil’s Garage, you’ll see that every story is presented with a song that it can be read ‘to the sound of…’ I spent the next half a year on-and-off thinking about what song I would choose. Though The Night is a Blackbird had inspired the story, it wasn’t a soundtrack for the story. And I hadn’t listened to anything in particular while writing it. I settled eventually on Patrick Wolf’s The Stars, because the words are appropriate -- there are stars on the wings of the blackbird on Gemma’s arm -- and, the more I listened to the song, the more I thought that its sound suited the story.Snow Patrol’s You Could Be happy -- Now, this isn’t a very deep song. It’s about lost love: nothing remarkable. Except the sound of it, and just some of the lyrics -- You could be happy / I hope you are -- did something in my head, and the song fit with Au’s relationship (not a sexual one) with his father in “An Orange Tree Framed His Body”. The final lines of the song -- More than anything / I want to see you go / Take a glorious bite / Out of the whole world -- inspired how the story ended. I also listened to a lot of Augie March while writing this story; Bolte and Dunstan Talk Youth and The Baron of Sentiment particularly suited it. What does music mean to you? To your writing?Music can be an inspiration, an accompaniment. Music can make me stop and listen, think about something new or something in a different way. It’s something I need in my life, like flavoursome food and the countryside. What kind of music do you like to write to?Music with the right kind of sound.  That doesn’t tell you much, does it? It’s hard to explain. I mean how the music feels to me -- something that comes from the notes played, the lyrics sung (if there are any) and how it makes me react in my head. It can be for just one song, or for all of a band’s music. I write to music with a sound that matches the story. If this story was made into a movie, who would you want to do the soundtrack?I would love DeVotchKa to perform a soundtrack to The Bone Queen. Their music is very different to usual soundtrack music -- both orchestral compositions and pop music -- and I’d like that. Their music can be jaunty and whimsical, thoughtful and sad; they’d have no trouble capturing the range of moods in a story. To learn more about Alex, visit her LiveJournal.Next week, I interview author C.C. Humphreys.

Author Interview: Alex Dally MacFarlane

Listen to the interview here!Tell me a little about yourself and your writing.I’ve been writing for years, off and on, but I never tried writing historical fiction until I re-read Christopher Marlowe’s play Edward the Second online and became fascinated by the historical background to the play. I began researching the reign of Edward II, and when I stumbled across the story of his niece, Eleanor de Clare, I knew I had to tell her story. Her story became my novel, The Traitor’s Wife, and her eldest son’s story became my second novel, Hugh and Bess: A Love Story. I’m now working on a novel set during the Wars of the Roses.Tell me about the story that you've created a soundtrack/playlist for.The Traitor’s Wife, set in fourteenth-century England, follows the dramatic changes in fortune of Eleanor de Clare, favorite niece of the ill-fated Edward II and the wife of Hugh le Despenser, who’s believed by many to have been Edward II’s lover. Eleanor at various times in her life was a lady in waiting to Edward II’s queen, the wife of the most powerful (and most hated) man in England, a prisoner in the Tower of London, an accused thief, and the subject of litigation between two men who each claimed to be her husband.What is your playlist?Bedrich Smetana, “The Moldau,” from Ma Vlast. This piece is a musical depiction of a river, and it reminds me of Eleanor’s uncle Edward II, who enjoyed rowing and swimming at a time when both pastimes were considered far beneath the nobility.Carl Orff's “Oh, Fortuna,” from Carmina Burana. The terrible scene where Eleanor’s first husband is executed always takes place to this piece in my head.Edward William Elgar, Enigma Variation No.9: Adagio (Nimrod). A lovely piece of music that I associate with my novel, though I can’t really explain why.Bruce Springsteen, “Rosalita” —for the scene where Eleanor elopes with her second husband.Bruce Springsteen, “Dancing in the Dark.” This was a long novel, and I love the line in this song: “I’m sick of sitting 'round here trying to write this book.”There are others, but I would have to hear them on the radio to remember them. I should steal my daughter’s iPod.What does music mean to you? To your writing?I enjoy music a great deal, from rock to classical to truly awful pop, though I can’t say it has had a profound effect on me or my writing. It’s just something I like to have with me and that I would miss terribly if it wasn’t around.What kind of music do you like to write to?I don’t listen to music when I write fiction—I find that it negatively affects my concentration. Strangely, my day job with a legal publisher involves writing too, but there’s no creativity involved, so I don’t find the classical music I have in the background distracting. But with fiction, the only sound is my computer keys tapping.If this story was made into a movie, who would you want to do the soundtrack?That’s a very hard question for me to answer, because with the exception of Marie Antoinette, most of the movies I’ve seen in the last few years have been comedies. Adrian Johnston did the soundtrack for the BBC miniseries “Our Mutual Friend” about a decade ago, which I really liked, and Patrick Doyle has done the soundtrack for a number of films I’ve enjoyed. But I had to go to the Internet Movie Database to get their names—I’m not at all au courant on these matters.To learn more about Susan, visit her website.Next week, I interview author Jason Erik Lundberg.

