When Yunyu and I started collaborating on a book/song release with Burn Bright I had no idea how much fun I’d have and how interesting it would be. For those who don’t know the background, when I released Burn Bright (book 1) of my Night Creatures YA trilogy, Yunyu also released a song called Angel Arias written specifically to to accompany the book.

The song was made available for download via iTunes and Bandcamp for a small fee. We also released two videos using a sample of the music. One video was produced by Random House using a remixed version of Yunyu’s song and perfectly captured the hard core party atmosphere of Ixion. The second video was released by Yunyu and was more of a sneak peak at the song proper.

The result of all this was an enhanced reading/listening experience for the fans of the series. I still get excited every time I hear Yunyu’s song, Angel Arias, and it will forever take me back to the world I created – in the same way that songs take me back to other times in my life; past loves, experiences, places and emotions.

On the creative side, the collaboration was a wonderful, enriching experience. On the administrative/production side there were a few bumps along the way but we got there in the end. I reminded myself a few times, that nothing worth fighting for comes easily.

As the book 2 got under way, Yunyu and I revisited the music/book idea and agreed that we loved working together. For me, Yunyu (her sense of humour and crazy-arsed brilliant mind) is nothing but a pleasure to have in my life and I hope I brought something to her in return. And so … we lined up for round two…

Things were a bit different this time. Yunyu and I planned it on the fly between us and she chose a song, already written, that fitted perfectly with the frantic flight of the my main character through the second book. The song, Bluebeard, is fierce and full of energy and fear.

This time Yunyu said we could make the song available free specially for those who purchased the book. Being the tech savant that she is, she suggested we place a QR tag in the back of the book which would allow anyone with a iPhone or Smartphone to download from the link.

This is a simple and graceful approach, and as of today our plan has been realised. Anyone who has purchased a copy of Book 2 Angel Arias, just needs to point their QR reader app at the tag in the book and it will take them to a free download link of the song. And if you’d like an idea of the kind of song it is, you can get a taste of it by watching the book trailer below made by R & D Studios (I’ll be running a feature on them soon so you can find out more about them) for book 2.

Will we do it again for book 3? Absolutely!

R & D Studios trailer for Angel Arias

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H30_T0C1LbY&feature=channel_video_title

Angel Arias Song Preview

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y07iogdHqvQ

Random House trailer for Burn Bright

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Np4iHj1AIMg

MDP: We don’t review books as a rule on the main site (here!) but occasionally a book comes along that I’m keen to give some air-time. I’ve long been a fan of Kim Westwood’s writing – and Mandy Wrangles has written a through appraisal of her new book. Enjoy!

The Courier’s New Bicycle – Kim Westwood’s second novel – is provocative and, at times, confronting. It’s a glimpse into a not-so-impossible near future, thrusting the reader into a world that’s so familiar, and so real it’s unsettling.

Salisbury Forth is a bicycle courier in post-pandemic Melbourne. After the government rolled out a flu-vaccine to a panicked public, an unexpected side-effect screws with hormone levels and leaves most of the population infertile and desperate for cures. The religious party ‘Nation First’ has been voted into power, prohibiting ‘unnatural practices’ including gene therapy, hormone replacement and surrogacy. The only cure they condone for the return of family is prayer. Salisbury delivers ethical hormone treatments for her boss, Gail, who has been forced to move her business underground – a dangerous occupation that could get Sal killed at any time.

But delivering contraband isn’t Sal’s only reason to beware the religious zealots and vigilante groups operating under the guise of the law. Sal is a sexual transgressor, androgynous and prefers women as her sexual partners. Her very existence has become illegal.

When a batch of deadly, tainted hormones packaged as Gail’s makes its way onto the street, Sal is charged with finding out who is behind the plot to wipe out her boss’s business. Is it someone wanting to take over Gail’s lucrative patch, or are there even more sinister motives behind the pesticide-enhanced kit circulating the streets with Gail’s stamp on them?

The Courier’s New Bicycle has it all. Page flipping pace, almost as fast as Sal’s bike itself, this is a story that will not only make you pause and ponder your own ethical standards and acceptance of government policies, but it’s beautifully and sparsely crafted:

‘I am a machine, legs and lungs pumping, body tucked flat and low, eyes on the route ahead. Speeding along the city streets, a shadow with lights and reflectors flashing, a savage joy ripples through me. Adrenaline courses, quicksilver, in muscles and ligaments, joints and skin, and I feel nothing of the cold, the dark, the jolting surfaces…’

As a Melbourne native, I particularly found Westwood’s use of the city as a backdrop fun and enlightening. Some of the city’s landmarks and streets have retained their original names and appearance, yet others, though still recognisable have been renamed in accordance with the country’s new religious obsession. Westwood has rebuilt Melbourne as a dark and dangerous place, while losing none of its gothic beauty along the way. Prayer groups huddle under sparse streetlights, and the wealthy financial districts have morphed into safe places for brothels and surrogacy teams.

This is a gritty story that brings bare-bones emotion to the fore. One particular scene early in the book, where Sal takes part in a clandestine animal rescue operation was so raw and graphic, was almost too difficult to keep reading. However this scene is pivotal to not only the story and its conclusion, but also in the way we get to know Sal and her ethical standards and beliefs. She is a character of immense backbone, willing to put her own safety on the line to stand by what she knows is right.

Westwood’s darkness is sprinkled with moments of humour – I particularly loved Sal’s cat, the purple glow-in-the-dark Nitro; just like Sal herself, his existence has been outlawed by moralistic bigots too frightened to think for themselves. There were also moments of true friendship and loyalty so tender, it felt as though I was intruding on private conversations and thoughts.

The Courier’s New Bicycle is not what I would label as an easy read, purely for the subject matter. While Westwood’s word craft is stunning, the reader is shocked over and over again by the feasibility of a near future just like this one. This is a story that will – and should – stay with you long after the last page is read, as commentary on a society that just may well be where we’re heading.

Published by Harper Voyager.

Paperback, 327 pages.

ISBN – 978 0 7322 8988 1

Some nice news bits this week beginning with the announcement that Glitter Rose will be in the World Fantasy Con bags in San Diego this month. Twelfth Planet Press have sent them across as their calling card! This is extremely cool.

Also, today is release day for Angel Arias. We’ve been doing giveaways on FB all week and its been fun. Thanks to those who joined in. Some reviews have popped up around the place, including Laine’s Fiction Books Corner, Tassie Book Reviews, In The Good Books, ALPHA Reader and The Book Gryffin.

Around the Net, there are some bits and pieces as well. Brigitte Sutherland and I talked to Geek Speak Magazine about Peacemaker. Aura from Aura’s Book Box has been our wonderful guest vlogger at Burn Bright talking about how she fell in love with reading. Like Priscilla from The Readables, Aura is eloquent and vibrant.

I’m heading down to Melbourne on Frdiay for SheKilda where I’ll be on several panels and catching up with friends and bloggers. I’m also having a interview with Nalini from Dark Matter Fanzine – should be a great weekend.