Back in 2007 or 2008, when I was writing the first draft of “The Crimson League: The Fight for Hope,” I was sitting outside a classroom on campus at the University of Alabama with my iPod Mini. (Oh, those were the days!)

“Real World” by Matchbox 20 came on. I realized INSTANTLY that it was the perfect song for magical training sequences in “The Crimson League,” and I have considered it that ever since.

(For some reason, Kora’s soundtrack for me has always been Matchbox 20 and Better than Ezra–for the most part. You can listen to “Real World” here)

There’s a whimsical and overtly magical theme to the lyrics, and the music has a harder edge to it that fits what grittiness is part of Kora’s story (and the League’s).

Despite the overt reference to Superman, in a thematic and general sense, I’ve always felt “Real World” fits Kora’s training moments, as well as her sense of frustration and confusion to be where she is at that point.

“I wonder what it’s like to be a rainmaker. I wonder what it’s like to know I made the rain. I’d store it in boxes with little yellow tags on every one. You can come and see ’em when I’m done. When I’m done.

Well, I wonder what it’s like to be a superhero. I wonder where I’d go if I fly around downtown. From some other planet I’d get this funky high on a yellow sun. Boy, I bet my friends would all be stunned. Well they’re stunned. Yeah . . .

Straight up, what did you hope to learn about here? If I were someone else would this all fall apart? Strange, where were you when we started this gig? I wish the real world would just stop hassling me.”