Demons of Oblivion Soundtrack, A Guest Post and A Freebie from Skyla Dawn Cameron

The Demons of Oblivion Soundtrack

Like a lot of writers, music plays a huge part in my overall process. If I haven’t settled on theme songs for the book and main characters, I don’t know the story well enough to write it. As the book progresses, scenes end up with their own theme songs as well. Here are the highlights from the first four books (with a few hints about the fifth).

Bloodlines

If you're in her way, it sucks to be you.
 
After three hundred years of unlife, narcissistic vampire Zara Lain has seemingly done it all, and she's now making a living as a successful thief-turned-assassin. Her newest assignment seems simple enough: kill the aging leader of the O'Connor coven and his only heir, and she'll have another ten million in the bank.

But in the dangerous world of the supernatural, few things are ever “simple.”
 
When a massive assault decimates the continent's population of powerful witches and warlocks, and its orchestrator has vampires being hunted down and captured, Zara realizes the tables have turned and now she'll be playing the hero. Forced to join with a smart-mouthed fellow vampire, a demonologist who's also a fan of hers, a recently widowed—and frequently brooding—warlock, and her best friend's mom, Zara's grudgingly willing to do what she can to save the day.

If only people would stop ruining all her outfits...
 
Exclusive to Kindle until January 2014  (Free from October 28 – November 1)
 
Includes bonus short story “Thrall”, narrated by warlock Nate O’Connor.

Warning: contains heavy doses of snark, a sexually confident heroine who likes killing people and has no secret heart of gold, lots of explosions, and very naughty language.
Also, some terrible stuff happens to expensive formal wear. I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry.

“Revolution” – Aimee Allen 

Zara Lain in Bloodlines appeared in my head in 2004, talking in full surround sound, and I wrote a lot of her early scenes to this song.

“Wicked Ways” – Garbage 

Another very Zara song from that book. (“I've done things I never thought I'd do//Sure it helps to lose myself in you”)

“Blinding” – Florence + TheMachine 

I do think of this as Zara’s overall theme—it captures her past, her present, her insecurities and her strength. (I can’t even pick specific lyrics—the whole thing sums up Zara from her awakening to her present self.)

“Pompeii” – E.S. Posthumus 

I listen to a lot of “trailer” type music when I write—Immediate Music/Globus, E.S. Posthumus, Two Steps from Hell, etc—and this is the one song I associate the most with Zara and Bloodlines.

“Stupid” – Sarah McLachlan 

If I had to pick a song for Zara and her lover Nate...I actually listened to a lot when I originally wrote their scenes in 2004. (“love has made me a fool//it set me on fire and watched as I floundered”—it’s all Zara, a determined bachelorette, realizing she’s way over her head and this is likely a mistake)

“No Fear of Heights” – KatieMelua 

Now that I’m older and have seen Zara/Nate’s relationship mature, this is the theme I’d lean toward. I wouldn’t say either of them particularly come across as scared of anything, but the sense of doing something you know could ultimately lead to your downfall—in this case love—fits them well.

“Bittersweet” – Apocalyptica 

I already have a bazillion songs for this book but I wrote a short set during it from Nate’s point of view (“Thrall”, it’s available with Bloodlines) and this was very much his theme.

Hunter

Predators beware.
 
Sometimes natural predators need to be kept in check, and for that, there's Ryann David. Orphaned as an infant and raised by an exiled branch of the church to become a warrior for God, she and her fellow members of Venatores Daemonum have trained all their lives with only one purpose: destroy all demons in the mortal realm.

But when Ryann and her team are sent to hunt down a vampire who has killed one of their own, a new world of danger, betrayal, and conspiracy greets her. Allied with an irreverent psychic detective and the very monsters she was raised to kill, Ryann will risk everything—her life, her faith, and her heart—in pursuit of the truth as the black and white existence she knew turns a murky shade of gray.
 
Now on Kindle, AllRomanceeBooks, and Smashwords. Other sites coming soon. http://skyladawncameron.com/novels/hunter

Includes bonus short story “Malice”, narrated by Zara Lain.

Warning: This book contains a demon-hunting nun. No, really. And she doesn't swear. At all. This might be quite traumatizing to you after reading Bloodlines. Reader discretion is advised.

“Diem Ex Dei” – Globus 

Ignoring the junk Latin lyrics for a moment, this is the song I most associate with Ryann, the demon-hunting nun from Hunter. The slow build, the almost plaintive quality to it: I picture Ryann drawing her katana, light glimmering on its edge, a silver cross at her throat, the determined look in her eyes as she goes to battle.

“A Place Called Home” – KimRichey 

Although lyrically it doesn’t immediately conjure up Ryann, the sense of not entirely knowing where you belong or where to call home is very much her.

“I Am Ready for Love” –India.Arie 

This was always my Ryann/Ellie theme. Their relationship has a slower build and an odd dance: she’s basically spent her entire life as a nun and he’s firmly in the secular world. Both doubt their right for one another, pining from afar.

“Somewhere Over the Rainbow” -Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole 

This is Ellie’s theme. He’s a very troubled psychic, someone who can see through the eyes of victims of violent crimes as well as killers. He drinks a lot to be able to cope otherwise he runs the risk of paralyzing seizures and severe mental trauma. So he tends toward very relaxing music and this always makes me think of him.

Lineage

Family reunions suck.

What’s a woman to do when her dad’s the antichrist, her grandma’s the devil, the end of the world is at her doorstep, and she’s out to avenge the murders of her husband and kids?

Kill everything in her way.

