Soundtrack

I listen to music when I write.  Most of the time, what I listen to depends on which part of the story I'm working on or the mood of the day.  Each book has a general theme, though.  For books in the Family Lies series, I listen to a lot of rock and "angry" music and some country music.  For Sometimes it is Rocket Science, it's usually a lot of old love songs (Rat Pack on repeat, much to my husband's consternation) and some Texas country.  I adore Jamie Cullum and have been listening to him for Rocket Science, but this song seems more appropriate for the Ashwoods. 

Soundtrack Tuesday - Both Sides Are Even

Good Tuesday morning! I hope everyone recovered from the weekend.
This next song fits in with the third book. Without wanting to give away too many spoilers, here it is:



Both Sides Are Even from The Boxer Rebellion.

Later this week, I'll post another snippet from Mistress of Malice and Mercy. Progress has been great on Somtimes it is Rocket Science, too.

Here's hoping it's another great week (heat index be damned!).

Soundtrack... Thursday? "Spectacular Girl" - Eels

Oh, I know I'm very late with this. Blame it on the pre-vacation craziness, the vacation itself, and the post-vacation laziness. This is just a sweet song that fits perfectly for Viola and Duke.

I am still working furiously on Mistress of Malice and Mercy and my romantic suspense. More Duke and Viola to come soon. I hope y'all have a wonderful holiday weekend.

Soundtrack Fridays - Daughters

This song wasn't on any of my original playlists. I like John Mayer just fine, but he didn't fit in with the characters or the story. While going through my frighteningly large collection of music looking for songs to put on playlists (this is a task that can take days because I get distracted), I hit play for "Daughters" because I hadn't heard it in a long time. My husband laughed at how perfectly it seemed to describe Viola and her father. He was right, as he often is. I hate to quote tv pundits, but the "defining moment" in Viola's life was her father's disappearance.

Enough rambling! Here's the song:


John Mayer - Daughters by naoufel-actor

I have a tea party on Sunday (we're going to watch the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice), so I will be baking my little heart out on Saturday. That's what I get for volunteering to make all the food. I found a recipe for a chocolate cake that uses almond milk, and I've never made scones before so we'll see how that turns out. I'll share my triumphs (or, you know, utter failures) with you Monday.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Soundtrack Fridays - Born on the Bayou

Good Friday morning! It's beautiful outside - I'm stuck inside, but I'm trying not to think about that right now.

This week's track comes from Daughter of Deception again. At the end of chapter thirteen, Duke and Viola have a small discussion about music. She chooses a Creedence Clearwater Revival CD as a compromise between her grunge/rock preference and his country music leanings.

This is the first song they hear:


Foo Fighters did a cover of this song that's not bad. Who am I kidding? It's pretty damn awesome. CCR + Foo Fighters = great music.

Did you know that Houston is known as the Bayou City? Since they were both born in Houston, it's an appropriate song.

Plus, it's just fun.

Have a great weekend!

Soundtrack Fridays - Under Pressure

In chapter twenty of Daughter of Deception Viola listens to a best of David Bowie cd while baking banana bread - which is, according to Duke, the perfect apology food. I missed yesterday's recipe posting, but I hope to have Viola's banana bread up this weekend.

In that chapter, Paul Duke mentions that this song reminds him of Viola. I think it works for the entire series.



Queen and David Bowie - what's not to love?

Soundtrack Fridays... "Slow Down Sister"

Now, this next song is on my "Duke" playlist, but it's not necessarily one he would like. He's more of the rowdier, Texas country music type of guy. The song, however, reminded me a lot of how he felt at the beginning of Daughter of Deception.



"Slow Down Sister" by Lady Antebellum


So what are you listening to today?

On Music... Soundtrack Fridays

I love music. No, really, I do. If the sound of my voice didn't make small children cry and dogs howl, my career path might have gone a completely different way. I'm crap at the piano, but I could still play a few songs on the flute if asked. I always have the radio playing at work, in the car, anywhere I can.

As I've said on a few writing sites, I don't create playlists for books, really. I create them for characters. They can contain what I think would be the character's favorite songs as well as songs that describe the character. These playlists are amazing when it comes time to writing from that character's perspective. There's just something about music that puts you in a certain mood.

I mention music quite a bit in the Family Lies series. Viola is a music junkie and Duke has his favorite bands. For the next couple of months or so I'm going to put up a few songs from my personal soundtracks on Fridays and explain why I chose them or where they pop up in the book.

In The Chaos Child, Viola hums a song while going through her father's diaries. Many of you have guessed the song correctly, but a few weren't sure. Well... here you go, enjoy a little flashback:



Now, I said I make character playlists, but every now and then I find a song that speaks for the whole book. In this case, I think the song works for the whole series.

What song are you listening to?