I never listen to music while I’m writing. But that doesn’t mean music isn’t an integral part of my writing process. Far from it…I always assign songs to specific chapters or certain events set within a chapter. Sometimes the song comes first and inspires me as a write a scene, while other times I’ve already written something and then I hear a song and know it perfectly captures the mood I’m trying to convey.
To celebrate the publication of REALM UNITED, the final book in my YA romantasy Felserpent Chronicles series, I’d love to share 5 songs and tell you how they tie into the book. There won’t be any spoilers from REALM UNITED, but there are small spoilers from the previous two books.
Song #1: Sibling Rivalry by PUP
Goes with Chapter 5: Kyra and Seren’s fight
We get a lot more of Kyra’s family in this book, and we delve pretty deep into Kyra’s relationship with her younger sister, Seren. Even when they’re filled with love, sibling relationships aren’t always easy. Seren has kept a lot of things inside her that explode in this chapter, and the lyrics of this song perfectly capture her feelings:
I’m not tryna stick it to you
But I’ve been trying to get through to you
And you didn’t even notice.
Oof. There’s nothing worse than feeling trapped in the shadow of an older, successful sibling you feel like you’ll never live up to, and in this chapter, Seren has finally had enough.
Song #2: Ghosts Again by Depeche Mode
Goes with Chapter 25: The Kyra and Sebastian chapter I’ve been building up to over three books
In Reign Returned, Kyra and Sebastian remembered their pasts as the former Felserpent Queen and King. They also remembered that they had been wildly in love and bound their souls to find one again in a future life cycle. In Blood Divided, the two started establishing a new relationship in their current life cycle, a process made humorous and challenging by all the memories they had of their past relationship. In Realm United, past and present collide. The lyrics of this song are perfect for these two, tethered across space and time, dying but always finding each other again:
Faith is sleeping
Lovers in the end
Whisper, “We’ll be ghosts again”
I see it as more hopeful than sad because Kyra and Sebastian know whatever happens, they’ll always be together in the end.
Song #3: Steppin’ off the Edge by Samuel Vendig
Goes with Chapter 27: Sebastian and Kyra address the Nocenian government
Kyra and Sebastian were never going to be able to hide their true identities as the reincarnated Felserpent King and Queen forever. In order to defeat their archenemy, Tallus, they’re going to need all the allies they can get, which leads them to speak with the Nocenian government. Sebastian is alternately furious and terrified at the idea of becoming a public figure again. He desperately prefers his anonymity, but he also wants to fulfill his responsibility to the realms. The lyrics perfectly capture his thudding heart and racing thoughts as he squeezes Kyra’s hand and steps out onto the stage, starting out afraid until he remembers who he really is:
I’m steppin’ off the edge and hopin’ I can fly
I hear you yellin but can’t hear the words
There’s no telling who you’re trying to burn
But I breathe fire, won’t you ever learn
This is not your world
#4: Castle by Halsey
Goes with Chapter 30: Kyra confronts Tallus
Tallus has always despised Daevals, finding their silver blood inferior to the golden blood of Astrals like himself. When Kyra refused to help him turn Daevals into Astrals, he was livid. He’s always admired her powers and wanted to work with her, but since she refuses to be part of his evil plans, a show-down between the two has been inevitable. Kyra started out as a kind but somewhat naïve character, certain the world could be neatly divided into “good” and “bad.” She now knows that isn’t true, and she’s prepared to do whatever is necessary to protect the realms and the ones she loves from Tallus. These lyrics perfectly capture her icy blue gaze as she confronts Tallus, strong in her powers and unshakable in her conviction:
I’m headed straight for the castle
They wanna make me their queen
And there’s an old man sitting on the throne
there saying that I probably shouldn’t be so mean.
#5: Connaissais de Face by Khruangbin
Goes with: the Epilogue
This song is more about the melody than the specific lyrics to me, but I love that it’s about two people simply having a conversation. In the epilogue, we find Kyra and Sebastian watching a meteor shower and occasionally talking but mostly just enjoying the sense of being together:
Tu nous connaissais de face
(You knew us face to face)
They’re back where they belong, face to face, in this life and every life they’ll live after.
Happy reading, and happy listening!
The Felserpent Chronicles #3
This enemies-to-lovers YA romantacy is the last book in the popular Felserpent Chronicle series, bringing the story full circle with timely themes of sacrifice, war, and love.
Sebastian Sayre and Kyra Valorian, the former Felserpent King and Queen, thought they knew what reuniting the divided realms of Aeles and Nocens would require of them. But fulfilling their promises to stop Tallus and bring peace between those with silver and gold blood will require sacrifices they didn’t expect to make.
Furious over Kyra’s refusal to help him turn Daevals into Astrals, Tallus assumes control of Aeles and announces he’s developed a weapon capable of killing everyone with silver blood. Kyra discovers a way to defeat him, but it will require her to perform a terrible act she isn’t sure she can live with. Sebastian loathes becoming a recognized public figure, and given his dark past, there are those who don’t trust him to hold a position of power, even as he and Kyra race to reunite the realms.
Filled with old friends and new allies, devastating betrayals and surprising revelations, this heart-pounding conclusion to the Felserpent Chronicles ends where it began: in the grey waters of Death. Controlling the past might change the future, but will saving their world cost Sebastian and Kyra the very bond that binds them across time? Read less
Young Adult Romance | Young Adult Fantasy [SparkPress, On Sale: October 8, 2024, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9781684632725 / ]
Katie Keridan made her literary debut at ten years of age when she won a writing contest by crafting a tale about her favorite childhood hero, Hank the Cowdog. After that, Katie has continued to write, through college and graduate school and during her career as a pediatric neuropsychologist. But while Katie enjoyed being a doctor, scientific research didn’t bring her nearly as much joy as creating her own characters and worlds, so she slowly left the medical world behind to focus exclusively on writing. In 2018 she self-published a poetry book, Once Upon a Girl, and her work has been featured in Highlights Hello Magazine, The Blue Nib, Youth Imagination Magazine, Red Fez, The Red Penguin Review, Sand Canyon Review, and Every Day Fiction, to name a few. Her debut young adult fantasy novel, Reign Returned, will be published by SparkPress September 2022. She loves sharing her writing with others who feel different, misunderstood, or alone. Katie lives in Northern California with her husband and two very demanding cats.
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