Every Monday while I’m on book tour for Enchanted, I’m going to share a fun music video that features love, fairy tales, magic, or my inspirations.
Today’s song is “Boulevard of Broken Dreams” by Green Day.
People always want to know where an author gets her ideas. I was on the treadmill at the gym one afternoon when this song came on. I had just written “Sweetheart Come,” a shapeshifter fairy tale based on a Nick Cave song, and I wondered what other songs might similarly inspire me.
“Boulevard of Broken Dreams” has a melancholy tone that I could hear in Rumbold’s voice. The song also has a line in the chorus that personifies shadows. In what fairy tale do shadows play a major role? Why, Peter Pan, of course! (Peter lost his shadow and tried to use a bar of soap to stick it back on. Wendy Darling sewed it back with a needle and thread.)
How could someone lose their shadow? What magical properties would a shadow have? And, once removed, how could someone benefit from stealing someone else’s shadow? In the blink of an eye, I realized I had my Nameless King’s motivation.
Pretty sure I tripped on the treadmill over that one.