Quarter-demon Peri Takata exists with but one goal in mind: annihilate everyone responsible for the death of her family. Then—her need for vengeance quelled—she plans to take her own life.

Her mission brings her to vampire Zara Lain, the only known survivor of the event that destroyed Peri’s family five years ago. Hunting down a secret society of those who don’t want to be found has its challenges, however, especially when forces are working to keep the antichrist’s daughter very much alive. The apocalypse is closing in and Peri may be playing a role in it whether she wants to or not.
 
And when a heart long-thought dead begins to beat again with love for another, she’s not so sure about anything anymore.

Details: Now on Kindle, AllRomanceeBooks, and Smashwords. Other sites coming soon. http://www.skyladawncameron.com/novels/lineage

Includes bonus short story “Sunrise”, narrated by warlock Nate O’Connor.

Warning: You’re still here? After the narcissistic assassin in Bloodlines and the demon-hunting nun in Hunter? Well, now you get a sociopathic, quarter-demon mercenary. There’s lots more violence and naughty language in this one. You're welcome.

“I Stand Alone” – Godsmack 

This has been Peri’s theme for as long as I can remember. It’s dark. It’s violent. It’s about being used as a pawn by others and realizing, well, that you stand alone. (“Make me believe that this place isn't plagued by the poison in me//Help me decide if my fire will burn out before you can breathe”)

“Devil Inside” – Utada Hikaru 

Peri’s Japanese. That said, she generally hates J-pop...unless she’s being particularly violent. All of the fight scenes in Lineage were written to J-pop. I have no idea why, she apparently likes the contrast.

“With or Without You” – UtadaHikaru (U2 Cover) 

It’s back to Utada for my Peri/Nic theme. Although it’s too sappy and Peri would never admit it, yes, absolutely, this was their theme while writing.

“Everybody’s Gotta LearnSometime” – Beck

An epilogue song, and one that encapsulates Peri by the end of the book, IMO.

Exhumed

Some people just won't stay buried...

Zara Lain, narcissistic vampire and assassin, cleaned up after a crazy warlock tried to build a vampire army, made some cash when the North American covens were left in shambles, got away when framed for the murder of a Demon Hunter, and dealt with some idiots who tried to jumpstart Armageddon. None of that could prepare her, however, for the moment when her lover of the undead persuasion awakens...

And promptly tries to kill her.

She’s raised a handful of orphaned baby vampires during the past six years and she knows the score: if they don’t get sane again, they have to be staked. And even if she can fix her would-be boyfriend, he’s not the only formerly deceased one in town who wants to kill her. Old enemies are back to put a cramp in her love life, ruin a good pair of heels, and just maybe end the world.

An apocalypse is nigh...and it gets a lot worse than having nothing to wear to the occasion.

Details: Now on Kindle, AllRomanceeBooks, and Smashwords. Other sites coming soon. http://www.skyladawncameron.com/novels/exhumed

Warning: This book may cause you emotional turmoil and feelings of great pain. I'd apologize but it would be a lie; I feed on your tears. Keep 'em coming.

“So Cold” – Ben Cocks feat.Nikisha Reyes-Pile 

Exhumed is a very angsty book. It has lots of angsty songs. This is one of many of them. (“You caused my heart to bleed and//You still owe me a reason”)

“I Remember” – Damien Rice 

See? Angst. (“Nothing is taking me down//Except you, my love...”)

“Set Fire to the Rain” – Adele

This gets a bit literal in Exhumed as Zara...kind of sets a house on fire. Much of the book deals with betrayal, or perceived betrayal and this song could’ve been written for it.

“A Drowning” – How to DestroyAngels

(“I don't think I can save myself//I'm drowning here”)

“Ebla” – E.S. Posthumus 

Basically the entire final climax of the book had this song playing in the background for me.

Oblivion

This book is still in progress so I’m still putting together the soundtrack, but here’s a taste...

“This Is War” – Thirty Seconds to Mars

I’d lean toward this as the overall theme song for the series (which, if I’m able to keep writing them, I see as going past five books—there’s a lot more to tell). I’ll let readers guess what character goes with “soldier/civilian/martyr/victim/prophet/liar/honest/leader/paraih/victor/messiah” part. ;-)

“The End Is the Beginning Is the End” – Smashing Pumpkins

The book alternates between taking place in our world and a hell dimension, and I’ve been using this one for scenes in that other dimension.

“I Think It’s Going to RainToday” – Peter Gabriel 

I already know the epilogue of this book and this is the theme for it. (And that’s all I’ll say about that because SPOILERS.)

Award-winning author Skyla Dawn Cameron has been writing approximately forever. 

 

Her early storytelling days were spent acting out strange horror/fairy tales with the help of her many dolls, and little has changed except that she now keeps those stories on paper. She signed her first book contract at age twenty-one for River, a unique werewolf tale, which was released to critical and reader praise alike and won her the 2007 EPPIE Award for Best Fantasy. She now has multiple series on the go to keep her busy, which is great for her attention deficit disorder.

Skyla is a fifth generation crazy cat lady who lives in southern Ontario, where she dabbles in art, is an avid gamer, and watches Buffy reruns. If she ever becomes a grownup, she wants to run her own pub, as well as become world dictator.

You can visit her on her website . When she’s not writing or being glared at by cats, she’s probably on Twitter. You should ping @skyladawn and tell her to get back to work.

Blog | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

Thank you for stopping by, Skyla!

Peeps, don't forget that Bloodlines is FREE until Nov 1st, so go and grab it!
UPDATE: I've just finished this book, and it's AWESOME.