I usually have this out sooner, but I’ve been struggling with my most recent project, called its time of death earlier this month, and started another project to cleanse my writing palate, so I kept postponing.
This is an interesting collection of songs from all kinds of genres, but with a few singer staples that I use in this series as well. It’s the shortest novel, but there’s a lot going on, both with the plot and the characters, especially as the emotional side of the story becomes increasingly complicated.
Fun Fact: The name of the book was originally called SWAN SONG when I had different plans for it, but after the first edit, it was changed to BLUEBIRDS, which felt like it reflected the theme of the story better. It was partially inspired by the bird songs below, including both of the ones called ‘Bluebird.’
The rules: No more than two songs by each artist, and no song specially written or covered for a movie (as far as I know).
“Summertime Sadness” – Lana Del Ray & Cedric Gervais
“Cry” – Kelly Clarkson
“Electricity” – Delain
“Somethin’ Bad (with Carrie Underwood)” – Miranda Lambert
“Dirty Little Secret” – All-American Rejects
“Go” – Sandra McCracken
“I’ve Got Wheels” – Miranda Lambert
“Opheliac” – Emilie Autumn
“Fear” – Sarah McLachlan
“Glitter & Gold” – Barns Courtney
“Curse” – Agnes Obel
“Bring on the Wonder” – Susan Enan feat. Sarah McLachlan
“Lust” – Tori Amos
“No Such Thing” – Sara Bareilles
“Beast” – Agnes Obel
“Good Girl” – Lily Kershaw
“Burnin’ Heretics” – Apoptygma Berzerk
“Maybe” – Lily Kershaw
“No One Else” – Allison Iraheta
“Do You Remember the First Time?” – Pulp
“Songbird” – Eva Cassidy
“Swine” – Lady Gaga
“My Happy Ending” – Avril Lavigne
“Breakeven” – The Script
“Castle Down” – Emilie Autumn
“Bluebird” – Christina Perri
“Adia” – Sarah McLachlan
“Goodbye to You” – Michelle Branch
“Summertime Sadness“ – Within Temptation
“Bluebird” – Sara Bareilles
One of my personal little joys is moving music I love into playlists for the books I’m working on. It helps me focus my themes and feel all the feels that music can make a person feel more effortlessly than words on their own. My experience of books, mine and other people’s, is very cinematic, and soundtracks help supplement that experience for me, and I love sharing that playlist with anyone else, if they want to feel the feels with me.
One of the things that I need when writing is the perfect background music. I actually end up using a cultivated playlist more during edits and to psych myself up for those edits between projects. I’m an all-five-senses kind of girl. Music inspires feelings and memories; I associate feelings and character thoughts and scenes with different songs, be it from lyrics, the singers, or whole package songs.
Amanda M. Blake 