A Playlist for SECRET LIVES AND PRIVATE EYES

I love music. I have playlists for reading, writing, and revising. Music is always on at home or work. Listening to my 80s Favs this morning made me think about the characters in my debut novel, Secret Lives and Private Eyes (June 20, 2016).

Business has been slow for Private Investigator, Delanie Fitzgerald, but her luck seems to change when a tell-all author hires her to find rock star, Johnny Velvet. Could the singer whose career purportedly ended in a fiery crash almost 30 years ago still be alive?

And as though sifting through dead ends in a cold case isn't bad enough, Chaz Wellington Smith, III, a loud-mouthed strip club owner, also hires her to uncover information about the mayor's secret life. When the mayor is murdered, Chaz is the key suspect. Now Delanie must clear his name and figure out why landscaper, Tripp Payne, keeps popping up in her other investigation. Can the PI find the connection between her two cases before another murder - possibly her own - takes place?

So here's my playlist for Secret Lives and Private Eyes.

  1. Adam Ant's "Goody Two Shoes"
  2. A-Ha's "Take on Me"
  3. Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"
  4. Robbin Thompson's "Sweet Virginia Breeze"
  5. Wilson Pickett's "Mustang Sally"
  6. Modern English's "I Melt with You"
  7. Icicle Works' "Birds Fly" (Whisper to a Scream)
  8. Van Halen's "Why Can't This Be Love"
  9. The Beach Boys' "Fun, Fun, Fun"
  10. Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark"
  11. Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive"
  12. Rachel Platten's "Fight Song"
  13. Mark Wills' "Nineteen Something"
  14. And of Course, Hall and Oates' "Private Eyes"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What's on Your Writing Playlist?

This week is the 34th anniversary of MTV, which debuted in 1981 with "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. We didn't have cable, so I had to get my fill of videos at friends' houses after the channel became available in markets outside of New York and New Jersey.

In honor of the music channel's birthday, here's a sample of my writing playlists. I have to have music on in the background for writing and editing tasks.

Play it Loud...

  • "We're Not Gonna Take It" - Twisted Sister
  • "Cum on Feel the Noise" - Quiet Riot
  • "Let's Go Crazy" - Prince
  • "Run, Run Away" - Slade
  • "Jump" - Van Halen
  • "Red, Red Wine" - UB40
  • "Viva Las Vegas" - Elvis
  • "Born Free" - Kid Rock

Happy Songs...

  • "19 Something" - Mark Wills
  • "All Shook Up" - Elvis
  • "Happy" Pharrell Williams (Who Also Hails from Virginia Beach)
  • "Cheeseburger in Paradise" - Jimmy Buffett
  • "Fun, Fun, Fun" - The Beach Boys
  • "Brighter Than the Sun" - Colbie Caillat
  • "Crocodile Rock" - Elton John
  • "Friday, I'm in Love" - The Cure

80s Favs...

  • "I Melt with You" - Modern English
  • "Mony Mony" - Billy Idol
  • "Goody Two Shoes" - Adam Ant
  • "Love Shack" - The B52s
  • "Manic Monday" - The Bangles
  • "Dancing in the Dark" - Bruce Springsteen
  • "99 Red Balloons" - Nena
  • "Rio" - Duran Duran
  • "Faith" - George Michael
  • "Authority Song" - John Mellencamp
  • "Little Red Corvette" - Prince

Newer Favs...

  • "Save Me, San Francisco" - Train
  • "On Top of the World" - Imagine Dragons
  • "Uptown Funk" - Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars
  • "Dance with Me Tonight" - Olly Murs
  • "Everybody Talks" - Neon Trees
  • "Lips are Movin'" - Meghan Trainor
  • "We are Young" - Fun.
  • "The Edge of Glory" - Lady Gaga
  • "I'm in a Hurry" - Florida Georgia Line

It's time to turn up the tunes and get back to editing my work in progress.  What's on your playlist?



What's on Your Playlist? Murderous Songs for Mystery Writers

I love Train's "50 Ways to Say Goodbye." It's great for mystery writers. It's full of lots of ideas for bumping off characters.

So here's a playlist of other songs with murderous lyrics if you need inspiration for writing your next mystery:

  • Dixie Chicks - "Goodbye, Earl"
  • Bob Marley - "I Shot the Sheriff"
  • Queen - "Bohemian Rhapsody"
  • Foster the People - "Pumped up Kicks"
  • R. Dean Taylor - "Indiana Wants Me"
  • Johnny Cash - "The Long, Black Veil"
  • Kenny Rogers - "Coward of the County"
  • Bobby Darrin - "Mack the Knife"
  • Georgie Fame "The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde"
  • Jim Croce - "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown"
  • The Police - "Murder by Numbers"
  • Talking Heads - "Psycho Killer"
  • The Beatles - "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"
  • Garth Brooks - "Papa Loved Mama"