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A special post by Michaela Haze about the music behind The Bleeders.
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When it comes to music, I tend to listen to music as more of a journeying experience. I am always on a bus, in the car or sitting pensive in my own thoughts when I listen to music. This tends to be when I think of most of my ideas and the scene plays out in front of my eyes as I listen to the song and suddenly everything falls into place. I see my characters dance together, cling to each other as they cry every fluid from their body, or even die all played out in my mind.
That said, I can’t write and listen to music at the same time. Some people can. I just personally don’t. For me, my writing often goes through a spectrum of emotions very quickly, especially with THE BLEEDERS as Fia Taylor the main character is schizophrenic and emotionally disturbed, therefore the mood of a scene can go from heinously depressing to ecstatically happy in 10 words or less. When I am listening to a very atmosphere song and suddenly the mood of the scene changes completely I find it hard to shift when the music is forcing me to stay in one mind frame. It allows me flexibility to limit music to when I am so introverted in my own world rather than when I am writing another.
Now, you’re probably thinking, who is this girl? Telling me all about her music habits and such? My name is Michaela Haze and I am the author of a novel called THE BLEEDERS and this is the track list for this novel, as I was writing it.
If you haven’t read THE BLEEDERS, I believe that these songs are really good anyway. But for all of my little Bleeders out there, I shall also include a few lines about why or how the song is relevant to me and my book.
Surrender by Billy Talent
[This song is beautiful to me and perfectly describes Henry and Sophia’s relationship. This song was released in 2007 and I saw Billy Talent live. Seeing the audience reach forward and mouth the words to this beautiful song as sweat dripped down their faces stuck with me.]
Set fire to the third bar – Snow Patrol
[This song always conjures up images of cold forest floors and grasping at cold arms…which is quite a prominent theme for THE BLEEDERS if you think about it.]
Chasing Cars – Imogen Heap
[This is a beautiful song, so delicate and pure—as the love that I try to portray in my books is often described.]
Sophia – Nerina Pallot
[Main character’s name in THE BLEEDERS is Sophia, this song is why.]
Let me sign – Robert Pattinson
[Because I melt, enough said.]
Walking with the ghost – Tegan and Sara
[This song portrays the themes of the second part of the novel well, the feelings of abandonment.]
Against all odds- The postal service
[A cover of a brilliant song and makes me imagining someone I love walking away from me and helped me write some really tough scenes.]
Saved – Tinashe
[The tone of this song is happy but deep down the lyrics are depressing and quite religious, but can be put in many different contexts. My mother introduced me to this man’s music and now I am addicted.]
Guns and horses – Ellie Goulding
[This is my most played song on my IPOD and has been for the past 12 months.]
Howl – Florence and the machine
[A close second on the most played list, this song has the right amount of depressing and panic in it to help me establish that same tone in some of my scenes for THE BLEEDERS.]
I don’t love you – My Chemical Romance
[This song makes me cry EVERY TIME I hear it. It helps me get in the frame of mind of Sophia, who feels as if she has been abandoned by everyone in life.]
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Some more information on The Bleeders by Michaela Haze
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Paperback, 300 pages
Published June 30th 2010 by CreateSpace
ISBN: 145371135X (ISBN13: 9781453711354)
Sophia Taylor knew that her life had gotten pretty surreal when she woke up on her sofa, bleeding from the head, with her boyfriend Henry smoking her cheap cigarettes (which he never hesitated to complain about before). Why was this surreal? 1- Because she was only bleeding because he had effectively pushed her down the stairs. 2- He, being Henry Blaire, her boyfriend, but also the man that she had paid ten thousand pounds to murder the two killers of her sister Melanie. 3- Henry was smoking all of her cigarettes because she was bleeding from the head. 4- Which would have been so bad if Henry wasn't an incubus with an addiction to human blood and killing the scum of the earth to get it. There, Sophia's secret. And all she used to worry about was a double shift at the bar and when her cupboard at home was running low on vodka and peanuts.
Book Trailer:
Additional links:
Read Chapter ONE of The Bleeders
We want to say thank you to Michaela Haze for sharing this information with us and to Dark Readers for hosting this blog tour and asking us to participate.
I love the music choices, especially Florence + the Machine!
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