Rihanna’s We Found Love was only one of a handful of songs that served as my musical muse as I wrote my latest novel, Exes and O’s. Music complements my writing, adding to the mood and ambiance in which great characters thrive. Xander and Ciara each had their own Spotify playlists that represented their personal favorite songs. Not only did this help with developing my characters, but certain songs help to drive the plot along.
A major theme throughout Exes and O’s is the idea of duality–who others say you are and who you want to be and the tension that happens within those identities. I’m a big fan of soundtracks, and for this project, my go-to was The Dark Knight. Interestingly enough (as if the Universe understood what I wanted to achieve by exploring my characters’ ‘two faces’), Harvey Two-Face was my favorite composition. It never fails, I start ‘conducting’ and making my ‘that’s some good music’ stank face at 5:14 LOL.
Another soundtrack that captured the moments of falling in love and supported the crafting of my characters comes from the film Beyond the Lights. It’s no secret that I love that movie. And Cynthia Erivo’s Fly Before You Fall seems too perfect for my exploration of going from that feeling of being out of control in a volatile relationship in Don’t Let Me Fall to learning how to trust the ‘process’ of falling again.
BONUS: As a pre-writing ritual, I tuned in to Nicki Minaj’s The Pinkprint. That whole album is like watching a movie, yo! Specific scenes like Xander’s introduction was of course written to the tracks mentioned.