My Soundtrack for Tattoos

Hey, y’all! I had to pop on quick and say it—my book is live!!! It’s out there published!!! This has been quite the journey to see Tattoos hit print. This novel started off as a NaNoWriMo project back in 2011. It’s been kicking around for quite a while since then, until OWS Ink picked it and the rest of the series up. To celebrate its release, I wanted to share a special treat with y’all today.

One of the questions I’ve been asked pretty regularly is about music and how it plays into my writing process. As I’ve explained, I struggle to write with music playing. This is because I listen mostly to music with lyric and I tend to end up either not writing because I’m singing along to the song. That, or I end up typing lyrics instead of the story.

However, music does play an important part in my writing process. See, I construct playlists to help keep the story in my head, to get to know my characters, and the like. I listen to that playlist in the car, at the gym, at work, etc. when I’m not working on the project itself. Then, when I get back to writing, I’m already in the right frame of mind.

So, my treat for you today is a peek at some of the songs on my playlist for Tattoos. Some of the songs have a message that directly links to different things in the book. Others are more about the feel of the song, it’s attitude, and the like. See if you can figure which ones are which. Here it is:

• Somewhere I Belong – Linkin Park
• Dangerous – Shinedown
• Dance With You – Live
• Have You Ever Needed Someone So Bad – Def Leppard
• Race For The Sun – 3 Doors Down
• Life Starts Now – Three Days Grace
• Nothing Else Matters – Metallica
• I Stand Alone – Godsmack
• Diary of a Deadman – Five Finger Death Punch
• Breaking the Silence – Breaking Benjamin
• Here’s to Us – Halestorm

There’s more, but I think you get a pretty good picture of what drove my thinking with Tattoos. So, there you have it—how music plays a role in my writing. Be sure to check out other great blogs on the tour and score your copy of Tattoos today!