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It is my intention and expectation that Tempus Regina, barring any unforeseen developments, will be featuring most prominently on Scribbles during the year. I have continued writing, at a less breakneck speed than NaNo forced upon me; at 75,000 words, I still feel as though I'm wading through the beginning. This doesn't bode well. However, I shrug up my shoulders and keep going, learning bits and pieces about the characters as I go and hoping this confounded thing doesn't end up being too long.
In order to introduce a portion of the cast a little more thoroughly, I thought I would pull out and dust off an exercise I did way back in 2011 - finding music that associates itself with each character. While I can't usually write while music is playing, I do tend to mentally pull together songs that fit the story or characters (lots of Owl City for the Sea Fever books); I think one mark of a story being ready for me to write it is that all songs start to be twisted into having an application for the novel. It's the only explanation for "I'm Coming after You" linking itself to Tempus Regina.
At any rate, though this is not the entire cast, I tried to pick the most important people and pull the songs that capture them best. Note that for many of these, the songs are the only ones I have heard from that singer or band. Don't take them as unqualified recommendations! And now, without further ado...
regina winters
I can think of a number of songs that fit in with either Regina's character or aspects of her life, instrumental and not, some for their tunes and others for the lyrics. Some, like "Eurydice" by Sleepthief, have absolutely nothing to do with the story; "Street of Dreams" by Blackmore's Night, on the other hand, is quite linked with the plot. Another song I've mentioned several times is "Memories" by Within Temptation, the one most closely linked with her, but it has already featured. A fourth that I associate with her (apparently Tempus Regina is more music-driven than my other novels!) is Nina Gordon's "Tonight and the Rest of My Life," which seems to capture Regina's voice. The thrill of the music and lyrics is perfect, and I like the way it portrays a snapshot of emotion.
gleaming in the dark sea,
I'm as light as air
floating there breathlessly -
when the dream dissolves
I open up my eyes
I realize that
everything is shoreless sea
weightlessness is passing over me...
kay winters
Kay is a bit tricky, both because he is so childish and because he has at once a critical place in the story, and very little place at all. I chose an instrumental song for him, one that is sad and whimsical, and thus probably applies more to how Regina sees Kay than to how Kay sees himself: Aston's classical cover of Adele's "Someone Like You."
the assassin
The Assassin is such fun - he really is. Honestly, I could probably come up with as many songs for him as for Regina; many of Regina's songs involve him, after all, since the plot needs them both. And Owl City's "I'm Coming after You" really does apply. Don't laugh - it's true. However, the song that brings him to mind most vividly and paints him in the fullest colors is "Lions!" by LIGHTS, for both tune and lyrics fit him. It is a little grim, certainly purposeful, but I always picture a bit of a lopsided smile in the music. Though I'm not sure what to think of the fact that his song is sung by a woman...
show me to the shipwreck
show me how the bones shake
and when I'm at the edge of sorrow's blade
show me how the heart breaks
be steady on your feet
no matter the trouble you meet...
no matter the trouble you meet...
lions make you brave
giants give you faith
death is a charade
you don't have to feel safe to feel unafraid.
morgaine & the fisherman
Such an odd pair, these two, and I don't intend to talk much about them - that would be no fun, and leave no room for guesswork on your part. As with Regina and the Assassin, there are a number of songs that fit each of them; mostly instrumental, however, like "Intro" by the XX (whatever that means) or even "Doomsday" from the Doctor Who soundtrack. But the song I like best, though oddly more associated with the Fisherman, is "Locked within the Crystal Ball" by Blackmore's Night. It has just the right currents of power and magic.
I feel the waves begin to rise
Far across the ocean deep within your eyes
Silently watching as they fall
I can see the future locked within the crystal ball
the time king
He hasn't shown his face at all, but you can hardly have a time queen without a time king. As Sherlock Holmes so profoundly observed, "If there are bivalves, presumably there are monovalves." Simple logic. Like Morgaine and the Fisherman, I can't really say much about this fellow. But as he is of a rather tired, jaded turn of mind, the best song I could think of was Shearwater's "Animal Life" - which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, but oh well, what can you do?
no rush of light, no sun or belonging
no joy in building, love in the finishing
chasing down an anodyne
and half-reflected radiance
to hide below the ancient barricade
in chambers like the rooms a swallow made
for an animal life
the white demon
I like this fellow, though he only appeared properly last chapter. Steadfast, grim as the Time King, and, in the Assassin's opinion, thoroughly disturbing. I fancy he won't appear much in Tempus Regina, but he is something of a background force. A lot of characters are... At any rate, I chose for him Andrew Peterson's "Carry the Fire." The song is really applicable to the whole novel (the tune thrills me every time I listen to it), and to Regina herself, but I think it best suits the White Demon.
I will hold your hand, love
as long as I can, love
though the powers rise against us
though your fears assail you
and your body may fail you
there's a fire that burns within us...
