Murder, Music, Mystery. Ava Eldred shares...

38 minutes ago
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For a book so directly inspired by musicals, the playlist that soundtracked my writing of Exit Stage Death felt like a key part of the process. The book follows Livi Campbell in her final summer at Camp Chance, as she fights for her last shot at getting the lead in the showcase, and proving to her parents that performing is a legitimate career choice. Everything seems to be going to plan until another camper shows up dead, and it’s up to Livi and her friends to work out who did it, and why, before the curtain falls on the summer… or before it happens again. These are just a few of the songs I was listening to on repeat as I wrote the book – some from musicals, some not, all an important part of what became the final novel.

‘Who lives, Who Dies, Who tells your story? - from Hamilton

This song is referenced in the first chapter, because I think with most murder mysteries, these questions are the key, and it’s the job of the rest of the book to answer them. It’s our first introduction to Livi, who is adamant that she should be the one to tell this story, and felt like a perfect starting point for me. Once I knew the answer to those three questions, I was ready to get writing!

Place we were made - Maisie Peters

There are actually quite a few Maisie Peters songs on the playlist – her lyrics lend themselves so well to contemporary YA, but this is the one that I think encapsulates the essence of the book most. Camp Chance was almost a character in it’s own right for me during the writing process. It needed to be a place where the characters felt accepted, nurtured, and able to become exactly who they’re supposed to be. The very first draft was actually set in a West End theatre, which was definitely one of the places I was made, during my first job as an usher. That theme of places that support your becoming was important from the very beginning, and even once the setting changed, the feeling, and the song, remained.

Til forever falls apart – Ashe & FINNEAS

This song includes the line ‘I guess there’s nothing more romantic than dying with your friends’ and while I can think of so many more romantic things, that lyric was the direct inspiration for the final showdown in the book. I had an image of the main characters walking in to battle, Livi leading them in to a situation that they might not come out of intact, wind at their backs, stepping fully in to their power – the rest of the scene came so easily from that visual. Listening to it now, it’s really only that line that feels like it relates to what Exit Stage Death became, but oh, that line. It was a real light-bulb moment for me.

Feels Like This – Maisie Peters

And on that note! I really tried, but I couldn’t resist including another Maisie Peters song. For me, this one captures the vibe of so many of the relationships in the book – romances, sure, but also the really special friendships where you feel you can finally be your full self. This is another one where a specific lyric inspired a specific scene. The line ‘like a light came on’ was almost definitely playing either out loud or in my head when Livi finally works out what’s going on, and decides what she’s going to do about it.

I Should Tell You – From RENT

Without giving away any spoilers – Livi and Sam on the main stage, in what I think of as the ‘end of act one’ moment, is definitely soundtracked by this song. And if you know it, even me saying that probably is a spoiler!

Murder Ballad – from Murder Ballad

The structure of this underrated musical so directly inspired the structure of the book that I almost don’t want to say any more! This is where the line ‘musical theatre and murder mysteries are actually pretty similar’ came from – this show literally is a murder mystery of sorts, so it particularly applies here, but having a deep knowledge of theatrical structure, and treating the book like a show getting ready to meet it’s audience, was one of the things that made Exit Stage Death the most fun writing process I’ve ever had.