Author Interview: Susan Higginbotham

Listen to the interview here!Tell me a little about yourself and your writing.I grew up in New Jersey and now live in Washington, D.C. I work by day as an editor and researcher, but I write about medieval history: my book Becoming Charlemagne: Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A.D. 800 was published by HarperCollins in 2006.2. Tell me about the story that you've created a soundtrack/playlist for. Becoming Charlemagneretells the story of the coronation of Karl, King of the Franks, whom history remembers as Charlemagne. The book is short, almost novelistic in style, and intended for readers who have no prior knowledge of medieval history.Charlemagne's coronation in the year 800 was one of the most important events in European history, but I've tried to put it in context by taking the reader to Rome, Constantinople, and Baghdad. I've also offered glimpses of medieval Jewish communities and the routines of ninth-century peasants.3. What is your playlist? (To get Jeff's playlist all in one convenient place, check out his iMix) William Shatner featuring Joe Jackson, "Common People"When you're holed up in an air-conditioned apartment writing an imaginative re-creation of the difficult lives of medieval peasants, only a force as powerful as William Shatner can keep you from taking yourself too seriously.Fiona Apple, "Criminal"I listened to this creepy song whenever I needed to write about Irene of Byzantium, the ruthless empress who had her own son blinded. Her power-grab and brief diplomatic relations with Charlemagne earned her an entire chapter in my book. Associating her with this song attributes to her a conscience that she probably didn't have in real life.Gogol Bordello, "Start Wearing Purple"This song appears to be about a mail-order bride, but I like to pretend it's about imperial politics. I get a kick out of hearing the band's wild Ukranian singer declaring "I know it all from Diogenes to the Foucault."Neil Finn, "She Will Have Her Way"The lyrics are deeply sad, but the music is sprightly. That contradiction is a nice little lens through which to view medieval history.Thompson Twins, "The Gap"Stop giving me that look. This song was on my mind as I wrote about medieval Baghdad because of its subtle message about globalization, intercultural conflict, and the need for increased East-West cooperation. Not buying it? Then just dance already. Anna Nalick, "Satellite"Although medieval people never had to worry that the star they wished on might turn out to be a man-made object, this pop anthem can, if you let it, evoke images of lonely monks and wistful Carolingian princesses.Audioslave, "Cochise"I have no idea what this song is really about, but it makes me want to go conquer somebody.Toby Lightman, "Angels and Devils"I first heard this one on the short-lived TV show "Wonderfalls." The song is actually about a woman who plans to ambush her cheating lover, but the angel/devil imagery and the singer's relentless sense of purpose reminded me of the conspirators who attacked Pope Leo III on the streets of Rome. That ambush set in motion centuries of history--and the second half of Becoming Charlemagne.Colin Hay, "Overkill"This song has nothing to do with Charlemagne, but it has everything to do with Charlemagne-induced insomnia, especially in its depiction of sleeplessly wandering the streets at night: "Well, at least there's pretty lights..."France Gall, "Sacre Charlemagne"There aren't many pop songs about Charlemagne; I take what I can get. France Gall was cute as a button.James McMurtry, "Charlemagne's Home Town"Although I discovered this one after the book was published, I was impressed that a singer could tie together such diverse subjects as Charlemagne, international travel, and long-distance relationships in a single country song.Jeff Buckley, "Hallelujah"I prefer this more sentimental cover to Leonard Cohen's original. Packed with images of sex, love, history, and religion, this song captures the intense wistfulness of bidding adieu to figures you've "known" for several years as they fade back into history's shadows. If you're looking for an unusual creative challenge, try writing new verses to this song. It takes real effort to rhyme "hallelujah" and not sound completely ridiculous.4. What does music mean to you? To your writing?I rely on music for escapism. Writing is intense, lonely work, all the more so because writing about the Middle Ages pulls my mind far away from the generally amiable world in which I live. I understand why most writers need classical music or instrumentals to get them going, but I need rock and pop music--songs like those on my playlist--to bring me back to my senses.5. What kind of music do you like to write to?I'll often listen to music to get inspired, but I rarely write to music. Strange as it may sound, I write to the noise of television.6. If this story was made into a movie, who would you want to do the soundtrack?If Becoming Charlemagne were made into a decent movie, I'd want the music to be reminiscent of the soundtrack to the HBO series "Rome," in all its moodiness and exoticism. I've often joked that I'd settle for a Sci-Fi Channel original movie, in which case I'd want heavy metal all the way. Any adaptation is bound to be unrecognizable, so it might as well be highly stylized and fun.To learn more about Jeff, visit his website Quid Plura?.Next week, I interview author Susan Higginbotham.

