Inspiration Through Music: Wye Oak

There are times when I am so thankful that I was introduced to a particular television show. Such is the case here. Last year in September, I made myself a lovely bowl of chorizo and squash soup (oh, how I wish I could eat that now) and some homemade garlic bread. I opened my my Netflix DVD and sat down to watch a movie and eat some dinner. This, folks, was the moment I was introduced to The Walking Dead. After falling madly in love with the first episode, I googled it and found that the second season was set to begin soon. I then found the trailer for it online. And this, this was truly the best moment of all. In the video, they had used a little song called, “Civilian” by a band that I’d never heard of: Wye Oak. Within the next few months, I was hooked on this band. Their music has so much flavor and a certain eccentricity that I really enjoy. I also love that it brings out my creativity on various writing projects.

Wye Oak is an American indie folk band comprised of two people, Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack. Since their start in 2006, the band has released four albums. I have songs from each album. This band tends to be one of my go to bands for inspiration when I’m really having trouble writing. I have four songs of theirs which usually get me un-stuck pretty quickly. One of these (which I didn’t include below) is the song Holy, Holy which is probably my second favorite of the songs they’ve done. I’ve listened to their music while working on westerns, my indie travel novella, and of course, The Monstrum Chronicles. Today, I’ve selected 7 of their songs to share with you.

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Acquolina is now available!

Good morning everyone!

My first short story in The Monstrum Chronicles, Acquolina, is now available for download on Kindle here. At 99 cents, this 46 page story chronicles the tale of Sibyl, a year old fledgling of the Kume bloodline. The Kume are the water-dwelling bloodline of lilitu (vampires) from The Monstrum Chronicles. They have mutated from so many years spent in the water. They have blue tinged skin, black eyes, and scales, occasionally. These creatures are also extremely artistic. The bloodline was created during the Italian Renaissance in the 1400’s. The novel takes place in the late 1800’s in the Kume city of Vitoria, which exists in the Erebus, the dark shadow realm where the lilitu hold territories. Vitoria is the capitol and the home of the Artigianti di Alta. They are the group of highly skilled artisans who protect a collection of the most highly valued artwork pieces created by their kind.

As the novel opens, we find Sibyl preparing for the annual Festival Della Costola, a celebration where one Kume is picked to join the Artigianti di Alta and the various Houses (clans) celebrate their creativity. However, there are also civil tensions rising between various houses which are building toward a terrible possible outcome: war. As Sibyl finds herself chosen as the new inductee to the Artigianti di Alta, she will be pulled in opposite directions by two men: a mysterious outsider who might be her only escape from the rising unrest, and The Ghost, another outsider, who has a vested interest in saving Vitoria by using any means necessary. But do they have their own agendas as well?

Here is the cover:

Acquolina is written for those who want a taste of what’s to come in Aequitas: Book 2 of The Monstrum Chronicles. It gives the background story for two characters who play large roles in the series. The short story also gives further clarification to an event that is referenced in Book 2. Later this evening, I’ll have a soundtrack list up for the short story on my website, so stay tuned for that!

Also, (and I feel pretty bad about this) sorry I wasn’t able to get Inspiration Through Music up on Monday. It was a busy day, I was getting my new car (Izze 3!) and then the new car had a dead battery so I got home rather late. Yesterday, I was rushing to get the short story published and then spent the entire night reformatting it because I hadn’t done it properly. I’m hoping to write the blog this morning. If I’m not able to, I’ll have it up for you later tonight.

Right then! Stay tuned for new stuff! 🙂

~KSilva