Arthur Slade Blog Tour Post (and sweepstakes): The Hunchback Assignments Soundtrack

When people ask me about my inspiration for The Hunchback Assignments, I say “It’s all about the tunes, dude (or dudette)!” Writing a Victorian-era steampunk book with a shape-changing spy requires a lot of pounding at the keyboard and plenty of musical inspiration. Here are a few of the songs that have helped keep my fingers tapping:

1. “Another Way to Die” Jack White and Alicia Keyes — it’s a James Bond song, totally secret agent.
2. “Stars” Les Miserables — Ah, nothing like Javert from the musical Les Miserables swearing to capture Jean Val Jean.
3. “The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner” Iron Maiden — Heavy Metal Coleridge. Really, his poetry was meant to be metallized.
4. “Going Under” Evanescence — the symphonic pounding of this song helped me keep tapping away on deadline day.
5. “Creep” Abney Park– the band that put steampunk music on the map, covers Radiohead. This is a “villain” song.
6. “Wuthering Heights” Kate Bush — Ah, the vocals in this song just scream unrequited Victorian love. Still sends chills up my spine.
7. “Captain Nemo” Sara Brightman — Obviously a big inspiration for The Dark Deeps. Why can’t every song feature Captain Nemo?
8. “The Day That Never Comes” Metallica — again the chugging and the slag heaps of metal in this song keep me to my deadline (which alas is the “day” that does come far too soon).
9. “God Help The Outcasts” Hunchback of Notre Dame soundtrack — Ah, I’m a sucker for Quasimodo inspired songs.
10. “Diamonds are Forever” Shirley Bassey — the greatest Bond song ever! There is something cold and beautiful about this song.

—Arthur Slade

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The Blog Tour Schedule

Previous stops on The Dark Deeps blog tour:

• Friday, September 17 – ArtSlade.com
• Saturday September 18 – Cynsations
• Sunday, September 19 – Free the Princess
• Monday, September 20 – Age of Steam
• Tuesday, September 21 – Steampunk Tribune

Upcoming stops on The Dark Deeps blog tour:

• Thursday, September 23 – Steampunk Scholar
• Friday, September 24 – Through the Looking Glass

We’re not just hosting Mr. Slade today, we’re throwing a sweepstakes in his honor! And entering is easy, all you have to do is post a comment to this post between now and 10 AM EST to be entered in to a drawing to win! That’s it. We’ll have one Grand Prize Winner who will receive one copy of The Dark Deeps and one copy of The Hunchback Assignments, as well as two Runners-Up Winners who will each receive one copy of The Hunchback Assignments.

Be sure to check out our official rules for eligibility and other details: Arthur Slade Blog Tour Sweepstakes Official Rules.

Sorry, this is open to United States residents only. Good Luck!

Arthur Slade was raised in the Cypress Hills of southwest Saskatchewan and began writing at an early age. He received an English honor’s degree from the University of Saskatchewan, spent several years in advertising and is now a full-time fiction writer. He is the author of the “Northern Frights” series, the “Canadian Chills” series, Dust, which won the 2001 Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature, and Tribes. Monsterology was his first “creepy” collection, and this is his second. His most recent novel is Megiddo’s Shadow. He lives in Saskatoon with his wife, Brenda, and daughter, Tori.

See more books by Arthur Slade here: Author Spotlight: Arthur Slade