The Incarn Saga’s Manuscript Playlist

I have been submitting a new series to literary agents in the hopes of attaining representation for my work. Each one has his or her own application that asks a variety of questions and requests certain material. Recently, one asked for a song from my Manuscript Playlist. That made me chuckle.

I do have playlists designed around each book and novella series. Though I do not listen to them as I write, I will play them on repeat either to get me into the right mood to create my fantasy worlds or as I am editing my work. I have discussed this in depth on a prior blog post: Can You Hear the Music?

Today, I decided to “release” my small playlist for my first series so that interested readers can listen to the songs which I personally associate with my stories. Certain songs make me think about specific characters or their relationship with one another at specific moments in the series. Others give me the sense of a location or an overarching theme. These triggers could simply be a single line in the song or my emotional response to the melody rather than the lyrics. Though I won’t go in depth with each one, I will write the playlist below along with commentary about what they meant to me. This list is rather short, but I will release others which are substantially longer when the times are right. Enjoy!

1) Matstubs’s remix of Jetta’s “I’d Love to Change the World”

I love this song! It’s in multiple playlists for several of my main characters. For this series, it identifies with Lluava’s desire to do right by her kingdom and her people even though Raiders often appear undefeatable.

The next three songs share many similarities. They are all performed by hard-rock bands and pertain to the concept of the untamable beast within. Can you see how I chose these to relate to the Theriomorphs, especially the Incarn?

2) “Animal I Have Become” by Three Days Grace

3) “Monster” by Skillet

4) “The Animal” by Disturbed

Another animal/inner beast song is neither hard rock nor heavy metal:

5) “Animals” by Maroon 5

Moving away from the bestial theme, here is a song that I enjoy simply for its melody.

6) “Midnight” by Coldplay

Now to get to personal relationships between Lluava and the men in her life. Apex is a complicated man. His rough upbringing and the choices he has made have led him down the path of solitude and alcoholism. He feels damaged, and his relationships are superficial at best. The following song, for me, reveals Apex’s inner turmoil when he discovers that he is developing true feelings toward Lluava.

7) “Demons” by Imagine Dragons

The final song always makes me think of Lluava and Varren’s relationship toward the beginning of Giahem’s Talons. It is always hard when relationships are strained or falling apart and partners cannot or will not talk to one another for that is when doubt and hurt are allowed to grow.

8) “Say Something” by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera

Happy listening!