It's Just Another Music Monday - Novel Playlist

A couple weeks back the lovely Cheryl was sending me graphic links of all the old banners she had done in past stories. (Yes, we make graphic art for our stories. Okay, well Cheryl makes awesome graphic art. I made like two banners and they kind of sucked so I just bug her if I want something.)

One of the links was to my story: The Unexpected Clash of Strangers with the tweet of something on the lines of telling me she wanted to read more from the story. So me being all nostalgic opened up my file and what do you know? I've been writing on it some more! I forget sometimes that I actually like my own writing, and how much fun Gracie really is. I've been brainstorming like crazy (mainly during class - who needs all those medical transcription notes anyways?) and have been writing on it some more. My hopes are for it to be done by the end of the month so I can do Camp NaNo. We'll see how it goes.

Any novel playlist I have is ridiculously long, but here are a few songs that remind me of my main character, Gracie.

Liz Phair - Extraordinary 

Yeah, I drive naked through the park
And run the stop sign in the dark
Stand in the street, yell out my heart
To make, to make you love me


I am extraordinary, if you'd ever get to know me
I am extraordinary, I am just your ordinary
Average every day sane psycho
Supergoddess
Average every day sane psycho

Sugar Town by Zooey Deschanel
I got some troubles but they won't last
I'm gonna lay right down here in the grass
And pretty soon all my troubles will pass
'cause I'm in shoo-shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo-shoo
Shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo, shoo-shoo Sugar Town

King of Anything by Sarah Bareilles

You’ve got opinions, man

We’re all entitled to ‘em, but I never asked

So let me thank you for your time, and try not to waste anymore of mine

And get out of here fast

I hate to break it to you babe, but I’m not drowning

There’s no one here to save

Whose Life Am I Living by Kristyn Osborn

Feel like an android

Living in a Polaroid

Just another reject

Who gets a little seasick

Whose life am I in?

Feels like deja vu

Don't know how or what to do

I point my finger to the sky

Finally ask the question why

Whose life am I in?

Whose life am I in?

You can probably see a trend on the song base I'm shooting for this novel playlist. So if you think of any songs that might fit, leave me a comment! I'm always up for new songs :)

When writing fails, music prevails.

Due to the crazy move, work, and school, I've been ignoring all of my stories like they did something horrible to me. I'm not for sure if I'm experiencing writer's block or more like the umph to get back into the groove of writing.

Even when I get into these little frets, one thing that never changes is listening to music. Over the past week and a half I have stumbled on songs that have put me into the motion of HEY! I NEED TO WRITE! Here are a few songs I'm adding to all three of my current WIP's soundtracks.

Fairy Tale
This song fits the mold of Mason Sherwood, and his gang of not so merry men to a tee. I can also see a very cool fight scene going with this song. Possibly with the dark S.O.B who still doesn't have a name?

The Unexpected Clash of Strangers
I was watching one of my new favorite movies, Life As We Know It, and noticed the awesome soundtrack. Right out at the beginning it clicked that this song could sum up the relationship between Derk and Vicki.


Maybe it's the overall vibe of the song that just makes you kind of bop your head, but this song just seems like something Gracie would be jamming to.


Just Call Me Gus
This is also from the Life As We Know It soundtrack. Death is a big issue in this story with not only Gus, but for her friends she left behind. It also gives me a major Memphis vibe. (Plus it's Pearl Jam and Eddie could read me the phone book and I'd swoon.)

Teaser Tuesday #2

I'm still working on The Unexpected Clash of Strangers. I haven't done much new writing to the story, but I am combing through it, revising a few things, and getting myself back into the Gracie mode. (By the way, is one fantastic mode to be in.) If you would like to read my first Teaser Tuesday and learn what the story is about, click here.

Banner made by Cheryl.

Ethan-Dean perches his elbows up on the table and stares at me for a moment. I bet he’s thinking what a loser Stephen is, and wondering why I didn’t leave in the first place. It’s everyone's natural reaction when I tell them the story.

Okay, maybe not everyone, seeing as I’ve only told about five people, not including my family what happened between us. It’s not like I’m this huge movie star yet where everyone cares about my every move.

