Harbordale Heartbreaker Playlist

I don’t listen to music while I write. I don’t listen to anything. As a matter of fact, if there’s any noise outside I have to shut the windows and find a meditative place. Many people write with music, but it’s something I cannot relate to. I need utter silence. I’m just weird like that.

With that said, I like creating playlists for each novel. I listen to them while I’m showering, driving, or in need of inspiration. Sometimes they are songs that relate directly to the story. Other times they are songs that conjure certain feelings within me, even if the lyrics themselves have nothing to do with the subject of the novel. David Archuleta’s “Crush” is a fine example. The song itself is syrupy, fluffy, and somewhat childish. I mean, I’m not seventeen and, admittedly, feel somewhat foolish blasting it on my iPod as I take the dog for a walk. But the way he sings the chorus reminds me of being seventeen. I get this mental imagery of warm summer nights and the feeling of immortality, knowing life is at my feet and my future is infinite. You know, all the stuff a self-absorbed seventeen-year-old feels before they have to deal with real world crap, like mortgages and oil changes…. =)

When I sat down to write Harbordale Heartbreaker, I knew I’d have to capture that endless-summer feeling, where anything is possible and the world is magical. So “Crush” got added to the playlist.

The point in telling you all this is so you’ll understand that the list of songs I’m about to give you might not make complete sense to you. In fact, there may be one or two on there that make you think, “What the hell does that have to do with anything?” The answer may be nothing. It might be a song that meant something to me at a point in my life that I’m trying to recapture for a character. Or it might be a song where the lyrics themselves are meaningless to me but the sentiment in the singer’s voice or melody of the instruments invoke some sort of sought-after emotion. Nonetheless, I thought you’d like knowing the tunes that helped me create Maddy and Luke’s world. Enjoy! 

Harbordale Heartbreaker’s Playlist (In no particular order):

“Lost Without You”- Hanson

“Everything and More”-Krezip

“Love Makes the World Go ‘Round”- Ashlee Simpson

“All I Wanted”- Paramore

“Bringin’ on the Heartbreak” Def Leppard

“Crush”- David Archuleta

“Every Word I Say”- Hanson

“Over You”- Miranda Lambert