Music is engrained in my writing…who am I kidding…in my freaking soul. My first books, The Maldito Series, take you through the story in 1st person POV with Emmy and with the song that is always in her head, which changes depending on the situation she finds herself in. And I didn’t pussyfoot around it either. I came right out and said the song name. The song’s writer/singer is given credit at the end of the books and I don’t quote the lyrics, just say the name of the song. Playing With Fire is a little less obvious, though I do reference a few songs that influenced the plot – cuz that happens. I’ve made a soundtrack, since I didn’t come right out and say the names of the songs. I’ll take you through it and the pages of the book you can associate with each song. Ready? Here we go.
Track 1: Levels, Avicii; Page 19
“I grabbed my MP3 player and plugged it into the speakers set up on the far wall. Tig had found some remixes on the web for me to practice bending, some off the wall crazy stuff with mad beats that messed with your head until your heart and the song were in the same rhythm. I scrolled through the music until I found just the right song, turned it up as loud as it would go and snaked a trail of fire down to the ground.”
Track 2: Reckless Serenade, Arctic Monkey; Page 24-28
Pretty much the background music for the entire scene.
Track 3: Savannah, Reliant K; Page 42
“Do you really think…” Tig began.
“Drive!” I snapped, cutting him off before he could finish. I looked down at my hands, clasping and unclasping them in my lap. I refused to meet his questioning gaze, or anyone else’s for that matter. He sighed and turned the car around. When I dared a glance in my rear view, Dominic still stood in the middle of the road. I watched until he was a speck in the glass then put my head back and shut my eyes. The front pocket of my jeans lay awkwardly over the picture stuffed inside it. I hope you’re worth all of this, I thought as I patted it with the palm of my hand.”
Track 4: Everything, Lifehouse; Page 163
“I’m not going to beg, Lea,” he warned. “I’ll ask you again. Open your eyes.”
His eyelashes grazed my cheek as he ran his nose down the length of my neck and back again. We swayed ever so slightly to the melody of the music. For a moment he whispered the words of the song in my ear, questioning how standing with me like this couldn’t change him, how it couldn’t move him.
Track 5: Crave You (Adventure Club Remix), Flight Facilities; Page 179
A haunting melody filled the air as the next song came through the speakers. Tig added it to the end of the playlist to be used for a cool down after a hard workout, slow and deliberate but still with those electronic vibes that I loved.
I stood with my back to him and didn’t turn when I heard him approaching. I could feel him behind me. His warm breath sent shivers across the sensitive flesh on my neck as one finger traced from just below my hairline to in-between my shoulder blades.
“You’re sweaty,” he murmured. His hand slid down my back and stopped at my waist, grabbing me and pulling me into him. “I like it.”
Track Six, Give Me Love, Ed Sheeran; Page 204-205
“I stood next to her for what seemed like forever, watching her as she toiled away, moving up and down the rows of vegetables. The same song played over and over from her porch, a haunting melody accompanied by a smooth voice that was begging for me to give him love. I don’t have any to give, I thought sadly.”
Track Seven, Poison & Wine, The Civil Wars; Page 214-215
This is the background music while Philip and Lea are talking.
Track Eight, I Shall Believe, Sheryl Crow, Page 215-216
This is the music that would’ve played while Philip held Lea the night before she left.
Track Nine, The Last Time, Oliver Tank; Page 244-245
Background music while she’s talking to Tig and fade out music for her final thoughts.
If you’ve read the book and thought of a song for a scene, I would love to hear that!! Let me know in the comments.
Love,
Christy