Keep your friends close. Keep your nemesis closer.…in this adorable YA regency romance from author Erica George. Available now. Order your copy here.
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If the Starling’s Weave playlist was Bridgerton-ed
I’m haunted by music. There is a perpetual mental soundtrack in my head, and music is an important part of my process as a writer. Still, as I was writing Starling’s Weave, I found I couldn’t listen to songs as I normally would. Maybe because the story is so pirate-y? Or, because the modern tunes I listen to just don’t jive with this tale of ancient gods, hidden mages and evil kings?
So, rather than offering you a contemporary playlist, as you’re reading these playlist picks for scenes (and a few teasers to accompany them), I want you to imagine these songs as you’d hear them on Bridgerton: orchestral versions, no voices and oodles of strings. See what you think!
Sighting ‘the Raven’ for the first time: “Eyes of a Stranger” by The Payolas
This is the first time Nieve lays eyes on Manseray, and for her, it’s as though he’s popped out of her people’s myths. I’d set this scene to an orchestral version of “Eyes of a Stranger.” I think the reasons speak for themselves in the snippet below.
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Harbinger of death. In the oldest of our stories, the raven caws at your window as you approach death, then swoops down to usher your soul to its new existence in the land of the dead. I shivered, wondering if this raven was another story come to life.
As though he’d overheard my thoughts, the man turned and fastened his sharp gaze on me, raking me from head to toe.
Performance in the Community House: “Into Temptation” by Crowded House
This scene appears early in the novel, when Nieve interrupts a banquet for the traders (strangers!) who’ve come to her people’s shores. She strolls in (uninvited!) to perform one of the Elder Wright’s tales. I love her ‘story within a story’ because it’s so much fun. But it’s also the moment that Manseray falls head over heels for Nieve and changes all his plans. The scene is told from his perspective, and I think you’ll see why I chose this particular song.
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“This is the story of how the Elder Wright lost her hand in marriage and how his beast was slain, at a time when the world was perishing.” She rested a hand on her chest. Her voice had the harmony of a songbird’s finest warble. A pang rippled through his gut.
Slowly, so slowly that it was like a Mesmer’s trick, she levelled her gaze at the people in the room—a look containing stars and oceans and all their secret knowledge. That look, as much as her arresting voice, held them all spellbound.
Escape from the Odd Lotts: “Sinnerman” by Nina Simone
Without dropping too many spoilers…at one point our heroine finds herself in a sticky situation and is helped out by two strangers. It’s a fast-paced scene where highly unexpected things happen, and while reading it, I hope you’ll picture Nina Simone’s glorious “Sinnerman” in full, orchestral opulence.
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The robed woman—priestess, the barker had called her—shared a look with her friend. “Do you think you can repeat that little thing you did?”
With a tight smile, the older woman threw back her curls and took a deep breath. One of the muscled men chose that moment to rush me. I froze to the spot, unsure whether to throw myself onto the floor or surrender.
Dance Lessons – “These Arms of Mine” by Otis Redding
Manseray and Nieve grow closer in this scene. MUCH closer. For reasons that I won’t spill here (avoiding spoilers!) Manseray is trying to teach a reluctant Nieve to dance. But despite his best efforts to keep it professional and maintain a distance between them, he finds himself falling deeper under her spell. I hear a sweet, haunting orchestral version of “These Arms of Mine” for this scene. It’s one of the most romantic, beautiful songs I can think of.
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For a Talin girl, this would be considered oddly intimate. He’d take any liberties he could, he realized, as slowly, slowly he reeled her close. Her hair smelled of fresh-cut flowers, her skin of Ocean and something so light and delicate it didn’t have a name. Pollen, perhaps. Witchcraft. Closing his eyes, he took a selfish moment to enjoy.
A Sea Battle: “On a Neck, On a Spit” by Grizzly Bear
So, you’ll probably have to go search this one out—it’s not well-known (as far as I know). But Grizzly Bear’s surreal, merry-go-round of a song starts out soft and quiet and, by the end, will leave you as breathless as the scene I hear it accompanying. You’ll understand when you read. Ready the cannons!
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“One league, Captain. Hard stern, five o’clock! One league!”
Then the other, deeper voice of Roddie crowed the same refrain. The crew began calling out to each other, orienting themselves to the dance of turning the ship about. Manseray reached down and tugged at the currents under the boat, helping it slow. Shifting the ship in its watery bed.
Not a single drop of mercy remained in his veins.
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I hope you enjoy Starling’s Weave!
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Truth is more dangerous than fiction…in this exhilarating upper YA fantasy that will capture fans of Shadow And Bone and Dark Water Daughter
In ancient times, the Elder Wrights breathed their magic into the fabric of the seven seas. Now what was once an ocean of plenty is slowly becoming a sea of death, and the Talin—a race of hidden mages—are beginning to starve.
And for the first time ever, one of their own has no magic.
Ostracized by her own people, Nieve is certain that the old stories hide a missing piece of the puzzle. It’s just a matter of unlocking the secret.
But when a stranger comes sailing into their harbor, Nieve’s world is suddenly blown wide open. Now she’s sailing on the seven seas—with a too-charming, swashbuckling pirate, a group of strange misfits, and a woman who claims to be one of the Elder Wrights.
It’s like Nieve is living one of the stories she’s always loved…only now, she’s weaving a legend of her own.
Except that the old tales don’t mention those journeys that end in tragedy, a king’s calculated interference, or a world poised on the tides of death.
And they certainly don’t mention mutineers with a talent for stealing a girl’s heart…and lying all the while.
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Originally hailing from Parry Sound, Ontario, L.E. Sterling spent most of her summers roaming across Canada in a van, inspiring her writing career. True Born, first in the True Born trilogy, was recognized with the 2017 Athena Award® in Young Adult literature (paranormal) from the Young Adult chapter of the RWA. She lives in Quebec, Canada. www.le-sterling.com
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