Music is a huge part of writing (at least for me). It helps set the tone for my day, allowing me to find the mood I need for a certain scene or even the overall tone of a book. One of the reasons I love digital music so much is that it allows you to make your own mixes at the click of a button. That allows me to create various soundtracks within iTunes for each book that I write. However, more than that, I tend to create soundtracks for individual characters. The type of music you listens to can say a lot about you. For instance, in my upcoming series with Thomas Nelson publishing, the main character lives with his grandfather who was a hero in WWII. Like many of us, he still enjoys the music from his youth, which is why he still listens to music from the 1940s. So I download a ton of war era songs from artists like Bing Crosby, Fred Estaire, Al Jolson, Gene Autry and Spike Jones. He’s also a big fan of blue grass and gospel music, so I also downloaded music from the Jordanaires (they were a favorite back up band for Elvis), Earl Scruggs, and many more.

The story I’m writing on my own is going to be about a 15 year old boy from San Diego whose parents were killed by a drunk driver. He’s forced to move to rural Iowa to live with his grandfather, and he’s not very happy about. That means he’s leaving all of his friends behind (not to mention surfing, the Padres, the Chargers, and the amazing weather) all to move to what he considers a hick town in the middle of nowhere. He’s going to be a sophomore, and when he gets to the school, nobody likes him. Outsiders aren’t terribly welcome in their town.

So here is the soundtrack I’ve put together so far. If you aren’t familiar with some of the songs or the bands, check them out, I think you’ll really like them! 

Hold On by Abandon
Hero/Heroine by Boys Like Girls
Faith My Eyes by Caedmon’s Call
Life in Fast Forward by CATCHpenny
The Coldest Heart by Classic Crime
Higher by Creed
Mockingbird by Derek Webb
Edge of the World by Emery
Let’s Go Back by Everyday Sunday
Wake Up! Wake Up! by Everyday Sunday
Something to Believe In by FM Static
Learn to Fly by Foo Fighters
How to Save a Life by The Fray
Ooh Ahh by Grits
Meet Me At My Window by Jack’s Mannequin
Hero by Jars of Clay
Nuisance by John Reuben
Fivetweezy by KJ-52
Wake Up by KJ-52 featuring Toby Morrell of Emery
Take a Bow by Muse
Starlight by Muse
Assassin by Muse
Be My Escape by Relient K
Save Me by Remy Zero
The Beginning is the End by Smashing Pumpkins
Meant to Live by Switchfoot
Stars by Switchfoot
Oh! Gravity. by Switchfoot
Broken by 12 Stones