The Becalmer Playlist

Hope you're doing well and making the most of the spooky season if ghouls and ghosties are your thing. Music is also a thing for many of us, it's certainly important to my work and I recently had a lot of fun putting together my first ever book playlist. It's for my upcoming the release The Becalmer and all the songs relate to the story in some way or remind me of the characters.

You can find it on Spotify here, and here's a breakdown of the songs:

Mansun - Wide Open Space - My personal favourite band, I had to include this song because it seems to sum up the other plane of reality my main character, Harica, finds herself in where she learns more about her gift. It seems like an empty space, but there are people there to learn from. I love the otherworldliness of this song.

Idlewild - You Held the World in Your Arms - A very anthemic song that really reminds me of Harica's journey. The verses speak to the insecurity she feels about her gift - not wanting to be singled out - while the chorus is like an affirmation that she does need to own it because she ends up with a massive responsibility, literally using her power to save a planet from a terrible fate.

The Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet - An all-time classic and pretty self-explanatory from a sci-fi theme, with Harica making the journey down to a pretty terrifying planet (which she's never been to before) to take on her great task.

Wet Leg - Chaise Longue - This is just fun. When Harica and her best friend Miriam get to the royal palace where Harica is to perform her intervention to stop a war, they get put up in fancy rooms that are basically a gilded cage with all sorts of fine art and furniture, including these chaises longue where they have a lot of discussions about what's happening. I kept hearing this song while editing those scenes and it stuck with me.

Radiohead - Climbing Up the Walls - Taking a darker turn here, this song has a claustrophobic feel to it that reminds me of the intense mental battle Harica engages in with her nemesis, Princess Jasmila. It's spinetinglingly great. "Either way you turn - I'll be there. Open up your skull - I'll be there."

Royal Blood - Typhoons - A very upbeat song, the lyrics seem to be about mental turmoil, which again fits in well with my book.

The Orielles - Bobbi's Second World - I think this is a great band. The songs are a lot of fun. This one really speaks to Harica's situation, the other world that she can get to through her gift - where she can unleash her power.

Mansun - Can't Afford to Die - I had to put in another song by my favourite band. When Harica first encounters Jasmila, she ends up in a coma through the mental effort she exerts, but it actually lets her go somewhere else in her mind, the other dimension I referred to earlier where she meets people who help her. So, Jasmila's defence backfires.

Depeche Mode - Enjoy the Silence - Those who share Harica's gift of being able to get into people's minds to resolve conflicts inevitably hear a lot of mental chatter all around them as they're highly tuned into people's inner turmoil. The other dimension, the "white space", offers a respite from that.

Garbage - Stupid Girl - A song for the villain of my piece, Jasmila, who's a very vain and manipulative creature.

Peter Gabriel - Games Without Frontiers - This is going back to the mental warfare Harica wages. There's no hiding there. Games without frontiers, indeed.

Foals - The Runner - This song reminds me of the relationship between Harica and Miriam. When Harica's struggling or unsure, she can count on Miriam to pick her up and get her going again. It also goes well with an exciting escape scene in my book.

Ella Henderson - Ghost - A great pop song. Without giving away too many spoilers, death is not an impediment for those who share Harica's gift.

Foo Fighters - The Pretender - Another song that speaks to the epic battle between Harica and Jasmila, and Harica's not giving up. "What if I say I will never surrender?"

John Lennon - Mind Games - Self-explanatory with the title again, but the song is also about peace and unity, which ultimately is what Harica is trying to achieve.

Longpigs - She Said - I was listening to this album again recently. I forgot how good it is. This song just seems to speak to Jasmila's emptiness and superficiality.

The Farm - All Together Now - An uplifting finish. The no-man's land could be the white space that's removed from everyday reality, but it's also the place where everyone comes together and stops fighting, like they did at Christmas in WWI, which the song is about. It works for the war in my book, too.

If you download my playlist, I hope it gets you excited to read my book and learn more about the characters. Let me know what you think!

IWSG October 2022

Time for another posting of the Insecure Writer's Support Group! Hosted as ever by Alex J. Cavanaugh, the aim of the group is to offer a safe space where writers can share doubts and insecurities without fear of being judged. Today's co-hosts are Tonja Drecker, Victoria Marie Lees, Mary Aalgaard, and Sandra Cox! 

The question for the October post is: What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

This is a great question! If by "favourite genre", the question means my preferred genre to write, every writer should have an excellent answer because there will be certain elements that draw them to that genre and keep them coming back for more. In my case, I'm attracted to speculative fiction because it gives me the scope to think about things that are unseen and give full rein to my imagination. In my case I like to think about what may be ahead of us so there's a strong sci-fi element. Sometimes these concepts can be alarming but it's all viewed through the eyes of sympathetic, relatable characters. So, perhaps it's a warning, but it's a friendly one. And the good thing about spec fic is you can take a big, bold concept and really get your teeth into it.

Can't wait to read others' answers to this question. To find them, head here!

In other news, I recently wrapped up a first draft of my next book, which I'm excited about. This deals with another big concept as mentioned above. I'm really looking forward to sharing more details about this one.

Thanks to all those who participated in the blog tour for Reckoning and commented on and shared the posts. I had a lot of fun!

Finally, as things continue to ramp up for the release of my trad pub debut, The Becalmer, in August of next year, I'm still looking for three or four people to make up a street team. All you have to do is be willing to receive a few emails from my publisher and to help spread the word about my book in various channels. It'll be a great time! Team members also have access to exclusive treats and goodies. Here's a working blurb:

Gifted with the ability to defuse conflicts with her mind, Harica is headhunted to resolve a war via an arranged marriage, unaware that the reluctant would-be bride—the entitled Princess Jasmila—has similar powers. But the princess doesn't use them for good, and she fights back, sending Harica into a coma through which she finds a mysterious liminal space populated by others who share her gift, both living and dead. She learns to do things she never thought possible, but when things get out of control, she almost swears off her gift forever—until events dictate that she must come to terms with the dark side of her gift and take ownership of it.

If you're interested, comment below or shoot me an email at mcwilfo (at) gmail (dot) com. Thanks much!

Reckoning Blog Tour Finale

Today I'm wrapping up the blog tour for my new release, Reckoning, at Jennifer Lane's place. It's been a lot of fun and hopefully you've enjoyed following along. Have a great weekend!