I don’t write while listening to music (unless it’s instrumental music) because I have a tendency to start typing the lyrics by accident! I do, however, have a playlist for some of my books. The playlist for SERVANT OF EARTH, my dark, sexy Fae romantasy novel, is full of atmospheric music about haunted woods, forbidden desire, and dangerous heroines. Here are five standout tracks from that playlist:
1. “In the Woods Somewhere” by Hozier. This was the first song I put on my playlist for SERVANT OF EARTH, back when I was still plotting it out. Hozier appears more than once on my playlist, but this eerie, atmospheric track about running from an unknown creature in the woods sets the mood I wanted for the story. In the first few chapters, the heroine, Kenna, finds herself fleeing for her life across a mist-shrouded bog, escaping one monster only to realize she’s fallen into the claws of far worse ones (the beautiful, mercurial, and brutal Fae).
“I found something in the woods somewhere…”
2. “Bottom of the Deep Blue Sea” by MISSIO. This song is equally sexy and menacing, which is why it’s the perfect song to pair with the Fae kingdom of Mistei. Once Kenna is across the bog, she finds herself trapped underground in a twilight realm inhabited by faeries. It’s not the bottom of the sea, but the Fae very much are predators waiting deep below, ready to seduce and destroy. They think Kenna is just another victim to consume… but she’s going to prove them very wrong.
“Welcome to my cage, little lover…”
3. “Monster” by MILCK. This dark song is about what it feels like to recognize something monstrous in yourself and wonder if you’re still worthy of love despite it. Kenna has always been a scrappy person with some justified anger, but once she enters Mistei, she finds herself caught up in a world of violence and betrayal where she’ll need to embrace the darkest parts of herself to survive. Her only ally, a sentient dagger, wants her to give in to that bloodthirstiness, but Kenna worries about what she might become if she does.
“All I see is a monster in me…”
4. “I Still Taste Fire” by Stephanie Mabey. This song sounds so sexy, and it was the perfect tune to pair with the love interest of SERVANT OF EARTH, the Fire prince Drustan. He’s charming, magnetic, sensual… and keeping some dangerous secrets. Kenna is wary but fascinated, getting drawn ever closer into his orbit, until one night all that sexual tension explodes inside a circle of literal fire. But fire is destructive, too, and falling for Drustan means getting embroiled in his secret plans for rebellion… and risking death as a result.
“I woke up with ashes in my mouth…”
5. “A Little Wicked” by Valerie Broussard. Like Hozier, Valerie Broussard is on my playlist more than once. I love her sultry voice and compelling lyrics, and this is the perfect female rage song for Kenna. She’s been perpetually underestimated, both in her life among humans and as a servant to the Fae, but she’s the kind of character who is going to claw every scrap of power she can get from a world that thinks to deny her agency. The Fae aren’t the only wicked ones in Mistei!
“Beware the patient woman, 'cause this much I know
No one calls you honey when you're sitting on a throne”
Happy listening, and happy reading!
The Shards of Magic #1
In the underground Fae realm, only the strongest and most ruthless have power—but a young human woman forced into a life of servitude is about to change everything.
Kenna Heron is best known in her village for being a little wild—some say half feral—but she’ll need every ounce of that ferocity to survive captivity in the cruel Fae court.
Trapped as a servant in the faeries’ underground kingdom of Mistei, Kenna must help her new mistress undertake six deadly trials, one for each branch of magic: Fire, Earth, Light, Void, Illusion, and Blood. If she succeeds, her mistress will gain immortality and become the heir to Earth House. If she doesn’t, the punishment is death—for both mistress and servant.
With no ally but a sentient dagger of mysterious origins, Kenna must face monsters, magic, and grueling physical tests. But worse dangers wait underground, and soon Kenna gets caught up in a secret rebellion against the inventively sadistic faerie king. When her feelings for the rebellion’s leader turn passionate, Kenna must decide if she’s willing to risk her life for a better world and a chance at happiness.
Surviving the trials and overthrowing a tyrant king will take cunning, courage, and an iron will... but even that may not be enough.
Paranormal | Romance Fantasy [Ace, On Sale: November 19, 2024, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593819791 / eISBN: 9780593818374]
Sarah Hawley is an author of romance and fantasy novels. She was a winner of #RevPit 2018, and her short stories and articles have been published by Hooked, Slackjaw, the Belladonna Comedy, and Points in Case. She cohosts the Wicked Wallflowers Club podcast about romance fiction, which was featured on Entertainment Weekly. Sarah has both a BA and an MA in archaeology.
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