So how much do I love Nell Massler? Well, a whole hell of a lot more than I ever expected.

If you read the King Series, you know Nell as the villain of Fearless, the warning voice of Breathless and Restless. . .and the source of Tasmyn’s guilt and remorse in Endless. Nell, like many a side character, was never meant to be relevant beyond Fearless. I was shocked when she turned up in Breathless, in a scene that scared the bejesus out of me when I wrote it (late at night, in a dimly lit room, by myself). And even after Endless, I thought we were done.

We weren’t.

Even after I knew Nell would have her own book, I had no idea that her book would be related to Rafe’s. . .and when I found out how, I was shocked again.

As soon as her story began taking shape, I realized that Nell’s music had to be part of who she is. Nell Massler is strong. She’s tough. She had a painful childhood, abandoned by all those whom she loved, so she had to be tough to survive. She’s damaged, and she’s closed off. She doesn’t trust me, and love is not something she wants.

A few lines from these songs began to define Nell for me:

From Kellie Pickler’s Tough:

“But life came hard to my front door
And I grew up tryin’ to even up the score.”

And from Kelly Clarkson’s My Life Would Suck Without You:

“I know that I’ve got issues
But you’re pretty messed up too.”

So today’s Music Monday is dedicated to Nell Massler, with love and respect. As I told a reader recently, Nell is never going to be easy. She’s never going to be completely tame or sure of her own goodness. But you can bet that she’ll never be dull, either.

Check out the playlist for Unquenchable, now up on this site here.

Next week, we’re going to talk revenge songs with Julia and Jesse in Best Served Cold.

The Posse

Last week at Coastal Magic, I was privileged to be on a panel about music and how it influences our writing processes. I’m passionate about the playlists that accompany each of our books. I can’t imagine not having a whole slew of songs that affect story lines, affect characters’ decisions and keep me rolling when I’m not sure what happens next.

This reminded me that I needed to update all the playlists for my books on here. I used to be dedicated to making sure the lists made the website, but I’ve gotten lazy.

So each Monday, I’ll be updating the play list tab on the site. You can find it under “Books” in the main home menu.

Since past Tawdra had already nicely done The King Series music, today we’re premiering the songs from The Posse. This was one of my favorite books to write and also one of my favorite play lists, mostly because the songs come from my own teen years, the 1980’s. It was so much fun to listen to that music while I was writing, channeling Jude’s memories and the feelings she relived when she heard the songs.

You can find the play list here. And if you haven’t read The Posse, you really should. The next two books in the Crystal Cove Trilogy come out this year.

Next week. . .another of my favorites. We’ll find out what tunes make Rafe tick when I put up the play list from Undeniable.