Welcome to CentreStage!
CentreStage features wonderful authors from around the world. These authors might share with you stories about their lives, their books, their journeys or anything else that inspires them. Today, it is my tremendous pleasure to welcome fellow loveahappyending.com and totally-up-for-impromptu-singing-sister, Stephanie Keyes. Are you ready? Hold on to your seatbelts, here comes a rockin’ post!
The Star Child Music Playlist
As you all know, one of the great things that the lovely Nicky Wells and I have in common is our love of music. So I thought I would talk about that very thing today. I had some great music on my playlist for The Star Child, so let me walk you through some key parts of the book and share the music that influenced me.
Kellen Meets Calienta
Into the Fire by Thirteen Senses
Kellen and Calienta have known each other for almost all of Kellen’s life, but it had only been in dreams. Until Kellen meets her face-to-face and she pulls him into a world of magick and mystery in a fight to save the world and themselves. As they fall deeper in love is as if they’re walking straight into the fire.
Kellen and Stephen
Kellen goes to visit Stephen after his graduation and finds him oblivious to the fact that Kellen even graduated on that day. Kellen makes a conscious effort after that point not to care about Stephen and seeks only a measure of “closure” in visiting him.
First Kiss
Stuck in a thunderstorm of Lugh’s making, Kellen and Calienta run for cover and share their first kiss.
Kellen’s Confession
Postcards From Far Away by Coldplay
After sneaking into Faerie under the cover of night, Kellen confesses his love to Calienta.
The Trooping Faeries
Night of the Hunter by 30 Seconds To Mars
With the Hounds of the Hill after him and a troupe of Trooping Faeries not far behind, Kellen finds himself on a run through time to find Calienta and save his love. There was no better song to embody the section than the 30 Seconds to Mars hit.
Gharda
As Gharda’s powerful wings carry Kellen through dimensions of the Faerie world and back to Calienta, Jonsi’s pure voice embodies flying through the clouds.
The White Stag
Sonata for Two Clarinets by Richard Stolzman
Kellen and Calienta move through the birch tree forest in search of the White Stag, the only one that can lead them to The Upside-Down Ocean. As they move through the ghostly trees, the haunting melody of the clarinet seems to embody the journey.
Kellen’s Sacrifice
Fix You by Coldplay
The White Stag, having reclaimed Kellen’s soul, fights the unforgiven as Kellen fights his way towards his love. Oooh! If you could only see the picture in my mind here!
If you’ve picked up your copy of the book, you also know that I wrote music for the book itself (check out the last pages 309-310). As I write this, I haven’t had the time and resources to have that recorded, but hope to one day.
In the meantime, enjoy these popular tunes and thanks to Nicky for hosting me today!
Stephanie, you are so very welcome. How could I resist a post like this, with all this music? (But, **whispers** where’s Bonnie? Total Eclipse? That song?? Just kidding)
Are you intrigued, my friends? You can listen to Stephanie’s amazing playlist in its entirety here.
About The Star Child
The world is about to be cloaked in darkness.
Only one can stop the night.
Kellen St. James has spent his entire life being overlooked as an unwanted, ordinary, slightly geeky kid. That is until a beautiful girl, one who has haunted his dreams for the past eleven years of his life, shows up spinning
tales of a prophecy. Not just any old prophecy either, but one in which Kellen plays a key role.
Suddenly, Kellen finds himself on the run through a Celtic underworld of faeries and demons, angels and gods, not to mention a really ticked off pack of hellhounds, all in order to save the world from darkness. But will they make it in time?
You can buy the book here…
About Stephanie Keyes
Stephanie Keyes holds an undergraduate degree in Management Information Systems as well as a Master’s in Education. A seasoned, facilitator, Stephanie worked in Training and Development for an international telecommunications corporation for twelve years; spending the first eight years of her career as a Software Trainer and Technical Writer and the last four working in Human Resources and Employee Development.
In May of 2012, Stephanie left the corporate world to focus on her family and her writing full-time. She also operates a freelance graphic and instructional design business, Sycamore Road Design.
Inkspell Publishing released her first novel, The Star Child, on September 21, 2012. The Fallen Stars, the second book in The Star Child series, is slated for an April 2013 release, also with Inkspell Publishing. She is currently at work on the third book in The Star Child series.
Stephanie lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, two children, and Riley the dog.
Visit Stephanie on her website or at loveahappyending.com. Stephanie is on Facebook and Twitter, too!
So… over to you! Do you have a favourite among Steph’s songs? What about your own playlist ~ do you have one?
Nicky Wells: Love & Thrills 
Love this post. It’s written in a language I completely, completely understand : ) You’ve got some great names in your playlist Stephanie, Especially happy to see a track by Jonsi listed in there. I am a huge Sigur Ros fan. Music plays a huge part of Gunshot Glitter in a cultural context and in the lives of a couple of characters especially Celine Silver’s.
