G.D. Penman stopped by as part of his Blog Tour to share a music playlist for his new book: THE WOUNDED ONES, book 2 of The Witch of Empire series. Be sure to get the book details below the playlist and enter to win a $50 giftcard!
The Wounded Ones still holds onto Witch of Empire’s Film Noir roots while moving forward from that period of hardboiled history into the war stories that followed. It also shifts the scenery from New Amsterdam to a global stage, so the jazz and country music of colonial America kind of takes a back seat too. Some of these songs were in my ear when I was working out the story, some were just a perfect fit. – G.D. Penman
It is going to be hard to talk about a lot of these songs without spoiling the book too badly since they’re listed out to match up with specific scenes. Like this one, which lines up with a fight on a train while reminding us a little of who Sully is, and how angry she is at the world. She spent the last book spoiling for the fight, well now she finally gets it.
Hard to have a story about Americans being drafted into a war they feel extremely ambivalent about without having a little bit of that good Vietnam War music in there.
I’ve got nothing against the Stones, but this Motorhead cover just feels like a better fit for Sully. Lots of real and figurative deals with demons going on in this book, so might as well give a nod to old nick, eh?
This one might just be on the list because I was hearing it all the time while I was writing the book. It might also be on the list because Sully can’t help but take the weight of the whole world on her shoulders. Maybe.
Hard to write a book about the history of an American Empire and the inevitable domino effect of historical events without calling in Billy
This song is a jam. There are a lot of high energy fights throughout this book that it fits neatly behind. What’s not to like?
Hamilton was definitely an influence on the direction of these books, which were in no small part my love letter to America and her history, so I had to include something from the mixtape. The fact that this story takes place at the pivot point of history is totally coincidental to the pick. Honest.
An underrated song by a band with an almost eerie cult following. About being alone, broken, and dying because you’re so alone. Yikes. This is why I don’t get invited to parties.
Another hype song for Sully fighting the world, with the same frenetic pace that she seems to move and make decisions. This is the first book where you get to see Sully doing what she was built for, using all the power that she can bring to bear.
One of the things I always liked about writing Witch of Empire was that it felt like I was dipping in and out of a world in progress. All the characters are living their own lives and dealing with their own situations before Sully collides with them. So a song that says “Everyone’s got problems and you’ve got to be your own hero” feels like a good fit.
Bringing in a touch of the neo-noir kind of vibe towards the end of this playlist to remind you where this story was coming from and hinting at where it is heading next. Plus, it is hard to hear a lyric like, “I’m gonna show you where it’s dark, but have no fear” and not think of Sully.
Would it really be a war story without somebody weeping by the side of a hospital bed? Would it really be a Witch of Empire book if Sully didn’t end up getting badly injured? She has to work on her scar collection sometime.
Pain. This is the second book in a trilogy, a book about the cost of war; you had to know that it wasn’t going to be all sunshine and roses when the dust settled.
THE WOUNDED ONES by G.D. Penman
Book 2 in the WITCH OF EMPIRE series
GENRE: Urban Fantasy / LGBTQ / Detective
BOOK PAGE: https://www.meerkatpress.com/books/the-wounded-ones/
Summary: Demons and serial killers are Iona “Sully” Sullivan’s bread and butter, but nothing could have prepared her to face off against the full weight of the British Empire at the height of its power. With the War for American Independence in full swing, she finds even her prodigious talents pushed beyond their limits when citizens of the American Colonies begin vanishing amidst rumors of crop circles, hydra sightings and worse. Through a wild and lethal adventure that will see her clashing with the Empire around the world and beyond, the only constants in Sully’s life are an undead girlfriend, a giant demon crow that has taken a shine to her, regular assassination attempts by enemies on all sides, and the cold certainty that nothing and nobody is going to make it out of the war in one piece.
BUY LINKS: Meerkat Press |Amazon | Indiebound | Book Depository | Barnes & Noble
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