Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Jill S. Alexander's playlist for Paradise and giveaway

Here is a playlist for Paradise. I hope you enjoy it.

Sometimes, stories come to me initially as a character, a title, maybe a first line. PARADISE came through music. I knew I wanted to write a story about small town teens in a country rock band, and I stayed open to all the character possibilities – waiting on that special spark that tends to ignite my writing. One night at a restaurant/blues bar, I saw a guy totally shred a Springsteen song – not with a guitar or some other sexy musical instrument, but with a red, three-row button accordion. He was hot. The song was hot. The place went crazazay. And that was the spark that led to PARADISE.

So many songs – old and new – spoke to me while writing PARADISE. Here are a few from my official PARADISE playlist:

Runnin’ Down A Dream by Tom Pett PARADISE is just that: A story about chasing dreams, feeling unstoppable.

Use Somebody by Kings of LeonThe play on words. The idea of needing someone. The guitars. The drums. This song reminded me so much of Paisley and Paradise.

Jack & Diane by John MellencampTwo Amercian kids growing up in the heartland. I had written Paisley’s parents as Jack and Diane – never thinking of the song. One day, I was driving and the Mellencamp song came on the radio. I was blown away. It was perfect for them. “Two American kids doing the best they can.”

Rosalita by Bruce Springsteen“I know your momma she don’t like me ‘cause I play in a Rock n Roll Band” says it all.

Carry On by Pat Green Written by Texas music legend Radney Foster, “Carry On” captures the feeling of needing to get away, “grab the wheel with your own two hands.” It’s also a barn party anthem for most Texas teens, so it works with the characters and setting. Check out the barn party scene in the novel!

Fifteen by Taylor Swift When I first heard this song, it reminded me of a scene when Paisley’s sister Lacey is cautioning her about taking things too far and too fast with Paradise. This particular scene is one of my favorites from the novel – personal and honest, as only two sisters can be.

I have a signed copy of The Sweetheart of Prosper County. Have a US address and comment with your favorite song by July 15th to enter to win.

11 comments:

  1. I love all types of music, and I change my favorite song ALL the time!! So this is tough... buuut I will have to say, at the moment, my favorite song is Tonight Tonight by Hot Chelle Rae :)
    Thanks for this awesome opportunity :D
    -Liz

    TapiaL1993[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  2. My fav song..is internation song....its called Saibo....its a hindi song...but its very cute
    gfc follower

    vidishamun@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. My favorite song, at the moment, is Pumped Up Kicks by Foster The People. It's pretty amazing.

    Thanks for the amazing oppurtinty!

    jennapomme[at]yahoo[dot]com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Girl, I can't lie. My favorite song of right now is Last Friday Night (TGIF) by Katy Perry.

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  5. My favorite song is Let Go by Frou Frou.

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  6. My favorite-- White Wedding!
    (\___/)
    (='.'=)
    (")_(")

    alterlisa AT yahoo DOT com
    http://lisaslovesbooksofcourse.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  7. My favorite song right now is The Lonely by Christina Perri.

    xafterlifeofthepartyx@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. The Dog Days Are Over by Florence and the Machine :)

    yan.pocky(at)gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  9. My favorite song is When You Say You Love Me by Josh Groban
    mearley1979 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great playlist! At the moment, I'm really enjoying We Don't Believe In Love No More by Lux Lisbon.

    Sarah L
    two_of_hearts_101 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  11. I'm loving Keith Urban's "Without you" :)

    mk261274 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting. Every comment creates a smile.

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