The Soundtrack to Your Life (or at least my book)

I don’t do silence. I can’t. I grew up surrounded by chaos instrumented by three demons by the names of Ryan, Liam, and Trevor, my three younger brothers. These were not, and still aren’t, studious, well behaved darlings who liked nothing better than to sit down with a good book or play with her dolls like their angel big sister. No, these boys had enough energy and testosterone to supply an entire Starbucks and bodybuilding gym with some still left over to attempt to “kill” or “wrestle” their sister and each other. Screams, whining, and loud bangs on the television were staples of my youth. So when I moved out on my own, I soon discovered I needed the noise. There is always a television or radio on, even as I fall asleep. This is true when I’m writing as well. I can write pretty much anywhere (if you have a strong desire to stalk me, see the acknowledgments page of my book Mind Over Monsters to see where I write), but the one thing that helps get my creative juices flowing the most is music. The right song can make or break my scene, even inspiring me on some occasions.

As I was writing Monsters, I found that certain songs really helped pump up the visuals and mood. They helped me get to a place where I needed to get inside my head to convey what was going on in my imagination and translate that to the page. Music just adds so much more to the experience. So I started compiling playlists for the books. Like the book, the soundtrack has a narrative flow in line with the book. You don’t have to like all the songs, I have eclectic taste, but at the very least if you sample them, you’ll get a feel for the book. So here it is:

MIND OVER MONSTERS: THE SOUNDTRACK

1. Magic to Do- Ben Vereen from the musical Pippin

2. Edge of the Ocean- Ivy

3. Cold- Annie Lennox

4. If It Wasn’t For Bad-Elton John & Leon Russell

5. Shadows of the Night-Pat Benatar

6. Four Minutes – Madonna fet. Justin Timberlake

7. Tainted Love – Soft Cell

8. Say It Right – Nelly Furtado

9. Fields of Gold – Sting

10. Ordinary World – Duran Duran

11. Savin’ Me – Nickelback

12. Precious – Depeche Mode

13. Home – Depeche Mode

Please download legally. All songs are available on iTunes.

And since this is the post before my book officially comes out I have to do some shameless self promotion. Through the wonderful company Bewitching Book Tours I have a blog tour. For a complete list of stops, blog radio interview times, and possibly even a TV appearance please visit The Harlow Gazette at my website www.jenniferharlowbooks.com. Also I got some great reviews from Kirkus, Publisher's Weekly, and The Library Journal. It's nice to know someone besides my Mom thinks I'm cool. 'Til next time!

Jennifer Harlow