THE EVER AFTERS Blog Tour: Character Playlists (Exclusive Content)

For those of you following this blog tour around, welcome! For my usual readers, WE'RE ON THE EVER AFTERS BLOG TOUR! *hyperventilates*

 

This has been my favorite series for four years running, so I am beyond excited for the opportunity to share some exclusive content from author Shelby Bach! Sit back and enjoy the music stylings that inspired some of our favorite characters.

EDIT: Because Grooveshark.com has shut down, these handy little playlist icons no longer work. I've put together a YouTube playlist with all the songs mentioned below. Enjoy! -Amanda (5/3/15)

Rory = songs 1-5; Lena = 6-10; Chase = 11-15; Rapunzel = 16-17; The Snow Queen = 18-20; Chatty = 21-23

Rory Landon

Rory is a powerhouse with a lot of emotion, so the songs that represent her feature powerhouse vocalists, loud percussion, and emotional lyrics. For me, Bastille's "Laura Palmer" and Florence + the Machine's "Heartlines" are all about following your instincts in spite of external pressure. Joy Formidable's "Whirring" and Paramore's "Careful" capture Rory's efforts to protect her friends and family, whether it is from her own emotions or her own destiny. "Hero," by Regina Spektor, has to get special mention—at almost 900 listens, it is the most-listened track on my iPod: it helped me find Rory's emotional core throughout the series. I love the lines "I'm the hero of this story/don't need to be saved" and the way Spektor sings them—wavering between sadness and determination. 

Lena Lamarelle

Disclaimer: Although I tried to make sure all songs in this post would meet with approval from Lena's strict grandmother, the last one in this playlist doesn't. Skip "That's Alright" for those of you who want to avoid (mild) cursing.

Lena’s music starts off lighter and more pop-oriented than Rory’s. “One Step at a Time” represents Lena’s longing to be a magical inventor like her famous ancestor, Madame Benne. With Lenka’s “The Show,” Lena is starting to feel torn between putting in the hours she needs to become an inventor and keeping up with Rory and Chase, who don’t seem to need her as much as she hoped they would. “Be OK,” by Ingrid Michaelson, has a frantic positivity that totally nails Lena when she is panicking but trying hard not to. The Laura Mvula tunes represent Lena as she is later in the series—“Can’t Live with the World” is how supportive Lena can be to her friends, and “That’s Alright,” which is totally my favorite, shows Lena realizing that she is in control of her own talents and her own life.

Chase Turnleaf

At the beginning of The Ever Afters, Chase could really “Use Somebody,” as the song goes. He needs good friends even more than Rory and Lena, who live with extremely loving (though sometimes overbearing) families. The line that captures Chase in OneRepublic’s “Secrets” is “I need another story.” (If you’ve read Of Witches and Wind, you know why.) “New Low” captures how much Chase feels trapped by the lies he tells. “Changing” and “Demons” capture a lot of the things Chase wishes he could tell Rory, especially after she finds out about his past.

Rapunzel

Sometimes, a certain artist completely meshes with my take on a Character. For Rapunzel , that is definitely Imogen Heap—her songs have a lot of eerie, beautiful harmonies, and her lyrics are definitely hard to understand, much like Rapunzel’s dialogue. Actually, you could say that about all these songs. Mirah’s “Generosity” captures Rapunzel’s frustration about EAS judging her by her family’s actions, and “Silhouettes” reminds me of Rapunzel when she makes peace with her role in Rory’s life.

The Snow Queen

The Snow Queen, a.k.a. Solange, is both sinister and lovely, and the songs that represent her also share those qualities. However, "Possibility,” with all its lost and haunted hope, represents Solange in her youth, before she became immortal and started calling herself “The Snow Queen.” Note: “Après Moi”—with its big chords and its bloodthirsty self-preservation—helped me define the Snow Queen, much like “Hero” helped me with Rory. Actually, they’re by the same artist. That's kind of on purpose. It helps me remember how much my hero and villain have in common.

Chatty

Chatty, Rory’s mysterious new friend in Of Witches and Wind, doesn’t talk much (you’ll have to read the book to find out why). A lot of my characterization usually comes through dialogue though, so I had to work extra hard with Chatty. The music helped. “Expression” reminded me that you don’t have to use words to express longing. “Epicy,” “Something in the Water,” and “Salt Water” both have a hyper, bouncy quality that Chatty gives off—like she is just about to pull a prank on someone.

I have a feeling I'm not the only one to be listening to these playlists all day long. A couple of my favorite songs are in Chase's playlist, so I guess it's no wonder he's my favorite character of the series.

Pump up the music and get ready for more fun! We've got access to a great discussion guide for Of Giants and Ice. New Leaf Literary is also hosting a BOOK GIVEAWAY for signed copies of the series thus far. Plus, the blog tour continues until Nov 8, and here's the complete list because I know you don't want to miss a thing. (See that Aerosmith lyric I threw in there? Anyone? ...Bueller?)

Blog Tour Schedule
Nov 3 – Middle Grade Mafioso (Chase and Lena's Orientation Letters)
Nov 4 – From the Mixed-Up Files (Recipe for Fey Fudge)
Nov 5 – Log Cabin Literary (Excerpt from Madame Benne's Book)
Nov 6 – Amanda K. Thompson Blog (Character Playlists)
Nov 7 – Novels, News, and Notes
Nov 8 – Green Bean Teen Queen

Shelby’s Bio

Shelby Bach was born in Houston, Texas and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, but while writing THE EVER AFTERS, she moved almost as many times as her main character. She came up with the idea for the series right before she left New York City, and she finished the first book, OF GIANTS AND ICE, in Montana—the second, OF WITCHES AND WIND, back in Charlotte. Driving up the West Coast to research the settings for the third book, OF SORCERY AND SNOW, Shelby fell in love with Portland, Oregon and settled there.

She would love to set up a Door Trek system in her apartment to visit her family and friends around the country, but she makes do with much slower and less fictional transportation. These days, while
finishing up the fourth and final book, she also works part time for a real-life afterschool program. It is strangely similar to the one where her stories are set—except the students study math instead of fairy tales.

Shelby’s Social Media
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads 

Of course I can't resist including the cover for the upcoming fourth (and final *sob!*) installment of The Ever Afters (coming June 30th, 2015). It's so gorgeous, I can't stop staring at it!

If you want to know more about The Ever Afters -or just hear me rave about them- you can also check out the book reviews and other videos I've done for this amazing series. I'm not kidding when I say that everyone should read these. 

Everyone.