Tuesday tunes: book soundtracks

I've seen a little chat about this in the blogosphere, and I don't know if other writers do this, but my books definitely have soundtracks. I can't live a day without music--I know that sounds like exaggeration, and it is, but it isn't. My day needs tunes. When I'm writing, I listen to specific kinds of music (for SKY, it was VH-1 Classic "We Are the 80s" videos, plus 70s music). When I 'm at the day job, I need music when I'm in my office. Sometimes I let myself listen to "book tunes," to remind me of my writing life.

Right now (like at this instant), I've got my Pandora set to Elvis Presley, crossed with Johnny Cash, Buddy Holly, and Bill Haley & the Comets, to bring me early Elvis. Elvis is a pretty big force in my second book, BEAUTIFUL MUSIC FOR UGLY CHILDREN, and I'm feeling lonesome for those characters right now (they're wandering around NYC), so Elvis tunes help. See those album covers? That's what I want my book cover to look like (or something that echoes them). If it was good enough for The Clash, it's good enough for me. When I was at home writing this book, I listened to "solid gold oldies," as my TV music channel called them, which also included a huge dose of Elvis. Me & Elvis have become quite tight.

Sometime I need to go to iTunes and make iMixes for Gabe, the main character of this book. His goal is to become a radio DJ, so he does all sorts of radio shows in the book. They'll make great iMixes.

Today, friends: listen to music! Elvis will do, if you can't think of anyone else. Now Pandora has given me the Beach Boys, "Sloop John B." Not so much. : \ Give me back "That's All Right"!