Questions Answered: Music and Writing

Hiya, peeps.

Whew. Another busy week. Got through the edits to Day of the Dead (you can read more about the upcoming Book 4 in my New Mexico series on my “Books” page — cover image and excerpt to come!) and now the manuscript is going through a second edit to make it all sexy-time (one hopes).

So I thought I’d do another quick Q&A. Every once in a while a reader asks me if I listen to music when I write and if so, what kind?

Yes, dear readers, I do. Every book and story have their own soundtracks in particular genres. I listen to a lot of chill and trance when I write the Far Seek Chronicles (as an aside, www.di.fm has some great internet channels in those categories). Some of the artists that I listen to quite a bit when I’m working through particular scenes in that series are Chicane, Blank and Jones, ATB, Hammock, and Psh Project, and JES.

I’ve also got chill channels on Pandora internet radio, and yes, I do pay for the premium services on both Pandora and di.fm because it’s better sound and no commercials.

Each book in my New Mexico mystery series also has its own soundtrack. The Ties that Bind (Book 3) involved a lot of Robbie Robertson and Primeaux and Mike. Book 4, Day of the Dead (forthcoming this fall), involved some chill (for some reason, the character of Chris Gutierrez digs chill), some Robbie Robertson, but also a lot of Jewel, Tristan Prettyman, Rachael Yamagata, Mumford and Sons, Matt Nathanson and, yes, some ranchera and mariachi. If you read it (and here’s hoping you will. . .heh), you’ll see why.

And, yes. My novella From the Boots Up has a soundtrack, as well. Lots of Jewel, Dixie Chicks (if you read it, you’ll see why), and a few different songs from different artists in the folk/pop/Americana genres. The follow-up novel I’m writing to that story has a soundtrack, too. But I’m keeping that under wraps until it’s done. 😀

Anyway. Not all writers write to music. Those of us who do have certain genres/artists we dig. I’m one of those who uses music to evoke a particular mood as I’m working on particular projects, so I do actually put some songs on “repeat” while I’m writing certain scenes. Music has always been part of my writing process.

How about yours?

Happy Friday!