Marie Lu’s Playlist for CHAMPION

Marie Lu posted on her Tumblr her playlist of songs during the drafting and revising of Champion.  I’ve gathered them up for you to listen to here.

She by Abney Park

We Are Pilots by Shiny Toy Guns

Soldiers by Drowning Pool

Mad World cover by Gary Jules

Those Without Fear by Audiomachine

Do You Hear the People Sing from Les Miserables

Illuminati by Audiomachine

I Can’t Make You Love Me cover by Bon Iver

Dragon Rider by Two Steps from Hell

Last Agni-Kai from Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Boy Who Trapped the Sun by Cooper Down

Imagine by John Lennon

I Will Always Love You by Whitney Houston

Promise by Thomas Bergerson

You can read about why she chose these songs here.

LEGEND’s Book Three, CHAMPION, Has a Cover! And Marie Lu Enjoys Making Us Suffer.

I am thrilled with this cover!  I certainly can’t wait to see what comes about in the third and final book of the Legend trilogy, titled Champion, by Marie Lu.  Here’s what author Marie Lu had to say about the book and what’s in store for fans, (basically, *feels*) and an update on the possible movie:

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How does it feel to put a period on the series?

MARIE LU: It feels pretty surreal. On the one hand, I’m so relieved that I’ve actually managed to finish my very first series, and that I’ve been able to see my characters through to the end of their journeys. On the other hand, I feel like how parents must feel when they send their kid off to college. It’s a bittersweet mix.

How do you think your fans will feel when they finish reading? Anything we may be devastated about? Will there be any big deaths?

There are a couple of deaths. And possibly some things to be devastated about. What can I say, I’m a writer — I enjoy forcing pain and suffering on my characters! I can’t reveal much, but I will say that Champion is the only book in the trilogy where I cried while writing it. This is mostly due to having John Lennon’s “Imagine” on my Champion playlist, but still. I hope my readers will at least feel a sense of closure at the end.

Tell us about the cover.

Oh man, I’m absolutely in love with it — this cover is such a thing of beauty. Penguin knocked it out of the ballpark. The gritty rose, the flames, the bullet hole! Every piece of it perfectly symbolizes Champion‘s contents. (My friend Beth Revis, author of the Across The Universe trilogy, contributed the bullet hole concept. It helps to have great minds on your side!)

Any new developments with the movie?

I’m really excited about the finished screenplay, and I know Temple Hill is on the hunt now for the perfect director. Meanwhile, CBS Films and I collaborated with game studio Wicked Sweet Games to create a fun Facebook game for Legend called “Cities of Legend.” Fans can check it out here. Both CBS Films and Temple Hill have been immensely supportive.

You can read more about it, including the spoilery synopsis at EW.com.