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Summer Lovin’ on Summer Nights

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You’d think that this IS the theme of my summer–ahem, summer BEACH lovin’–I’d have talked about this song before now. But I was saving it.

I was a child of the ’70s and ’80s, and as such, Grease was a hugely defining movie for me. I remember when it came out. Since my parents played oldies all the time and talked about growing up in the ’50s and ’60s, and since we loved shows like Happy Days, I was really excited about to see Grease. Plus. . .John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John? How could it miss?

I’m pretty sure my parents saw it first. I was in middle school, so VCR’s had just become a thing. I don’t remember seeing Grease in the theater; I think my parents let us watch it on video–and they fast-forwarded through questionable parts. Didn’t matter though; I was totally in love with the music, the clothes, the characters. . .I related to Sandy, though I have to admit I was disappointed with her decision at the end. (Hey! I was only 13!)

But the music. . .it was perfect. Who can forget Hopelessly Devoted To You? (It became my theme song, played over and over, when my own heart was broken.) Or Beauty School Drop Out? But my favorite number of the whole movie had to be Summer Nights. It made me think of my own summers (which did *not* involve lovin’ of that kind!), and I loved the interplay and the lyrics.

I won’t go into detail about how much I also loved the much-less-appreciated Grease 2, or about how my sister and I both had Pink Ladies T-shirts. Instead, let’s sit back and listen to the memory of some summer nights.

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When the song tells a story

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When I was growing up, we spent a lot of time in the car. My dad was in the Army, and then he was with a company that moved us around quite a bit–and beyond that, we loved to travel, so we drove across the country, east to west and north to south. I loved it.

One of my favorite parts was listening to music with my parents. Both my mom and dad had a passion for popular music that they’ve passed on to their children and grandchildren. I enjoyed the music, of course, but I especially liked the stories that my dad told about the lyrics, the artists or even about how he and my mom had discovered this song or what it meant to them.

Stagger Lee was the song my dad sang at the ninth grade lip synching contest at school.

When he first heard Herman’s Hermits singing I’m Into Something Good, he made an unprecedented mid-week call from West Point to my mom in New Jersey, to play it for her.

The Lion Sleeps Tonight came out my dad’s first year at West Point, when he wasn’t allowed to listen to radios or records. He heard bits and pieces of it from the rooms of upperclassmen and was mystified by the weem-o-wep.

Today it’s me telling my kids the stories, both from their grandparents and from my own history. Someday, they’ll tell their own children. It’s our own personal form of oral tradition.

And sometimes, those stories spark an idea that leads to a book. Those are good days.

Next week we’ll talk about songs that tell a story all their own.

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Where do you find your musical muse?

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I’m just about to start on a new book, and I need musical inspiration. Most of the time, I have one or two songs that let me know what genre the playlist will be, but it doesn’t always fall out easily.

musicnotesThere’s a few ways that I find new songs. One is just random listening. I’ll start writing, or even just working on promotions or other business fun, with music in the background. The catch is that it can’t be music I’ve selected. I’ll toss on the music channel on my television, or I’ll click on Pandora or Spotify and just randomize the music. Usually, it becomes background noise until suddenly a phrase or lyric will jump out at me . . . at which point I scribble down the name and artist, add it to a list of potentials (and usually look up the lyrics, too).

I’ve discovered not only new songs, but new bands that way, too.

Another great source of new muse comes from my kids. When I drive my daughter to work, she’s always playing brand-new, cutting-edge music. I frequently say, “Who is that? Send me the name!”

I’m in that stage now as I write The Plan. I know a little about Emmy’s taste–she loves her some country–and I just discovered that Cooper is still wrapped up in the hard-rock of the ’80s . . . so I’m listening to an odd mix of both right now.

How do you find new music?

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Music in Progress

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I’m writing The Plan at the moment. It’s the second book in The Crystal Cove series, coming after The Posse, and the main story revolves around Emmy Carter and Cooper Davis, both of whom we met in The Posse.

Careful readers of The Posse will remember that Jude and Emmy differed on their musical preferences. Jude loves her 80’s tunes, and Emmy favors country. As it happens Cooper likes rock, so he and Emmy are reconciling that difference, too . . .

Their working playlist includes songs from Florida-Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Billy Joel and others. I’m excited to share their story–both musical and otherwise!–with you in June.

Stay tuned!

(Placeholder cover–reveal coming soon)

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Musical Muse

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Over the last few months, I’ve shared with you all the playlists for my books and why each one is the way it is. I hope you’ve gotten some insight into how music affects my process.

Promo1TawdraKandleBut how does a playlist come about? This is a question we discussed at Coastal Magic February at the panel on the same topic. I was fascinated that so many of us who write so differently come upon our musical muses in the same way.

For me, the type of music a character enjoys is part of his or her definition. In The King Series, Tasmyn enjoyed alt rock while Michael liked oldies. Rafe’s musical taste was closer to Tasmyn’s; it was one of many things the two had in common, which frustrated Rafe to no end. He felt that their similarities should’ve given him an edge over Michael. Sadly for him, he was wrong.

In The Posse, Jude adores her 80’s tunes. In The One Trilogy, Sam uses sweet country music to woo Meghan, who is decidedly not a fan before her time in Burton. In Just Desserts, Frank Sinatra is the theme of the day.

So that’s where the playlists begin. One character and one style of music. I usually start off a new book with a huge list of songs, and I listen to it almost constantly while writing–and even while not actively writing. I also try to tune in to stations on Spotify or iTunes radio that dovetail with the same genre, so that I can possibly find new songs that fit the storyline.

As the plot develops and refines, I’ll nix some songs and add others. And the ones that are particularly compelling or poignant end up on replay. A lot.

In this way, the music not only inspires me; it also gives me insight into characters and situation I might not be able to quite wrap my mind around until I hear a lyric or a stanza. And in the years that follow, hearing that lyric takes me right back to that story. . .and those characters.