Music for Novels and Stories
Growing up, there was nothing I loved more than being transported away in the the world of a good book. One thing I always longed for, however, was to be able to hear the music of that realm in real life. This dream can now be a reality!
In scoring the soundtrack to a book or series, I seek to immerse your readers in the world of your book with bespoke music that complements and enhances the narrative journey. Tailored to the specific tone, mood, characters or even specific scenes, I create companion works of music that brings your stories to life, allow readers to experience your world on a deeper level and inspire lasting connections.
For a compelling introduction, consider a custom trailer or overture that previews your book's essence. For the full experience, I craft atmospheric albums designed to be played while reading creating a fully experiential journey. These personalized compositions provide authors with a unique way to promote their work and foster deeper engagement with fans.
The Wind in the Willows
When I was a child, my grandfather—Pa, as I called him—used to record himself reading books onto cassette tapes and mail them to me. One of my most treasured tapes was The Wind in the Willows. I listened to it so often that the tape eventually wore thin, the story fading into static, though never from my memory. His voice, warm and measured, became the soundtrack to my childhood daydreams. I could close my eyes and find myself wandering through the woods alongside Mole and Rat, the river whispering at my feet, adventure always waiting just beyond the next turn.
Window the Willows is my love letter to that time, to the magic of stories read aloud, to the comfort of a voice that feels like home. The title itself comes from my earliest attempts to pronounce The Wind in the Willows—a phrase that, for me, will always conjure images of hidden paths, golden fields, and the quiet hum of something timeless. This track isn’t just about nostalgia; it’s about the way certain stories, certain voices, can shape us, carrying us back and pushing us forward all at once.
Musically, Window the Willows is gentle but propulsive, built on acoustic guitar and layered with rich, sweeping strings. I wanted the arrangement to feel like stepping into a dream—a place both familiar and fleeting. The melodies weave together like sunlight through the trees, inviting you to take a breath, to step softly into memory, to find a moment of stillness before the journey carries you onward.
Bevis, the story of a boy
Once, a boy built a raft. With rope and timber, he shaped his vessel, dragged it across the fields, and at last, with a shove and a splash, he was away—drifting, dancing, carried by the brook’s silver ribbon. He was no longer just a boy in an English meadow, but a great explorer, the stream his Mississippi, the world stretched vast before him, "all aglow with joy."
All Aglow is a musical rendering of that luminous moment from Bevis by Richard Jefferies, a story that has lived in my heart since childhood. My grandfather read it to me on cassette tapes, his voice carrying me to a world of wild adventure. Last year, I walked the very hills and streams that Jefferies wrote into legend.
The music mirrors the journey. Rising and falling strings echo the heave and roll of the raft as it is dragged to the water’s edge. A pause—anticipation—then the bass cues, and the launch is made. Violin and viola lift in playful melody, the current pulling them forward. Cello underpins their course, the raft gaining speed, the world rushing past. But all too soon—bump! The voyage halts. A great alder has fallen across the stream. The music shifts, the strings sigh, the dream meets its end.
But adventure never truly fades. It lives on in the telling, in the melody, in the glimmer of water under the sun. The raft may stop, but the river runs on.
Other musical offerings
Fantasy & Adventure
Dark, Haunting & Melodic
Lovecraftian Noir
If you are an author or novelist who is looking for new ways to further captivate your readers, drawing them deeping into the reality you weave, I'd love to talk with you more. Let's set up a brief chat to discuss your characters, world, and how a musical partnership might make them all just that more real.