Cliff Hannan

Never forget to sing to the bees of love and loss, for they will sting you if you don’t! An extract from the Hive Codex: The Beekeeper

We all know of the incredible power that music has, and how it can dramatically affect our moods. Songs can trigger emotions and memories more quickly than perhaps any other stimulus. As I was writing The Hive Codex, I would listen to the same songs over and over again. In an endless spiral, like the stitches in the tapestry that hides forbidden secrets. But it was the notes and melodies that carried hidden meaning rather than the silken threads. Some songs related to specific characters or the essence of scenes, while others simply captured the mood of the book.

It started with a single song: Sour Times by Portishead.

It’s always been a favourite track of mine but when I started writing it suddenly took on new meaning. It wasn’t really the lyrics that spoke to me but there was something about the hauntingly moody yet honied vocals of Beth Gibbons that perfectly evoked one of my main characters. The cascading strings and the atmospheric melodies hinted at introspection, melancholy and a slowly mounting tension. I can almost feel the descent into something dark and distressing. It so perfectly echoes the character’s nature. I don’t want to give anything away so you’ll have to read the book and see if you can guess which character I mean! The song feels introspective, almost brooding,  and each of the notes speak of emotional isolation, and existential unease. The song is almost 30 years old yet it feels fresh and raw, almost as if it transcends time.

The noir-esque nature of Portishead is in stark contrast to the electro beats of the intro of It Burns by Alle Farbe.  The heart thumping crescendo perfectly echoing the rising tension of the final chapters. And, my own growing sense of excitement as I get ever closer to my eventual publication.

The almost androgynous vocals of Placebo that speak to me of the night, and have a heady effect on my mood. Uneasy pleasures given willingly or taken without consent. The rasping nature of songs like Sleeping with Ghosts and Meds transport me to specific scenes. Their slightly unsettling rhythms mirroring the dizzying decline into obsession and madness.

And then another change of pace, to the lilting melancholy refrain of a lone piano and the rich velvety, dark and mellow smoothness of the ‘cello provide the perfect backdrop to the book. They subtly hint at something hidden that is frustratingly close yet forever a whisper away from being tangible. From being real. And are strangely all the more real because of it.

Music had the uncanny ability to transport you to another world, and my eclectic collection of music really helped me pin the subtleties of the story onto the page.

Close your eyes. Take a deep breath.

Press PLAY. And, allow the music to transport you to the world of The Hive Codex.

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