
This Top 5 was submitted by Amber Steady of Waterford, Connecticut. About her writing and music she loves Amber said, “I enjoy reading fantasy books and am in the very long process of writing a fantasy book series. I try to listen to music while writing as much as possible. I get a lot of inspiration for scenes from music, especially folk music” and she went on to say, “My favorite atmosphere, as cliche as it sounds, is a cozy coffeeshop with some rain and whatever music the workers have chosen. Her first book will feature two woman, Emy (age 30) and the Bethany (age 55). Amber’s quick synopsis of the story is, “Bethany raised Emy after Emmy's mother was killed. The setting of the story is modern day although there’s no guns, no tanks, or cars or planes. Both women use magic and they go through several transformations through the course of the book. The rest of the series will be based on characters who will appear as the story in book one unfolds.”

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The Wave Soaked Maiden by Ginny Di
Amber’s first song is from Colorado based singer, YouTuber and Dungeons And Dragons cosplayer Ginny Di. Amber is also a dungeons and dragon player and said, “I am a player and will eventually be the Dungeon or Game Master for the next campaign. Currently I'm playing a dwarven fighter named RuhnRose Aranore”. About this song Amber said, “There's a lot of folklore, creatures and magical tales in my series. And I love mermaids and sirens. This jolly sailor song is a warning about mermaids and fits perfectly with one of the main characters.”

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Breakfast by Dove Cameron
Song number two of Amber’s top five comes from actress and singer Dove Cameron and comes from her first EP Alchemical Vol 1. Amber chose this song because of the way it’s protagonist is somewhat similar to the main characters in her first book. About the song Amber said, “The song talks a lot about female empowerment and how the singer or character "eats boys like you for breakfast" tying into one on my main character's arcs of going from powerless wallflower to powerful socialite.”

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Bones by Imagine Dragons
Magic is an essential theme throughout Amber’s first book which is why this song by Imagine Dragons, from their 2022 LP Mercury-Acts 1&2 made the list. About this song Amber said, “There are quite a few songs by this band on my writing playlist but this has been on repeat the most lately. The lyric " I've got magic in my bones" ties into the central characters of the series, as they're mages; they’re magical in some way. This song also gets stuck in my head very easily.”

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Key Entity Extraction V: Sentry The Defiant by Coheed and Cambria
Amber’s fourth song in her top five comes from Coheed and Cambria’s LP The Afterman. All of this bands albums, save one, follow the storyline of the guitar player and lead singers own fantasy book series; The Armory Wars. About why she chose this particular song Amber wrote, “Honestly almost all of their songs are fantastic and tell their own story but Sentry really highlights the theme of 'going against the harmful societal norms'.