Author Interview: Jeff Sypeck

Listen to the interview here! Tell me a little about yourself and your writing.I'm a thirtysomething Scottish writer who's queer in a few senses of the term. I guess I write the sort of pulp modernist stuff that has people confused over which genre it sits in, with SF, Fantasy and Horror tropes all mixing it up with a very literary sensibility (I read too much James Joyce as a kid and way too muc William Burroughs). Thing is, I grew up with the default label for that -- books like Zelazny's ROADMARKS or Silverberg's THE BOOK OF SKULLS or Moorcock's CORNELIUS QUARTET -- being SF, but these days it seems to be more commonly called Fantasy... or cross-genre, or slipstream, interstitial, New Wave, New Weird, New Wave Fabulist -- I've sort of given up on all these labels. These days I just call it strange fiction. Tell me about the story that you've created a soundtrack/playlist for.VELLUM was my first book, and the first half of a diptych, THE BOOK OF ALL HOURS, completed with INK. I think of it as kind of a "Cubist fantasy". The narrative is non-linear, with the story fragmented across this Moorcockian multiverse, the Vellum of the title, with the characters playing out their roles (or trying to escape them) across the various folds of the Vellum, in different incarnations. The basic idea is that you've got a language called the Cant which allows humans to "write" reality on that Vellum. Humans who get themselves rewritten by the Cant basically become gods amongst men -- unkin. The downside of this is that you have one group of these unkin, the Covenant, who see themselves as angels of God, and they're basically building up to an apocalypse where they intend to wipe out all opposition. The heroes are rogues unkin who don't want to participate in this War in Heaven on either side; they remember what it is to be human and just want to live like the rest of us. It's basically about their struggle to survive as reality falls apart around them. What is your playlist? TV Eye, The StoogesHoppípolla, Sigur RosTenderness and Scar Tissue, Five Seconds to Self-DestructionJumpin' Jack Flash, The Rolling StonesThe Green Fields of France, The FureysFairytale of New York, The Pogues & Kirsty MacCollThe Wrecker and the Wrecked, Five Seconds to Self-DestructionSearch and Destroy, The StoogesAnarchy in the UK, Sex PistolsNancy Boy, PlaceboI Wanna Be Your Dog, The StoogesGoodbye You Fucking Thief, G-PlanThe Drama of Being With You, Five Seconds to Self-DestructionOperation Jack Goes Boom, Five Seconds to Self-DestructionIf You Love Me, You'd Destroy Me, Aereogramme (& Hal Duncan) What does music mean to you? To your writing?I love music. Who doesn't? If I had the talent to actually sing or play an instrument I'd totally be in a band. It might not be a good band but, it'd be... enthusiastic, if nothing else. The poetry I write is pretty traditionally lyrical because I'm drawn to the musical patterning, I guess -- the rhythm and rhyme. Even my prose has a tendency towards the lyrical at times. I've actually written a lot of songs -- lyrics and music that exists in my head (but that I don't, unfortunately, have any effective way of communicating to others, given my appalling singing voice.) Hell, I've got a full musical scripted as a libretto, all the songs -- duets, reprises, medleys, the full whack -- and it sounds great in my head. If I could play piano, write sheet music or something, I'd be well up for trying to stage it. But hey ho. The nearest I've got to actually making music is a collaboration with the band Aereogramme for the Ballads of the Book album that came out last year from Chemikal Underground, that and fiddling around on my own with Apple's Garageband software. That's where the Five Seconds to Self-Destruction stuff comes from actually; it's kind of a proper actual soundtrack to VELLUM and INK in the sense that the tracks were put together with the books in mind, scenes and characters. It may not be terribly proffessional at all, but sod it; I like it. What kind of music do you like to write to?I don't actually write to music at all, I'm afraid. It's too distracting, I find. I can't focus on my words with someone else's being sung in my ear. And even if it's instrumental music, my attention gets drawn away into it so I lose focus on the text. The thing is, voice is a big part of my writing, and if you're working on prose that has it's own rhythm, even a soundscapey post-rock track that matches the mood of a scene perfectly is liable to clash with what's going on in my head. I mean, if you're working out a sentence, you write down your first version, read it through, change a few words, read it through again, and repeat until it flows right. So it's like editing some piece of experimental music: record, rewind and play; rewind, cut here, splice there, and play; and so on. To me, it's like trying to edit one track with another track playing constantly in the background, and not being rewinded in time to the one you're working on. If this story was made into a movie, who would you want to do the soundtrack?Oh, that's kind of a hard one. There's kind of two aspects to the sound I'd want to be there. I'd want the sort of soundscape thing you get from post-rock, from bands like Sigur Ros, Kinski, Aereogramme, Mogwai, G-Plan, mainly instrumental, shifting through quiet and loud phases, really complex and interesting. But at the same time, I'd want some of the three-minute, balls-out garage/punk blast-in-the-face quality you get from The Stooges or the Sex Pistols. I don't know if there's one band that could do that. Then again, Aereogramme's earlier stuff is pretty full-on guitar, so I reckon they'd be fucking awesome. And since they called it quits last year after their latest (and I think best) album, this'd mean they'd have to get back together, right? So, yeah, I'll go with them. They'd do a fucking awesome job. To learn more about Hal, visit his blog Notes from the Geek Show.Stop by next week for my interview with author Jeff Sypeck.

