We Own the Sky by Sara Crawford Pages: 568
Published by CreateSpace on August 15th 2017
What could you create if you fell in love with a Muse?
16-year-old musician, Sylvia Baker, has always been different. She's the only one who can see the "flickering people." When she sees a gorgeous flickering man named Vincent, she learns that they are Muses.
With his help, she finds herself creating exquisite songs that she loves almost as much as songs by her favorite bands--Radiohead, M83, and The Black Keys--and she is falling in love in a way she never knew was possible. While trying to maintain her newfound friendships and her band, she falls deeper into the world of the Muses.
When the original Greek Muses wake to find a world in which the internet has given everyone the tools to be an artist, a battle between traditional and new methods of creation ensues. As Sylvia discovers how she is connected to the world of the Muses, she learns that this war may put her music, her love, her very life at stake.
Today I am super excited to have Sara Crawford, the author of the Muse Chronicles here to share 10 things we didn’t know about The Muse Chronicles. Read on to learn about Sara, about her book We Own the Sky and then be sure to enter the giveaway down below!
10 Things You Didn’t Know About The Muse Chronicles
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The idea for The Muse Chronicles came from a play.
In 2006, I wrote a play called Painted. It was about a painter who painted the same two people—Vincent and Izabella—that only she could see. In the play, I didn’t say specifically that they were Muses so the audience had to interpret whether these people were real and there was something supernatural going on or the painter was imagining them. No matter what I did, though, I couldn’t get the character of Vincent out of my mind. He became my Muse in a way, and he wouldn’t let me forget about him until I wrote more of his story.
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Each book in The Muse Chronicles has a title that references the band, M83.
In the book, Sylvia is obsessed with M83. Their dreamy, spacy sound reminds her of the Muses. So I wanted the titles to reference them for that reason, but the titles are also really relevant to the plot of each book.
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There are lots of shout outs to the Atlanta music scene in the books.
I was an active singer and musician in Atlanta for about 15 years, and all of the books are filled with references to local bands and venues that I loved. I even have a reference to my own band in the second book as Sylvia sees a Pocket the Moon sticker backstage at a venue.
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In the original draft of the first book, We Own the Sky, there was a love triangle.
Originally, I had a love triangle between Sylvia, Travis, and Vincent. Throughout revisions, though, I realized it didn’t really make sense for the characters. I love it a lot more with Travis being Sylvia’s platonic friend and bandmate because I really don’t think we see enough platonic male/female friendships in books.
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One of the songs Sylvia writes in the first book is a song I’ve actually written.
“Lights Out” is a song that Sylvia talks about a lot, and it was the first (and only) song I’ve written from the point of view of one of my characters.
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There are playlists that go with each book.
At the back of both books, there are links to playlists on Spotify, YouTube, and Amazon Music that correspond with the books.
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The romance between Sylvia and Vincent is a symbol.
I’ve gotten some criticism for Sylvia and Vincent having an unhealthy relationship. And I don’t actually disagree with that. But Vincent is a representation of art—in this case, music. 99% of the artists I know have an unhealthy relationship with art, and I wanted to show what that would look like with this idea of the Muses. I still root for Sylvia and Vincent, though, because as unhealthy as the relationship between artist and art can be, art ultimately still feeds the soul.
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I have a Pinterest board with images that go with the first book.
My Pinterest board features images of actors who look like my characters, and other inspirational images that remind me of the Muses.
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Sylvia’s father is in a band called Midnight Walk, but that’s not what it was called originally.
In earlier drafts of the book, his band was called Wandering Pedestrians.
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I wrote a good portion of the first two books at Cool Beans, the coffee shop featured in the book.
Cool Beans is one of my favorite places to hang out in Marietta. I wanted it to be a setting in the book, especially because there are a lot of artists, musicians, and writers who hang out there.
Thanks so much for stopping by Sara! Before you guys enter the EPIC giveaway below, check out this awesome trailer of We Own the Sky!
To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win a signed paperback of We Own the Sky along with a bookmark, button, and mix CD that goes along with the book!
Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law.
About Sara Crawford
Sara Crawford is an author, a playwright, and a musician. Ever since she was five years old, she has lived for art in one form or another. This manifested itself as writing plays at age eight and convincing (forcing) the neighborhood kids to perform them on her driveway, auditioning for Atlanta Ballet’s The Nutcracker three years in a row before finally landing a small role as a toy soldier, starting an all-girl band in high school, writing and producing her own plays and short films, and most recently, writing a book about a girl who falls in love with her Muse (WE OWN THE SKY). Sara has been an actress, a singer, a playwright, a songwriter, a guitarist, a keyboard player, a poet, a screenwriter, and an author of both fiction and non-fiction.
She graduated in 2008 from Kennesaw State University with a B.A. in English and in 2012 from the University of New Orleans with an M.F.A. in Creative Writing (emphasis in Playwriting). Currently, in addition to working as a freelance writer and internet marketer, she is also a creative writing professor in the graduate program at Southern New Hampshire University, teaching online classes. She also loves to talk about books, music, and writing on her YouTube channel.
Lulu Wood
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE YOU! YOU’RE SO AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sara Crawford
Aww, thanks Lulu!!
<3 <3 <3
sherry fundin
Great post and giveaway. Congratulations Sara.
sherry @ fundinmental
Sara Crawford
Thanks so much Sherry!!