I couldn’t be more excited about today’s blog tour, celebrating A Million Worlds With You by Claudia Gray — the third and final book in her amazing Firebird series, which comes out tomorrow. (This book is AMAZING you guys! See my spoiler-free review here.)
For today’s blog tour stop, Claudia stops by with her official playlist for the entire Firebird series — plus, keep reading for your chance to win a copy of the book!
I absolutely LOVE Claudia’s playlist for the Firebird series. Some of my favorite songs are on this list, and I’ve discovered a few new favorites, too. I love how perfectly these songs capture different aspects of the books’ plots, settings, and characters. Take a look — and a listen — below at Claudia’s list, complete with her notes about why she selected each song.
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1) “Breath of Life,” Florence + the Machine: This is the theme song for the entire trilogy. I played it something like 1100 times while writing the three books! The lyrics suggest the need dimensional travelers have for Nightthief, and the desperation of the song—the intense, driving beat—captured perfectly the way Marguerite feels as she flings herself into each adventure.
2) “Actor Out Of Work,” St. Vincent: This is one of Theo’s two theme songs. I think it captures his talent and his wit, his mercurial nature, and the way he’s always searching for the place where he belongs.
3) “Once Upon A December,” Sarah Morgan: I’d be lying if I said the Russiaverse wasn’t slightly influenced by my love for the movie “Anastasia.” The delicacy and beauty of the song were perfect for Marguerite’s bittersweet time in St. Petersburg, and the aftereffects of her visit there. (Trivia – I used the tune of this song as the basis for a lullaby on Alderaan in my Star Wars book BLOODLINE.)
4) “Chandelier,” Sia: This illustrates a moment in A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU, when Marguerite finds herself once again within an alternate version she’s visited before—but in even worse circumstances.
5) “Skyfall,” Adele: Another “Russiaverse” song. The lyrics describe this unbreakable bond, for good or for bad, in dangerous times. So of course it’s perfect for Marguerite and Paul.
6) “One Thing,” Finger Eleven: Such an incredibly romantic song—and for me, it’s where Paul is during the first book, when he’s unsure what Marguerite feels for him and knows she may hate him forever, but has to carry through no matter what.
7) “Supremacy,” Muse: The Home Office theme song!
8) “Down By The Water,” PJ Harvey: Originally, I folded this into the soundtrack to symbolize Marguerite’s search for her parents, even though the lyrics say, “Give me back my daughter.” As the series went on, of course, the song came to stand for Marguerite’s parents, and what they’re doing for both Marguerite and Josie’s sakes.
9) “The Lightning Strike,” Snow Patrol: Marguerite and Paul’s theme song. The lyrics say her hair is gold, and Marguerite’s a brunette, but otherwise it absolutely captures that sense of being with someone in one precious moment, never knowing if it will come again.
10) “Palaces of Montezuma,” Grinderman: This is the other big Theo theme, maybe the song that’s about Theo at his best. It describes all these improbable, grandiose gifts the singer wants to give to the one he loves—so the song captures Theo’s humor and his adoration, but most of all his generosity, which might be the trait that defines him most.
11) “Echoes,” The Klaxons: I first encountered this song as the track for a fanvid about “Fringe,” a TV series that in part was about alternate dimensions interacting. The lyrics couldn’t be more perfect! “The world between the worlds”…
12) “That Dress Looks Nice On You,” Sufjan Stevens: To me, at least, these lyrics capture Paul’s uncertainty and shyness around Marguerite in the early days, and the gentleness of what he feels for her.
13) “Blood Makes Noise,” Suzanne Vega: A song for Home Office Marguerite—a version you’ll get to know a lot better in A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU.
14) “Follow The Cops Back Home,” Placebo: Weirdly, the song lyrics are about getting drunk in Iceland, which does not happen in any of the universes our characters visit. But there’s something about the mood of the piece that suggests not knowing where you are in an ever-changing world.
15) “The Masterplan,” Oasis: As the poem goes, our choices are half chance. Marguerite and Paul are navigating the stormy waters between luck and destiny, and for all they know and all they believe, their choices are their ultimate guide.
I also listened to a lot of movie and TV scores while writing. The Russiaverse was accompanied by theme music from “Doctor Zhivago” and “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg,” while the Warverse got the melancholy, beautiful score from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo.” The album “Makara” by E.S. Postumus provided the background for many of the action scenes throughout. And, of course, I listened to plenty of Beatles music, particularly the song that brings father and daughter back together in A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU, “In My Life.”
