Celebrating Debutantes 2017: A Psalm for Lost Girls by Katie Bayerl (Playlist and Giveaway)

Happy Tuesday!

Today I am featuring a new set of Playlist of another debut novel for Celebrating Debutantes 2017.

New author Katie Bayerl put together a set of songs for her debut contemporary novel A Psalm for Lost Girls. She also explained each songs with how they are related to scenes from the book and how the songs put her in the mood into writing them into the story.

Next to the playlist are more details about the book A Psalm for Lost Girls and the author, Katie Bayerl. Also, don’t forget to check the giveaway at the bottom for a chance to win either a signed hardcover copy or audiobook of A Psalm for Lost Girls.

Here’s Katie with the playlist. I hope you enjoy!

A Psalm for Lost Girls Playlist

I listen to a lot of music when I write. Sometimes, I use music to get in the right headspace before writing a new scene. Sometimes, I listen to the same song on repeat for hours. I have a playlist for every project, and even subplaylists for certain characters or subplots. (It’s a little nuts.) Some songs I listen to so much that they seep into the sentences of the story.

This Spotify playlist includes the main songs I used to get in the groove for A Psalm for Lost Girls.

[Fun fact: A Psalm for Lost Girls was not the original title. As I hunted around for a title that would stick, I wanted to evoke a song or prayer because the whole book had taken on a musical quality in my mind and, at the same time, felt like a prayer Callie might send to her sister. A psalm is both of those things—a prayer, often sung—so hurrah! Title: nailed.]

Happy listening!

1. Chica Difîcil by Aterciopelados
“I am a difficult girl/but I’m worth the trouble.” The vocalist, Andrea Echeverri, is my favorite 90s rock en español vocalist. Sometimes she is raw and angry; this tune is more salty, earthy, real. Both sides of her voice remind me of Callie da Costa, Psalm’s protagonist.

2. Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
Callie is stubborn. When she sets her mind to avenging her sister’s memory, she puts “both feet on the ground/… /and is not backing down.” Also, fire. I’m not going to give away spoilers, but those burning candles on the cover? Relevant.

3. O Gente de Minha Terra by Mariza
Fado is the traditional music of Portugal, and Mariza is its modern queen. Her songs express the not-quite-translatable feeling of saudade—something like bittersweet longing. This particular song swells up my heart like the fictional city of New Avon: “oh, people of my land/now I see/this sadness I carry/I received from you.”

4. Wonder by Natalie Merchant
You get it? “They say I must be one of the wonders/God’s own creation/And as far as they see they can offer/no explanation.” This is exactly what Tess da Costa feels once the word gets out that she hears a strange voice and her community decides it must be the voice of God.

5. Eres Tú by Carla Morrison
These lyrics get a little bit sexy—speaking to the romance that runs through Psalm—but also? if you pretend it’s about sisterly love, this could be Callie speaking to her dead sister, telling Tess how she carries her mind and in her veins, how wherever she goes, it’s you, always you.

6. 1977 by Ana Tijoux
Ignore the lyrics. This is the sound of Callie on a warpath, seeking justice for the abducted child, Ana Langone. The energy of this song also reminds me of Callie’s best friend Karen Pérez, my favorite character to write. Basically, it’s 100% kickass girl.

7. So Sorry by Feist
This song is a piercer, getting right to the core of regret. It’s Callie remembering her final days with Tess—so many things left unsaid and the last words she wishes she could erase.

8. Fado de Pessao by Ana Moura
In this one, there’s a boat, a voice, a figure of speech… and I don’t actually know what any of it means, but the emotion!!! This is the feeling of Callie walking the streets, dreaming of Tess. And when Ana Moura wears her hair curly, she’s the spitting image of Callie and Tess’s mom.

9. When You’re Gone by the Cranberries
I’m probably not supposed to admit that I still love the Cranberries—but I do, I do! Maybe it’s the Irish in me, but Dolores O’Riordan’s voice just… slays me. She does salty-sweet-longing-rage like no one else, and that is pretty much my favorite flavor.

10. Siempre Me Quedará by Bebe
I don’t know. I just like this one. It’s got a soulful vibe with a bit of flamenco/gitano/don’t-eff-with-me flare. If you strip away the romantic bits, it’s a song about heartbreak and saying I’m still here, I won’t forget and I won’t give up. Which, well, when you meet Callie and Tess, you’ll understand…

A cultural note: You’ll notice quickly that a lot of these songs are in Spanish and Portuguese. That’s because I listen to a ton of music in both languages. But, to be clear: This playlist isn’t a match to the many cultures represented (directly and more subtly) in A Psalm for Lost Girls. (If I made a list like that, you’d definitely see some Puerto Rican, Dominican, Cape Verdean, Italian, and Lebanese representation—and, God, I love the music from those cultures too!) The songs here are more of an emotional match—like, the themes and energy I was feeling as I got into my protagonists’ skin.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Katie fell in love with books before she can remember and with teaching when she was just a teen. The writing books for teens part came a bit later. She jumped right in and hasn’t looked back.

These days, when she isn’t penning her own stories, Katie coaches teens and nonprofits to tell theirs. She has an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts and has taught writing to teens in a range of settings, including at GrubStreet in Boston. A Psalm for Lost Girls is her first novel.

Find Katie

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads

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ABOUT THE BOOK

Book Details:

Title: A Psalm for Lost Girls
Author: Katie Bayerl
Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: March 14, 2017
Pages: 368
Format: Hardcover, eBook, Audio

I’ll Give You the Sun meets True Detective in this brilliant YA debut about saints, sisters, and learning to let go.

Tess da Costa is a saint—a hand-to-god, miracle-producing saint. At least that’s what the people in her hometown of New Avon, Massachusetts, seem to believe. And when Tess suddenly and tragically passes away, her small city begins feverishly petitioning the Pope to make Tess’s sainthood official. Tess’s mother is ecstatic over the fervor, while her sister Callie, the one who knew Tess best, is disgusted—overcome with the feeling that her sister is being stolen from her all over again.
 

The fervor for Tess’s sainthood only grows when Ana Langone, a local girl who’s been missing for six months, is found alive at the foot of one of Tess’s shrines. It’s the final straw for Callie. With the help of Tess’s secret boyfriend Danny, Callie’s determined to prove that Tess was something far more important than a saint; she was her sister, her best friend and a girl in love with a boy. But Callie’s investigation uncovers much more than she bargained for—a hidden diary, old family secrets, and even the disturbing truth behind Ana’s kidnapping. Told in alternating perspectives, A Psalm for Lost Girls is at once funny, creepy and soulful—an impressive debut from a rising literary star.

Book Links:

Amazon | B&N | BAM | BookDepo | Goodreads | IndieBound

Giveaway:

What’s up for Grab?

• either a signed hardcover copy or audiobook of A Psalm for Lost Girls
  

The Rules:

• Open International
• There will be one (1) lucky winner
• Winner will be chosen and announced by rafflecopter
• Winner will be contacted thru email & should response within 48 hours
• Ends July 4th, 2017
• Prize will be sent by the author

To enter fill out the rafflecopter form

Good Luck!!!

Treat yourself to a complete #CelebratingDebutantes2017 experience. Click the image below for the full list of schedule and links to each feature post or check out twitter and facebook using #CelebratingDebutantes2017.