Author Interview: Hal Duncan

Listen to the interview here!Tell me a little about yourself and your writing.I’m an odd bird who found a home with writing paranormal. Yep. I said it. I think admitting it is really the first step to total acceptance.Tell me about the story that you've created a soundtrack/playlist for. I’ll talk a little about DEMONIC DESIRES (from Ellora’s Cave) and the soundtrack I listened to for it. DEMONIC DESIRES centers around a group of demons, right hand men to Lucifer, who broke ranks and saved lives rather than taking them. It’s the first book in the stories of the Lost Warriors redemption. The opening scene is a really dark, twisted sex one. My playlist needed to reflect this so I went with Danzig’s Underbelly of The Beast to kick it off. The story then takes a lighter note, introducing you to the characters out of their normal element. I brought in a good deal of Celtic flare for this because the heroine is a warrior from Valhalla. What is your playlist? Why did you choose these particular songs?I’ll give you a snippet of the list because there over 3500 items in it with 230 hours of play time… and this is JUST for DEMONIC DESIRES. I make a new list for every book. Danzig-Underbelly of The BeastRob Zombie- Living Dead Girl (Naked Exorcism Remix)Rob Zombie-DragulaProdigy—Smack My Bitch UpProdigy—FirestarterMarilyn Manson—The Beautiful PeopleMarilyn Manson—The Dope ShowMarilyn Manson—Man That You FearNine Inch Nails—Head Like a HoleNine Inch Nails—Terrible LieNine Inch Nails—CloserSmashing Pumpkins—Tonight, TonightQueensryche - Silent LucidityStained - It’s Been AwhileSilverchair- Wait Til TomorrowFaith No More – EpicBilly Idol-- Eyes Without A FaceStabbing Westward - Waking Up Beside You (Remix)Gregorian-- Se Eu Fosse Um Dia O Teu OlharGregorian-- Meditazione- Christus Factus EstDanzig—CantspeakMassive Attack & Mos Def-I Against IPigeonhed - Battle Flag (Lo-Fidelity Allstars Remix)Alice in Chains-- Man In The BoxRed Hot Chili Peppers-- Blood Sugar Sex MagikSantana-- Put Your Lights OnEverlast-- Babylon FeelingAFI-- The Leaving Song Pt IILive-- I AloneDisturbed-- Down With The SicknessRob Zombie -- The Lords Of SalemBlue Oyster Cult—Don’t Fear The ReaperLimp Bizkit-- Rollin' (Air Raid Vehicle)Mazzy Star - Fade Into YouKatie Melua—Just like HeavenThe Cranberries—ZombieThe Cranberries—Ode to My FamilyTriniti – NocturneTriniti-- Glen Of ImaalEnya—Only TimeINXS—AfterglowINXS—Never Tear Us ApartBlack Lab—Learn to CrawlBack Lab—Keep Myself AwakeLed Zeppelin—KashmirHeart—Magic ManThree Doors Down—When I’m GoneStyx—RenegadeAndy Gibb—Shadow DancingThe Corrs-- Brid Og Ni MhailleTrapt—EchoWhen in Rome—The PromiseTwisted Sister—We’re Not Gonna Take ItJay-z & Linkin Park - Numb/EncoreAlanis Morissette – UninvitedBlack Sabbath — ParanoidBlack Sabbath — Iron ManBerlin - Take My Breath AwayDHT- Listen To Your Heart (Edmee's Unplugged Vocal Edit) What does music mean to you? To your writing?I don’t watch many movies or much in the way of TV. Music has always been a love of mine. I can still remember the day MTV came on air for the first time. I was six and it totally wiped the floor with Sesame Street. I watched faithfully from that day forward until they started on the reality shows. I had to put up a white flag then. Let the record state that I miss Martha Quinn. Oh, and MTV actually playing music. To me, music is another form of escapism. It can set the mood for you or it can fix the mood you’re in. It’s what you make of it. I love all music, from classical to the rhythmic beating of Native American drums. You name it, I like it—Rock, Classical, Dark Metal, MallCore, Pop, Country, Jazz, Rap/Hip-hop, Foreign (I’m a huge lover of the Italian music scene), Oldies. What kind of music do you like to write to?I’ll make the playlist as I write. If I know I’m entering a really dark scene, I’ll incorporate that vibe into the playlist. When I’m coming out of it, I lighten the mood. I do have one rule, if a Bee Gees song cannot be incorporated into the mix then I’m doing something wrong. Yes. I do have playlists with AC/DC and The Bee Gees sharing airtime. If this story was made into a movie, who would you want to do the soundtrack?I’d like to see Rob Zombie team up with The Cranberries (who can tell me where they are and if they’re still putting out records… I’d love to buy them). I think the collaboration would be odd but I’m betting it would work. Anything else you'd like to say about music and writing/creating?I have a lot of respect for anyone who can create music. It’s their story, put out there for the world to hear.To learn more about Mandy, visit her website.Next week, I interview author Paul Liadis, AKA The Struggling Writer.