About A Million Worlds With You (Firebird #3):
A million universes. A million dangers. One destiny.
The fate of the multiverse rests in Marguerite Caine’s hands. Marguerite has been at the center of a cross-dimensional feud since she first traveled to another universe using her parents’ invention, the Firebird. Only now has she learned the true plans of the evil Triad Corporation—and that those plans could spell doom for dozens or hundreds of universes, each facing total annihilation.
Paul Markov has always been at Marguerite’s side, but Triad’s last attack has left him a changed man—angry and shadowed by tragedy. He struggles to overcome the damage done to him, but despite Marguerite’s efforts to help, Paul may never be the same again.
So it’s up to Marguerite alone to stop the destruction of the multiverse. Billions of lives are at stake. The risks have never been higher. And Triad has unleashed its ultimate weapon: another dimension’s Marguerite—wicked, psychologically twisted, and always one step ahead.
In the epic conclusion to Claudia Gray’s Firebird trilogy, fate and family will be questioned, loves will be won and lost, and the multiverse will be forever changed. It’s a battle of the Marguerites . . . and only one can win.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
About Ten Thousand Skies Above You (Firebird #2):
Ever since she used the Firebird, her parents’ invention, to cross into alternate dimensions, Marguerite has caught the attention of enemies who will do anything to force her into helping them dominate the multiverse—even hurting the people she loves. She resists until her boyfriend, Paul, is attacked and his consciousness scattered across multiple dimensions.
Marguerite has no choice but to search for each splinter of Paul’s soul. The hunt sends her racing through a war-torn San Francisco, the criminal underworld of New York City, and a glittering Paris where another Marguerite hides a shocking secret. Each world brings Marguerite one step closer to rescuing Paul. But with each trial she faces, she begins to question the destiny she thought they shared.
The second book in the Firebird trilogy, Ten Thousand Skies Above You features Claudia Gray’s lush, romantic language and smart, exciting action, and will have readers clamoring for the next book.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
About A Thousand Pieces of You (Firebird #1):
Every Day meets Cloud Atlas in this heart-racing, space- and time-bending, epic new trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Claudia Gray.
Marguerite Caine’s physicist parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention: the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him.
Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.
A Thousand Pieces of You explores a reality where we witness the countless other lives we might lead in an amazingly intricate multiverse, and ask whether, amid infinite possibilities, one love can endure.
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks
Claudia Gray is a pseudonym. I would like to say that I chose another name so that no one would ever learn the links between my shadowy, dramatic past and the explosive secrets revealed through my characters. This would be a lie. In truth, I took a pseudonym simply because I thought it would be fun to choose my own name. (And it is.)
I write novels full-time, absolutely love it, and hope to be able to do this forever. My home is in New Orleans, is more than 100 years old, and is painted purple. In my free time I read, travel, hike, cook and listen to music. You can keep up with my latest releases, thoughts on writing and various pop-culture musings via Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Goodreads or (of course) my own home page.
If you want to contact me, you can email me, but your best bet is probably to Tweet me. I don’t do follows on Twitter, but I follow everyone back on Tumblr, Pinterest and Goodreads.
Website | Twitter |Tumblr | Pinterest | Goodreads | Wattpad
3 winners will receive a finished copy of A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU, US Only.
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Week One:
- 10/24/2016- Seeing Double In Neverland– Recap of A THOUSAND PIECES OF YOU
- 10/25/2016- BookHounds YA– Recap of TEN THOUSAND SKIES ABOVE YOU
- 10/26/2016- Fangirlish– What we can expect in A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU
- 10/27/2016- Fiktshun– Excerpt from A MILLION WORLDS WITH YOU
- 10/28/2016- Two Chicks on Books–Interview
Week Two:
- 10/31/2016- Novel Novice – Series Playlist
- 11/1/2016- Tales of the Ravenous Reader– Interview
- 11/2/2016- Page Turners Blog– Series Photo Board
- 11/3/2016- Dark Faerie Tales– –Interview
- 11/4/2016- Mundie Moms – What’s up next? Info about Claudia’s new book(s)
Novel Novice 
Oh man, this playlist is awesome. There are so many amazing songs!! I can’t wait for this book and have been stalking my Amazon updates to see when it’s getting to me. I’ll definitely be dropping everything to get to it.
Thanks for sharing!!