Soundtracks
Some songs remind me of characters, some of plots. Some are the melodies I had on repeat while writing. Every book has a soundtrack...
Soundtrack for Everything and the Moon
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“You Are the Everything” by R.E.M
An achingly beautiful song. I stole a line about the stars and put it in the book.
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“Romeo and Juliet” by The Dire Straits also Indigo Girls
Confession time. I’m a HUGE Dire Straits fan, and maybe even a bigger Mark Knopfler fan (his solo albums are brilliant), but I like the Indigo Girls version of this song better. It’s raw and painful, and I think you feel the longing in a way that you don’t in the original version. Everything and the Moon is my Romeo and Juliet story, so naturally this song has to be on the playlist.
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“You Won’t See Me” by The Beatles
Probably no explanation needed. The only thing that would make this song echo the book more would be if Robert could have called Victoria on the phone.
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“E=MC2” by Big Audio Dynamite
Well, Robert is such a science geek.
Soundtrack for Brighter than the Sun
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“A Girl in Trouble (Is a Temporary Thing)” by Romeo Void
You gotta love Ellie for solving her own problems!
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“Friday I’m in Love” by The Cure
I read somewhere that The Cure recorded this song because everyone was accusing them of being dark and gloomy all the time. I kind of think of Brighter than the Sun as my fun book, so it makes sense to pair it with a fun song.
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“Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles
An obvious choice, I know, but I can’t resist.
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“Whenever You’re on My Mind” by Marshall Crenshaw
There is something utterly irresistible about this song. It’s catchy, and it’s fun, and it’s so romantic!
Soundtrack for Splendid
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“Birdhouse in Your Soul” by They Might Be Giants
This probably seems like an odd choice, but I have vivid memories of listening to this song (actually the entire album) over and over again in college while I lay on my bed reading Julie Garwood novels. And it was that year (the year I rediscovered romance with Garwood and McNaught) that most led to my deciding to try my hand at writing..
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“Perfect Kiss” by New Order
Another song I listened to like crazy in college. And really, isn’t it all about that perfect kiss?
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“She Came in Through the Bathroom Window” by the Beatles
I seem to recall a lot of climbing through windows in this book….
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“Paperback Writer” by The Beatles
My theme song!
Soundtrack for Dancing at Midnight
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“Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails also Johnny Cash
No one ever believes me when I say that one of my books was inspired (at least in part) by a Nine Inch Nails song, but when I wrote Dancing at Midnight, I really wanted to explore John’s feelings of self-loathing and guilt, and this song seemed to capture this perfectly. The emotion is so raw. I heard it on the radio and thought, “That’s him.” Nowadays, I like to listen to the Johnny Cash cover. It literally makes me shiver.
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“Bad Reputation” by Freedy Johnston
Another song I listened to when I wanted to get John’s character just right.
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“No Myth” by Michael Penn
“What if I was Romeo in black jeans?
What if I was Heathcliff, it’s no myth?”I had to put this song somewhere. I mean, please. It’s gotta go in my tortured hero song collection.
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“This Poem Sucks” by Mike Myers
From the soundtrack to So I Married an Axe Murderer. It’s just too funny.
Soundtrack for Minx
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“Coming Around Again” by Carly Simon
The image of the family at the breakfast table, completely unable to communicate, makes me think of the end of Minx, where Henry and Dunford have so much to say but don’t know how. My favorite version of this song is on her live album (recorded on Martha’s Vineyard) when she segues into “Itsy Bitsy Spider.”
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“Hammer and a Nail” by Indigo Girls
I adore the Indigo Girls. (“Galileo” is a personal favorite, but I couldn’t figure out how reincarnation worked with any of my books.) This song is all about the satisfaction or working with one’s hands and it always makes me think about the beginning of Minx, when Henry puts Dunford through the paces at the farm.
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“One Step Ahead” Split Enz
One of my favorites from the 80s, this song always reminds me of this book. Henry and Dunford are always trying to stay one step ahead of each other…
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“In My Life” by the Beatles
Such a sweetly romantic (and nostalgic) song. It’s almost a lullaby.
Soundtrack for Where’s My Hero
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“Charlotte Sometimes” by The Cure
Although the way Ned sees it, it’s probably “Charlotte Always.”
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“Groove is in the Heart” by Dee-Lite
Seriously one of the most awesome songs of all time, and when they sing, “I wouldn’t dance with another,” it makes me think of the scene when Ned says to Charlotte, “You should dance,” and they both know he really means, “You should dance with me.”
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“Waterloo” by Abba
It’s not often I figure out a way to include the line “Saying moo on cue at Waterloo” in one of my books. Surely that must be celebrated.
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“Things that Make You Go Hmmm…” by C+C Music Factory
Totally makes me think of the scene when Ned catches Charlotte helping Lydia elope!