I was gutted about having to pull out all my song lyric quotes especially the ones by Foals, NIN, The Cure and Michael Hutchence/Bono’s ‘Slide Away’. One of my friend’s suggested I put an iTunes playlist together. I should really do one for Spotify. I actually had 2 compilation CDs I used to play a lot when I was working on the middle part of the novel to keep my mood in the zone for the intense parts of the novel. It varied from Sandy Dillon to Hole to Death In Vegas to Hush The Many to Garbage – this mix of anger, intensity & passion and emotion. I loved it.
That’s awesome that you composed your own music for your story! I was thinking just the other day, I’ve written about 1200 poems but never a song.
Nicky, so pleased you hosted this post. I’ve been playin Coldplay’s Fix You a lot lately x
Wow, Yasmin, what a reaction! I am so glad you enjoyed this post and that it resonated with you. Thank you for visiting, it’s good to have you back ~ I missed you. Some day, you’ll have to explain why ‘Fix You’ is so relevant to you right now. Sending you Fix You hugs right now
Thanks Yasmin for stopping by! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the post. Thanks Nicky for hosting me!
Nicky,
I am totally up for singing with you again anytime girlfriend! 🙂 That was an absolute blast.
Cool, let’s make that happen! Thank you for visiting here today with this most extraordinary of posts. When I read The Star Child again, I shall hear these songs and they shall add a whole new dimension to it all. Rock on, and have a great day here, Steph!
Love this post! For me, music and writing are inseparable, but my playlists do change over time. Writing The Cordello Quest, Karnataka (emotive and powerful melodic folk-rock) and Muse (a local band, you may have heard of them lol) were my main accompaniment.
These days my playlist usually contains Dare, Magnum, Journey, and occasionally Bruce Springsteen or Coldplay. Isn’t it great to have the variety?
I haven’t heard of many of the bands you’ve mentioned today, Stephanie, so I will be checking them out as soon as my headphones are accessible. I have to hide them away because our cat likes to ‘eat’ them….
And oh – composing your own music? That’s soooo cool!
Isn’t she awesome? So happy you visited and liked Steph’s post, and thank you for sharing your own musical inspiration. I knew you’d DARE!!!
Haha! And I knew you’d know that I WOULD Dare! 😉
Hi Joanna!
Thanks for stopping by! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the post. Yes I love Muse! Map of the Problematique is on the full playlist in fact. I’ll have to check out Magnum As I don’t know them. Thanks I have to be clear that I wrote is by no means a symphony, but just buts and pieces. We’ll see where it goes. 🙂
What a novel idea for an interview. Way to go, Ladies.
Thank so much, Anneli! xx
Thanks Anneli! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed it!
Ooh, I adore Coldplay. Chills down my spine. FAB post, girls! 🙂 xx
It’s brilliant, I agree. Thanks for visiting, sweetie! x
Thanks Sheryl! So glad you could drop by. Looks like one more thing we have in common!
Excellent song choices, especially Fix You
Thanks Sue! I’m so pleased that you enjoyed!
Oh, we all seem to love Fix You. It must appeal to some kind of shared need somewhere… a bit like REM’s “Everybody Hurts.” They’re quite complementary, come to think about it! Thanks you for visiting today, Sue, it’s always more fun when you turn up at the party. x
Loving the music, and the way of doing this post… still listening. Thanks Stephanie and Nicky! Yay…… xx
It’s a fab post, I love it too. Thanks for visiting and commenting, Harriet! 🙂
thanks for stopping by, Harriet! So glad you enjoyed!
What a top post! Being old I had to check up on some of those names (and have now added them to my iPod so thanks – I now feel rejuvenated!) but thankfully I love Coldplay.
Giggles galore, my friend ~ you always make me smile. Thank you for visiting Steph and for commenting, it’s fab to have you at the party. x
Carol,
You couldn’t be old if you tried! Glad you checked out some of the tunes. 🙂
Wow! What a list! Lots here I could easily listen to, but I have to say my default mode is Coldplay. Particularly impressed by the Sonata for Two Clarinets by Richard Stolzman – how atmospheric! Thanks for sharing ladies, another brilliant post Nicky.
Aw, thanks, Linn, but the credit is entirely Steph’s! x
Hi Linn!
I’m so glad that you liked the post! I don’t know if I told you this, but I majored in music as a clarinet player for awhile. Richard Stolzman was my idol – the clarinet god! Love him.
See, another thing we have in common ~ this is how it all comes out. So in addition to singing, we can also play a clarinet duet!
Linn, thank you so much for visiting and commenting, your support is awesome! x