You've heard of movie soundtracks, but what about a book soundtrack? During hospitalization for injuries sustained in a fire, the anonymous author of the YA Sci-Fi series William Hawk turned to music. Unable to do much else, the soon-to-be-author latched onto one album in particular: Invader Volume 2 by award-winning New Zealand Hip Hop group Rapture Ruckus.
Fast-forward a few years and an unusual artistic relationship has blossomed between
Rapture Ruckus frontman Brad Dring and the anonymous author, writing under the pen name William Hawk.
Brad has written a 5 song EP for the author's forthcoming novel Ignition, the first book in the William Hawk YA science fiction / fantasy series. The EP works as a soundtrack for the novel and it's characters, bringing to life the struggle of the protagonist William Hawk, a teen who has the responsibility (and fate) of the world on his shoulders.
With track titles such as "PROOF OF LIFE" and "FICTIONAL" the EP also touches on the bigger-picture questions Ignition evokes, parsing through right and wrong, good and evil, and the power of selfless love.
Thought-provoking and real, Ignition has been called "an entertaining read" by Kirkus Reviews, but this didn't stop Brad from occasionally struggling with capturing the voice of the novel's main characters:
"It was a lot more challenging than I thought it was going to be. It was challenging trying to get into the characters' perspectives. The song PROOF OF LIFE tries to capture the main character William's outlook at the beginning of the novel. He wants to feel anything -- whether it's good or bad -- he just doesn't want to feel numb."
The EP is accompanied by a full-length music video depicting scenes from the book, all of which are expected to drop on January 15th.
About Rapture Ruckus
Rapture Ruckus is a Christian Hip Hop and Rock band from Wellington, New Zealand signed to BEC Records. They have released four Albums:
Rapture Ruckus in 2002, I Believe in 2006,
Rapture Ruckus Live at World's End in 2008, and
Rapture Ruckus in 2010 as debut album with BEC Recordings. I Believe won an award for Best Gospel/Christian Album at the New Zealand Music Awards,
Rapture Ruckus Live at World's End debuted at No. 7 on the New Zealand album charts and
Rapture Ruckus (2010) was nominated for a Dove Award for Best Rap/Hip Hop Album. Headed by Brad Dring, they have been a headline act at
Parachute Music Festival several times and now in the US at Jesus Jam,
Creation Festival, Sonshine Festival and Three Rivers Festival.
About the Author The William Hawk series is the brainchild of an accomplished inventor, machinist and CEO writing under the pen name William Hawk. A life-changing accident and spiritual awakening sparked the author's inspiration for this story of humanity, hope, selflessness and redemption.
About the book On protagonist William Hawk's sixteenth birthday, his "boring" life as a seemingly average teen interested in girls, cars and food gets turned upside down. His Change Agent III status, which until now he knew nothing about, suddenly activates at 12:27 p.m. -- complete with strange powers and a responsibility to save Earth from evil.
Just months before, on her sixteenth birthday, Grace's Change Agent III status revealed a horrible truth: her malevolent twin brother, Roland, is actually Roivas, a dark master capable of destroying the world. After years of being mistreated by her brother and deemed crazed and dangerous by her family, Grace finally encounters in William the opportunity to free herself from terror and help save her planet.
The first book in a trilogy, Ignition follows William and Grace, on the run from the cops, as they develop their connection with each other and their skills as Change Agents, unravelling clues about the secrets of the universe and confronting Roivas head-to-head to discover the source of true power: loving selflessly.
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