The Soundtrack to Pining For You
Me with The Menzingers 
Hello everyone! Fall is in full swing and one of my favorite holidays is coming up. That’s right, Halloween is just around the corner. I’m not doing my usual shenanigans this year because I’m focused on bookish things and my hefty teaching schedule. Don’t worry, I’m very good at balancing work. Just no party this year. I do need to figure out something fun to do for Halloween though. Hmm…
Anyway, some of you may have noticed that there are some fun reels and posts about Pining For You popping up lately. Yes, things are happening there. I hope you’re enjoying them. Speaking of which…this post is a very important one. It’s the one I’ve been thinking about for the better part of the last nine months.
Drum roll…
I’m releasing the Pining For You playlist on Spotify!
SQUEALS
Okay, okay…now that that’s done, I want to share some background and thoughts about the playlist. First, for my longtime readers, you already know that I love a series playlist. I have both a playlist for Fireflies Trilogy and my Ashwater series. Specifically, in Ashwater, my main character, who just happens to be an android, plays songs on an old ‘80s jukebox in the story. I add new songs to the playlist as I release books in that series. So music is kind of a thing for me when it comes to my books. If anyone is interested, here are both my YA series playlists:
Second, music has always been a part of my writing process. I know some writers who need complete silence to write, but I find listening to music enhances my creativity. It also takes me forever to curate a list. I mull it over and over until it’s just right. I get out of hand sometimes with adding songs. I always rein myself back in though. Pining For You has 25 songs for a playtime of 1 hour and 46 minutes. I wanted to capture the essence of the book and stay true to what felt right. I am planning on talking about specific songs in separate posts, but as you listen to the playlist, you will find that I have some favorite bands and singers. I also have eclectic taste in music. I’m all over the place, friends.
So here we go: There’s a good amount of pop—Olivia Dean, Ariana Grande, Ellie Goulding. For my Swifties out there—there were too many Taylor songs that fit right in with Pining For You. Know that at least ten more songs were on the playlist at one point. I let it go at two. Those two are perfect.
You will also notice that I’m a Dave Matthews Band fan. I always have been. I love their meandering stuff like "Gray Street", "Don’t Drink The Water", and "Bartender". So what I’m trying to say is I had a ton of their songs on the playlist, but I whittled that down to two as well.
I also have some classic rock, indie rock, and bluegrass. I was a huge Led Zeppelin fan in high school, so I couldn't NOT include at least one of their songs. I feel personally attached to this particular song, but that's another story. There's also Mumford & Sons, Greensky Bluegrass, Stevie Nicks, Aerosmith, and Van Morrison. All good stuff! And if you don't know Nick Drake, he was a singer-songwriter whose music is so good! His albums date back to the late '60s and early '70s—very groovy.
Last but not least, we have some punk. The Menzingers are fantastic. I’ve seen them twice, and I have some cat rescue friends who love them too. Their newest album, Everything I Ever Saw released this past summer. It’s fantastic. That’s me up there seeing them for an intimate meet and greet. They played some of the songs from the album. They were super cool. I also have Paramore and Machine Gun Kelly (after he switched from rap to pop-punk). The electric guitar outro for “Twin Flame” is fire.
Some of these songs found their way into the story in ways I never could have planned. Others have stories of their own. I'll be sharing those with you in future posts. For now, in Pining For You, my main character, Nicole, creates a playlist for her woodsman. It’s a sentimental gesture and one she knows he will appreciate. Guys, I love this playlist. It makes me smile and sometimes makes me cry. But, like Nicole, I’m a crier. It’s okay. I own it.
Anyway, I invite you to check out the Pining For You playlist:
Until next time, be well!
Comments