Writing and music have always gone hand in hand for me. It would be an impossible choice for me to choose between books and music, I’ve grown up loving and collecting both. I still even buy CD’s much as I still buy paperbacks, just call me old-school!
I always have music on when I write. I either create a playlist for what I’m working on or just listen to some of my favourites that I think will fit the mod I’m trying to create with my music. I definitely feel like playing the right song can bring a scene to life and I often imagine a chapter as a film scene and think about what music might be playing in the background. It all helps to bring what I’m writing to life in my mind.
For Dancing in the Fire, I thought first about what mood I wanted to create with the music. The story is a romance but I felt like a more brooding soundtrack would work better than a lighter, pop-based one.
At the start of the story, the main character Becks has lost her parents suddenly and is trying to make sense of the loss. It has shattered her world and she will never be the same again. This called for an opening song that would emphasise her pain and also set the tone for what was to follow. I chose Tina Dico – ’Two Funerals’. Tina writes really honest and beautiful songs and I loved the lyrics in this simple song. It’s a sad moment and a sad song but there is hope as well, which was perfect for this story.
The story also has a setting that suited a slower sound – it takes place in a cabin in the woods. Becks has been driven there by her best friend’s brother as a group of them are staying there on their Christmas break from University. When the others get stuck on the road, Becks and Sam find themselves there alone. I chose Broods song ‘Mother and Father’ for their arrival in the cabin – again the lyrics really fit the story and the song itself was a great opener to their time in the cabin.
There is a scene that takes place by the fireside where Becks is telling Sam a scary story. For most of the songs, I knew instantly what would work and they are songs I own and love but I couldn’t think of one that would work for this scene. I did a search on Spotify and came across ‘Firelight’ by Young The Giant and it was perfect for this scene and a nod to the novella’s title too!
The playlist has a good selection of some of my current favourite artists – Sam Smith, Hozier, Echosmith and The Pierces. There was a track on The Pierces latest album Creation that was perfect for this playlist – ‘Monsters’. It’s about a boy and girl who have gone through tough times together and I thought of Becks and Sam when I listened to it. I could imagine Sam saying something similar to the lyrics in this song to Becks plus the title ‘Monsters’ fit nicely as a lead into a scene that I won’t say too much about but listen to the next song Hozier’s ‘Into The Woods Somewhere’ when you read the story and prepare for a little scare 😉
There are two songs that really sum up the main character Becks on the playlist – ‘Please Don’t Say You Love Me‘ and ‘Wooden Heart’ but by the end of the story, I pictured her saying the words in Echosmith’s ‘Bright’. I love the journey she goes on in the story and how readers will too. But not to leave Sam out – he deserved songs too and ‘Leave Your Lover’ and ‘All I’m Asking’ really show what is in his heart during this story.
Finally, I had to chose a song for a particular *ahem* moment in the cabin when Sam and Becks share some special alone time shall we say. I chose Brandon and Leah who are a married couple in real life and make some really sweet songs. ‘Together’ is a lovely song for a lovely moment and I hope a few hearts will melt (and maybe pulses race too!) when readers reach this part in the story.
I hope you enjoy the playlist in it’s own right and that it also gets you excited about reading Dancing in the Fire alongside it when the novella is released on the 26th February!
You can also pre-order the ebook now!
Here are the links:
If you’re in Australia:
Victoria
xoxo
Victoria Walters 