Author Interview: Mandy Roth

Listen to the interview here!Tell me a little about yourself and your writing.I teach at a state liberal arts college (I'm a biologist by trade), and I write lots of fantasy and SF – both short stories and books. My third novel is coming out this June, and my fourth one – early in 2009, both from Prime books. [Editor's note: Her novel A Secret History of Moscow was published in 2007. Ekaterina’s short stories have appeared in Baen’s Universe and Fantasy Magazine, and she is the editor of Paper Cities: The Anthology of Urban Fantasy.]Tell me about the story that you've created a soundtrack/playlist for.It's for THE ALCHEMY OF STONE, the novel comes out this month. It's really a love story with anarchy, automatons and gargoyles, and alchemy. I guess it could be classified as steampunk or clockpunk, and I think it is a good book.What is your playlist? Why did you choose these songs?Since it's a novel, I should probably list entire albums.1. Vivaldi - Four Seasons2. Tom Waits- Raindogs3. Elvis Costello and The Brodsky Quartet - The Juliet Letters4. Tom Waits - The Black Rider5. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Murder Ballads6. JS Bach - Well-Tempered Clavier (all of it)7. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - The Boatman's Call8. The Clash - London Calling9. Henry Purcell - Te Deum and JubilateI chose these because I like them, and they all create a dense melancholy atmosphere. Plus, many of them are either about horrible love or decay, both of which feature prominently in the book.What does music mean to you? To your writing?I like it. I never became a connoisseur, but I do enjoy quite a bit of it. I worked in a record store at some point in my youth, and basically ended up grabbing whatever played in the store and sounded good to me. I prefer to write to instrumental music or no music at all, but occasionally I play other things, especially when I'm trying to get myself into a certain frame of mind.What kind of music do you like to write to?Instrumental and baroque – pleasant and not intrusive. Or, you know, really heavy industrial music. Depends on the moods and/or project.If this story was made into a movie, who would you want to do the soundtrack?Michael Nyman, of course, although I do object to the notion that books should be made into movies. To learn more about Ekaterina, visit her website.Next week, I interview author Mark Teppo.

Author Interview: Ekaterina Sedia

A fortnightly podcast on writers, their stories, and their soundtracks which was broadcast during 2008. Hopefully will return one day! Subscribe to the feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/WritersAndTheirSoundtracks

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Writers and Their Soundtracks

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