First things first: if you've ever wondered about my office, the lovely people from Readers' Entertainment invited me to be part of their "At The Desk" series, where you can get a peek at the place where the magic laundry happens, complete with my commentary and slightly snarky captions. A lot of spiders died to make that post happen, people. Don't let their sacrifice be in vain.
http://readersentertainment.com/2012/at-the-desk-with-erica-orourke/
(I'll post the pictures that didn't make the cut tomorrow, along with more snark and the story of the World's Finest Realtor.) And now, to the playlist!
I've said many times before that music is a huge part of my writing process. Every book has a soundtrack, every character has a theme song, and many scenes have a specific song that plays on constant repeat while I'm writing it and again when I revise it. Partly, that's just the way I roll. And partly it's the fact that when I was writing Torn, I had no real office. I wrote at the kitchen table or at a local coffee shop. Writing in the middle of chaos meant I needed a way to tune out everything except my story. Writing in short chunks of time meant I needed a way to slip into the world of my story as quickly as possible. Hence, a soundtrack.
Now that I have a room of my own-ish, music is no less necessary. I can't justify spending money on a daily jaunt to the coffeeshop, when I have an office, a perfectly good coffeemaker, and a spouse who will stop by Trader Joe's whenever I ask. Music, then, is a way to transition from my role as mom/wife/doer of chores/keeper of the calendar to Person Who Is Contractually Obligated To Produce A Coherent Manuscript.
Since Tangled is a sequel, there's a natural overlap with the artists and songs from Torn's playlist (found here). And hearing them now, when I've been focused on Bound and future projects, is like listening to a mixtape from an old boyfriend. It brings me back to a very specific moment in time, and it makes me fall in love with the book all over again. I hope you will, too.
Click here to see the (partial) TANGLED playlist on iTunes.
32 Flavors, Ani DiFranco
Read My Mind, The Killers
Devils and Dust, Bruce Springsteen
Smile Like You Mean It, The Killers
Monoplain, Susan Enan
C'Mon C'Mon, The Von Bondies
Undeniable, Mat Kearney
End Love, OK GO
Look After You, The Fray
Us, Regina Spektor
9 Crimes, Damien Rice
Inaction, We Are Scientists
A Sorta Fairytale, Tori Amos
We Don't Eat, James Vincent McMorrow
Humpty Dumpty, Aimee Mann
