Music to Soothe the Savage Vampire

by Jennifer Harlow

I don’t do silence. I can’t. I grew up surrounded by chaos instrumented by three demons by the names of Ryan, Liam, and Trevor, my three younger brothers. These were not, and still aren’t, studious, well behaved darlings who liked nothing better than to sit down with a good book or play with her dolls like their angel big sister. No, these boys had enough energy and testosterone to supply an entire Starbucks and bodybuilding gym with some still left over to attempt to “kill” or “wrestle” their sister and each other. Screams, whining, and loud bangs on the television were staples of my youth. So when I moved out on my own, I soon discovered I needed the noise. There is always a television or radio on, even as I fall asleep. This is true when I’m writing as well. I can write pretty much anywhere (if you have a strong desire to stalk me, see the acknowledgments page of my books to see where I write), but the one thing that helps get my creative juices flowing the most is music. The right song can make or break my scene, even inspiring me on some occasions.

As I'm writing, I find that certain songs really helped pump up the visuals and mood. They help me get to a place where I needed to get inside my head to convey what was going on in my imagination and translate that to the page. Music just adds so much more to the experience. So I started compiling playlists for the books. Like the book, the soundtrack has a narrative flow in line with the story. You don’t have to like all the songs, I have eclectic taste, but at the very least if you sample them, you’ll get a feel for the book. So here it is, the soundtrack for the F.R.E.A.K.S.  latest adventure, Death Takes A Holiday:

Mercy-Duffy

U Want Me 2-Sarah McLachlan

Make Me Lose Control-Eric Carmen

Smalltown Boy-Bronski Beat

Somewhere That's Green-Ellen Greene from "Little Shop of Horrors"

Trouble is A Friend-Lenka

The Passenger-Siouxsie and The Banshees

No One is To Blame-Howard Jones

Emotion in Motion-Ric Ocasek

One Step Up-Bruce Springsteen

Wonderful Life-Black

Somewhere With You-Kenny Chesney

I Stand Alone-Theophilius London

Love Will Turn You Around-Kenny Rogers

Please download legally. All songs are available on iTunes. And if you want to see the other soundtracks to my other books, visit www.jenniferharlowbooks.com/The_Sountracks