Music is my greatest inspiration and
especially when writing. I don’t’ have any particular favourite musician or
band or even a type of music I listen to. I can be in a mood for anything, from
classical to rock, even some rap and hip-hop. And today I’d like to talk about
the music in my novel. Since the majority of the story is set in Croatia,
naturally I added a bit of a local flavour with Croatian songs mentioned in the
book. Kate, the heroine, is also a huge fan of Abba. The idea for that came
from watching “Mama Mia” and the fact that I too am a die-hard Abba fan.
Part of the story is set in Canada, so to
sprinkle some Canadian flavour in, I had Kate and Matthias dance to the cover
of Michael Bublé’s
“Save The Last Dance For Me”
Originally, I wanted to have this song in the
story right after the above one. My editor asked for the title of the song, but the meaning of the title
was lost in translation, which would read “I still can’t stop loving”, however,
I found the melody and the lyrics very touching.
So I chose a different song. The title translates
to “I’ll leave the light on” and it is performed by the same group who sings “I still can’t stop loving”.
The group is called Klapa Iskon, Klapa meaning the band and Iskon is the place
they are from, plus a female singer, talented Jelena Rozga:
And now I’ll leave you with the video
depicting the town of Zadar at night. The town is named as one of the most
romantic cities in the world by popular magazine
National Geographic, in a list released to coincide with Valentine's Day.
After watching this video, you’ll know why and how easy it would be to fall in
love here. The music is performed by talented Croatian pianist Maxim Mrivica. Enjoy.
Of course there I couldn’t leave you without
a short excerpt from my novel.
Here’s the scene with all the music minus the last song.
They strolled through the narrow streets of the medieval town and
arrived at the old hotel by the sea. Waiters bustled around the tables on the
terrace. A few couples twirled on the dance floor as the band played a version
of Save the Last Dance for Me. Her feet stopped, and she stared at the dance
floor, longing to be in his embrace and move her body in sync with
his.
As if on cue, he cocked his head toward the patio. “Shall we?”
She wrapped her hand around his bicep. Thrilled as she was he wanted
to dance with her, she was nervous, sure that she would be clumsy and awkward.
Suddenly, scaling the medieval wall had seemed easier.
He led her though the maze of tables and chairs on the hotel’s
terrace. When they reached the clear area in front of the small stage, he
slipped his arm around her waist. “We can do better than these other couples.
Come on, let’s us show them how dancing is done. Just relax and follow my
steps.”
His left hand pressed on her hip, pulling her close as the fingers of
his right hand wrapped around her left. When she placed her free hand on his
solid shoulder, her fingers fumbled, but his warm, reassuring smile eased her
tension. Her feet wouldn’t cooperate for the first few swings. A funny frown
appeared on his face when she stepped on his foot for the third time. She
glanced at her feet. God, he must think she was terribly uncoordinated.
He squeezed her hand. “Look at me.”
Their eyes met. Lost in his mesmerizing gaze, she forgot what her
feet were doing and her nervousness disappeared, replaced by a sense of peace
as she picked up his rhythm, following him with ease. Even when he twirled her
under his arm, her feet didn’t falter. Before she knew it, the song had come to
an end.
“We were good,” she said, joy and wonder filling her voice.
He hugged her. “We were.”
The band leader strummed the guitar and stepped up to the microphone.
“And now, it’s ladies’ choice.”
He turned back to the band and they joined in with his song. Many
left the dance area with the slow melody. But Matthias wrapped his arm around
her waist. “I hope I’m your choice,” he murmured
When the vocalist joined in with the three guys from the group, Kate
turned her attention to the lyrics. Every single word of the song “I’ll Leave
the Light On” struck a nerve. Memories she had suppressed for years flooded to
the surface as the band played on. Her chest tightened, constricting her breath.
Tears stung her eyes. Matthias stopped his feet, but kept his body swaying.
Kate stared at his shoes. Sobs spasmed her shoulders, betraying her attempts to
hide her emotions from him. Four hours earlier, she had boldly stood up to an enraged
bull, but the words of this song reduced her to a wimp.
His hand inched behind her neck and pulled her head onto his chest.
She prayed the tune would end, but the band kept playing.
When the beat of the next song sped up, and people poured back onto
the dance floor, Matthias kissed her hair and led her away from the loud music.
“We should sit this one out.”
Enjoy your Monday!
