Inspiration Songs

Music has always been a great source of inspiration to me. I may absolutely HATE a song, until one sentence or phrase reminds me of something in one of my books (looking at you Britney) and then it's a permanent addition to my themed playlists. Sometimes, songs even spur me to think of a new event or scene in a book.

I thought I'd put together a post with all the songs that remind me of Razia, and specifically of Double Life, in case you were looking for some new great hits to add to your iPhone (or Android, no judgements here).

1. Human - Christina Perri 

"I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head
Knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only human"

This is a brand new song, but it's on repeat for me lately. Christina has such an amazingly soulful voice, and her lyrics are so deep. This song, specifically, can apply in so many different areas of the book - Razia puts on this face like she's a machine, but deep down she's not so strong. Guh, love this song.

2. Attagirl - Bettie Serveert

"Don't get stuck somewhere in the middle
You've paid all your dues
And you're not on second fiddle
Don't say luck is something like a riddle
You paid for your place in this world
Attagirl."

I don't remember when this song first appeared in my iTunes library, but I absolutely love it for Razia.    In the first couple of drafts of this book, Raz was actually already an established bounty hunter, and she never had to work for it. The more I wrote, the more I realized that I was making it  too easy on her, so now she's working hard to "pay her dues" to become a bounty hunter.

The irony is, of course, that as a DSE, she's basically had everything handed to her. Don't get why that's ironic? You will.

3. Heart Like Mine - Miranda Lambert

"'Cause I heard Jesus, He drank wine
And I bet we'd get along just fine
He could calm a storm and heal the blind
And I bed He'd understand a heart like mine"

So this isn't an overtly religious book, but there are a lot of religious undertones.  Leveman's Vortex - which Lyssa's father was obsessively researching - is the center of the dominant religion in the universe. People believe that souls are given a "true purpose" from the Great Creator and sent out into the universe to live as people. Then, when the body dies, the soul returns to the Vortex to be judged (similar to the ancient Egyptian weighing of the hearts). If it's done what it's supposed to, it will be light enough to ascend to heaven, otherwise, it basically is damned to burn in a river of fire.

Lyssa's relationship with religion is an interesting and complex one that is explored a lot in this book. And this song kind of talks to where I hope she gets one day - knowing she's not perfect, but feeling confident that she's still a good person inside. Which is the takeaway from this song for me.

4. Daughters - John Mayer

"Oh you see that skin?
It's the same she's been standing in
Since the day she saw him walking away
Now she's left to clean up to mess he made."

Yup. That.

5. I Won't Give Up - Jason Mraz

"And just like them old stars
I see that you've come so far
To be right where you are
How old is your soul?"

Although this song is a little romantic in nature, I can only think of Vel, Lyssa's intern. Why? You'll find out.

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And two that are just inspiring to me the writer lately:

Come Back Down - Greg Laswell (featuring my musical spirit animal Sara Bareilles)

"All of your wallowing is unbecoming
You've gotta take it on your own from here
It's getting pathetic and I'm almost done here"

I listen to this song when I get too stuck in my own head. It's also a great running song.

Shine - Anna Nalick

"Isn't it time you got over how fragile you are?
We're all waiting on your supernova
'Cause that's who you are
And you've only begun to shine."

:)

Now, to go write so I can shine.