Music to listen to while you read!

With The Write Choice ARCs being out in the world next week (!!!), and some of you already having them in your hands (!!!!!), I thought now was a great time to introduce you to The Write Choice playlist. This is a specially curated list of songs that are a combination of music that inspired me while I was writing, and music that fits the book. I’m going to dive more into these songs in a minute, but first…

After last week’s sad representation of sugar-free coffee syrups, I was on a mission to figure out how to make my gingerbread latte flavor taste, well, more like a gingerbread latte. I am happy to report that, after much trial and error, I think I’ve figured it out. I add my coffee, some milk, a little bit of the gingerbread latte flavoring, and then sprinkle in some ground cinnamon and dried ginger. It gives just enough hint of spice that it really hits the spot. And it smells great, too! Maybe next, I’ll try swirling a candy cane in my peppermint latte.

It’s music time! Did you know that I have playlists for both the other Leade Park books, too? Well, I do! Check out the TWP and TWT playlists if you haven’t already.

The songs on my playlists are a mix between songs that inspired me while writing, songs that remind me of the characters or different moments in the book, and songs that capture the book’s vibes. And, as a former mixtape aficionado, they’re all bundled together for you in an order that I took great care to curate that’s supposed to take you on a bit of an emotional journey. But you can honestly listen in any order you choose!

Don’t worry, there’s a link to the playlist on Spotify at the end, but indulge me as I talk a little about why I selected each song. I’m going to try really hard to do this without any spoilers.

1. Maniac by AWOLNATION – Katie is a big fan of the off-the-shoulder sweaters, which feels like such a Flashdance thing, right? Maybe I’m dating myself here, but I love Flashdance. I’m also a big fan of the off-the-shoulder sweaters. Brandon is, too, if we’re being honest.

2. Up in Flames by 1ST VOWS – This song is kind of a vibes song, kind of an inspiration song, and kind of a character song. Katie and Brandon both kind of feel like their relationship has gone up in flames at first, but that’s a little on the nose for me. That said, they are certainly up in flames for each other at different times in the book, but this song was mostly on here because I listened to it a lot while writing and I really love it.

3. Hold Back the River by James Bay – This is another song I love and listened to on repeat while writing. Marriage, to me, is like a river. It twists and turns and gets rocky at times, smooth at others. I liked this metaphor a lot, and held it in my mind as I was writing about the ebb and flow of Katie and Brandon’s relationship. I also think the lyrics are particularly poignant for them.

4. My Type by Saint Motel – I think this is a really sexy song. Maybe it’s the horns or the beat. Maybe it’s the lyrics! Or it could be all of the above, but Brandon teases Katie several times about having a “type” (Spoiler alert: he’s it. He’s her type), and I like the idea of that. That they could have each fit with someone else who was their type, but they choose each other.

5. Madness by Chester See and Andy Lange – I am a huge fan of the band Muse. Huge. I’ve loved them since college, so… for a long time. When I heard this cover of the song, I was hooked. But I think it fits, too. Marriage with kids is madness a lot of the time, and so is love in general. This song takes you through the realization of someone who feels that madness in the fights, but also in fighting against the pull of a love so strong it feels like madness, too.

6. Lay Your Head On Me by Major Lazer with Marcus Mumford and Diplo – This one is really simple. When Katie cuddles with Brandon, she likes to lay in the crook of his arm and put her head on his chest. But, also, I’m a sucker for Marcus Mumford’s voice.

7. If You Love Her by Forest Blakk – I cannot listen to this song without crying, so you’ve been warned! This song does such a great job of showing the love of one person for another, and urging that person to love the small things about her. It reminds me so much of Brandon and the way he loves the small things about Katie.

8. Wonderwall by Jake Coco – I’ve got a lot of covers on this playlist, don’t I? Well, Wonderwall is my favorite song of all time, and I think Jake Coco does a fantastic acoustic rendition of it. “I don’t believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now…” Absolute perfection.

9. I Like Me Better by Lauv – Brandon says a few times that Katie makes him a better person, and I am such a sucker for that line in any book or movie. “You make me a better man.” “I want to be worthy of you.” “She takes everything I do and makes it better.” BE STILL MY HEART.

10. Wildfire by Seafret – Probably my favorite quote from the book is when Katie says to Mac and Jenny, “You’ve heard of slow burns? Well our love was more like a wildfire.” And then Brandon says, “It’s a good thing wildfires are hard to put out.” Absolute swoon.

11. Welcome Home by Radical Face – I’m not going to give any spoilers here, but Katie struggles a lot with the idea of home—where it is, how it’s supposed to feel, who is there with her. She meets up with a friend and talks about it, and it’s maybe my absolute favorite scene in the whole book. I cried when I wrote it. But I can’t say any more; you’ll just have to read to find out.

12. My Home is You by The Strumbellas – Home is a place for Katie, but for Brandon, it’s a person. It’s her. (And, don’t worry, Katie gets there eventually with him, too. It just takes her a little longer to figure it out.) This song felt like the perfect way to close out the book playlist.

I hope you enjoy it! If you find a song you love on this playlist, or if anything resonates with you, I’d love to hear about it!

Digital ARCs for The Write Choice are going out on December 15! If you signed up for one, you’re getting one, so if you didn’t get an email from me, check your spam folder. ‘Tis the season for generosity and all that, so I figured why not send one out to anyone who requested? I hope you love Katie and Brandon as much as I do.

Final files have been uploaded to the system, and they’re ready to go for January 16! I could not be more excited. This also means that, with Amazon’s new rules about scheduling releases and ordering author copies, that you can pre-order your signed copies directly from me and get them pretty darn close to release day, if not before. How exciting is that? They’re on sale now until January 16, too! Pre-order now for the best price on a signed copy and swag.

You can also pre-order your Kindle version on Amazon at a special pre-order price of $1.99! These prices will be available until release day, so don’t wait!

‘Tis also the season for holiday reads! This is my first one of the season, and it does not disappoint. I was a HUGE fan of The Bromance Book Club on audio. It is probably my favorite audiobook to date. So I nabbed this audiobook from the library, and it’s just as great. I’m not a holiday romance book person (I much prefer my holiday romcoms in movie form), but this one is hilarious and sexy and definitely worth a read.

That’s it for now! I hope you enjoyed this deep dive into the book playlist. We are almost down to one month until release! I can’t wait for ARCs to be in your hands, and I definitely can’t wait for Katie and Brandon to be out in the world.