NaNoWriMo Day 9 - Mood Music

I always loved music growing up (those years of piano lessons came in handy when I started skating, too) and married into a musical family. In high school, my boyfriend won me over with violin serenades – and scored some future-mother-in-law brownie points by playing for my mom while she cooked. I first met his extended (and talented) clan at a family picnic. When it was time to sing “Happy Birthday,” one of his aunts pitched everyone. They then belted out four verses in four part harmony but they'd had me from that first note. :-) His aunts' string quartet eventually played at our wedding.

Music is a mood changer for me and I sort my playlists by feeling: mellow, energetic, and so on. In skating, I love matching choreography to the piece's mood. In writing, there's no better way for me to dive back into the anticipation of that first kiss or the wrenching heartache of that first fight than music. When I was working on The Boy Next Door, I channeled Maddy's longing with Lady Antebellum's “Need You Now.” Connor Maynard's version of “Next to You” (see YouTube video below) is how Chris really feels about Kate. And tonight, Cassadee Pope belting out “Wasting All These Tears” was just what I needed to fuel the aftermath of an emotional break-up fight scene between Breelynn and Jonah. My husband gets his own brownie points after putting up with me playing it about a dozen times in a row, so I think it's time for a little mood music of our own...

Happy writing!