2. “Reckoner” by Radiohead
3. “Keep Quiet” by Hot Chip
4. “Missing Persons 1 & 2” by OneRepublic
5. “Canvas” by Imogen Heap
6. “Norway” by Beach House
7. “This Is Who I Am” by Cause and Effect
8. “Keep the Car Running” by Arcade Fire
9. “Dissolved Girl” by Massive Attack
10. “Miss You” by Trentemøller
11. “Mad World” by Michael Andrews and Gary Jules
12. “Rabbit in Your Headlights” by UNKLE
13. “The Space in Between” by How to Destroy Angels
14. “Little Bird” by Imogen Heap
GRAVESTONE PLAYLIST #3 For the movie
1. “Turquoise Mix” by Johan Söderqvist (from Earth Made of Glass soundtrack)
2. “Caught” by David Julyan (from The Prestige soundtrack)
3. “Christmas Island” by Depeche Mode
4. “The Artifact & Living” by Michael Andrews (from Donnie Darko soundtrack)
5. “Waves, Waves, Waves” by M83
6. “Aker” by Johan Söderqvist (unreleased)
7. “The Low Places” by Jon Hopkins
8. “Night—City Back Street” by David Lynch and Marek Zebrowski
9. “The Field of Gold” by Alexander Malter (from Fireflies in the Garden soundtrack)
10. “Slipping Away” by Michael Andrews (from Donnie Darko soundtrack)
11. “End Credit Mix” by Johan Söderqvist (from Earth Made of Glass soundtrack)
12. “The Long Walk” by Mark Isham (from The Crazies soundtrack)
13. “The Big Ship” by Brian Eno
Behind the Book: The Empire Strikes Back
When I started to dive into Gravestone, the second of four books in The Solitary Tales, I began to study second installments of series. Not just book series, but movies as well.
This led me to rewatch The Empire Strikes Back and break it down.
There’s a reason why so many people regard this Star Wars movie as the best one ever made.
First off, it’s action packed. The story starts off fast and never slows.
It dives deeper into the main characters of the story, separating them and charting their own unique journeys.
It gives us brand-new, lovable characters. “Star Wars without Yoda, unthinkable would be, hmmm?” Okay, sorry, that’s my Yoda-speak for you. But seriously, can you imagine not having Yoda as part of the overall story? Or how about Boba Fett, a minor character that was so cool he made you want to become a bounty hunter?
But most of all, The Empire Strikes Back was dark. It ended on quite the downer. (Need I even bother saying “spoiler alert”?) At the end of the film, Han Solo is frozen in carbonite and taken away to some guy named Jabba the Hutt. Luke’s no better off. His dad is Darth Vader, after all. And his father decides to lop off his hand.
So when all is said and done, the story leaves us breathless, waiting for what comes next.
With this in mind, I set out to write Gravestone.
Unfortunately, the scene where Chris’s father comes back and cuts off his hand was axed by my editor. As was the scene where Chris meets Iris in a small hut in the swamp.
No, the universe of Stars Wars is quite different from that of Solitary. It’s a whole other genre. But since this was my first foray into writing a second installment, I let The Empire Strikes Back help me with the storytelling.
If you’re wondering where these stories are headed, let me promise you that I do know … even if I don’t know exactly how we’re going to get there. Or who exactly is going to survive.
So what of book three?
Well, I’m going to take a unique approach to the book that we’re calling Temptation. It’s going to pick up right where we’ve left Chris, but it’s going to go off in a different direction. That’s all I’ll say. You’ll be surprised, but not for the reasons you might expect.
I hope you stay tuned for the ride. Lots more to come in Chris’s journey. Lots more to discover about Solitary and the people … and even the animals … who live there.
This tenth grader didn’t do anything noteworthy except for one thing: sneaking into the girls’ dorm and getting expelled from high school. This unfortunate event provided the catalyst for changing schools and entering a whole new existence in North Carolina. At least it would provide good material for writing many years later.
For more information on Travis Thrasher,
visit www.TravisThrasher.com.
Chris Buckley’s saga in The Solitary Tales will continue in Temptation, scheduled for publication in June 2012, and will conclude in Hurt in June 2013.
The author of over a dozen works of fiction, including Isolation and Ghostwriter, Travis Thrasher has been writing since he was in the third grade. His writing is known for its honesty, depth, and surprising twists. Thrasher lives near Chicago with his wife and three daughters.
www.travisthrasher.com
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