“But now you’re over him?” I let out a mockingly laugh like he’s crazy for even asking me such an absurd question. “Because for someone who is over their ex, you’re going to some extreme lengths to show that you don’t care.”

“What are you trying to say here, dude?” I demand.

“I’m saying you’re clearly not over your ex-husband.”

My hands curl into fist and I glare at him. “Oh, like you’re clearly over your ex, Mr. Storage Space.”

“But I am over her.”

“Then why is her toothbrush still in your bathroom drawer?”

His face drops. “You went through my stuff?”

I shrug. “Yeah, don’t you look at other’s people’s stuff when you use their bathroom?”

“No,” he snaps. “That’s an invasion of privacy!”

“Oh, sorry. I'll make it up to you. When you come to my place, feel free to roam through my drawers. Just don't look in my top drawer because my panties are there, and that would just be creepy.”

Teaser Tuesday

Since I pretty much failed at writing a novel last year, I told myself this year I will just go with it. Whatever my muse is trying to feed me, I'll bite. Lately, it's been my unfinished story: The Unexpected Clash of Strangers. I dove back into it, re-read all 120 pages I had, and forgot how much I loved this story.

Below you can read a quick summary plus a teaser from it.

There is nothing worse than getting caught in a random winter storm. Especially if by some weird coincidence you’re wearing a red sequin flapper dress and reeking of tequila. How I get myself in these situations is beyond me.

Grace didn't think her day could get any worse until she bumped into her ex-husband, Stephen, and his size-two fiancée. Determined not to look like a loser, Grace does what she has to do: Lie.


Grabbing a complete stranger off the street, she introduces him as Ethan, her big-time corporate lawyer boyfriend. To explain her ridiculous outfit, she adds on another one: She's starring in a movie based in the 20's. What should have been a one-time lie spirals out of control. Now she has to try and keep her fake relationship, and somehow put a movie together. Will this struggling actress pull it off or will she fall flat on her face?

Here is a little taste of it:

“Damn thing!” my father yells then starts beating it against his side table.

“George, honestly, your daughter is here with her boyfriend.” The beating stops against the side table and my father slowly turns his head towards us. His eyes squint then he pulls his glasses out of his shirt pocket and slips them on.

“You a schmuck?” my father asks Ethan-Dean.

“No, sir,” Ethan-Dean replies.

“That’s what the last one said.” I cringe. I forgot to inform Ethan-Dean that while my mother loved Stephen, my father thought he was the prime example of what would happen if two apes got together and had a human child.

To make up for my father’s lack of hospitality, my mother offers Ethan-Dean something to drink. When he replies with the common curosty of Mrs. Holloway, she insists he calls her Ruth. This is a good sign. It means she likes him.

Donnie sits down on the sofa with his arms crossed and stares at the two of us. He doesn’t say anything, just tries too hard to give his ‘I’m a badass’ look so it’s making his eyes cross. I think Ethan-Dean notices this too because he quickly turns and starts to cough a little, but he’s smiling.

My mother comes back in with her hands full of beer, Sprite, apple juice, water, and tea. Thankfully they’re all in bottles with caps or she would be spilling them everywhere. She approaches Ethan-Dean first, and I nudge my head towards the beer. I have no clue if he’s a beer drinker, but if he takes it, Donnie will think he’s more of a man this way. Johnny on the other hand will not be pleased, but I’m taking on one uncle at a time here.

Ethan-Dean follows my command and starts reaching for the beer. “Hey muttonhead,” my father says, jabbing his finger in our direction, “you thinkin’ about drinking my beer?”

Ethan-Dean snatches his hand back. “N-No, sir. I was reaching for the apple juice.”

“Apple juice,” Donnie snorts. “You plan on wanting a nap afterwards there sissy boy?”

“Donnie, please act your age,” Johnny says sternly.

“Good choice,” my father says, wiggling his chubby fingers for my mother to stick the beer in his hand. “That other boob she was married to always took the first beer. I told Gracie next time he did that, I’d punch him in his snot clocker.” My father starts shaking his fist for dramatic effect, and I bury my face into my hands.