Posted on June 23, 2016
I’m always amazed by the ability of songwriters to capture emotion in just a handful of words. I play guitar and I have tried to write songs, but I am an utter failure. I just need about 80,000 words to tell a story about two people falling in love. But, here’s the thing, I find my inspiration for those stories in songs. All the time. And frankly, I have to tip my hat to some of my favorite songwriters for helping me find the emotion that needs to be in every love story. So I thought I’d share a couple of love songs with you. These are songs that I go to all the time when I’m writing emotional scenes, love scenes, break-up scenes, and getting back together scenes.
First up, is a lovely song called A Home Within Your Heart, by David Wilcox. This is a song about someone who is feeling a lot of pain, but doesn’t want to talk about it. He just wants to be held and to find a peaceful place. This was the inspiration for Jefferson Talbert-Lyndon, the hero in my new novella Fairytale Bride. Jeff is confused, hurt, angry at the beginning of the story, and by the end he has found a new home.
Next is another song by David Wilcox, called Language of the Heart. This is a song about what happens when two people fool themselves into thinking that they can share pleasure and not fall in love. This song is on every playlist for every book I’ve ever written because there is always that moment when the hero and heroine get intimate and it complicates everything. I can’t think of any other song that captures this moment better than this one.
Next on my list is one you’ve probably heard before — Bless The Broken Road by Rascal Flatts. The first time I heard this song, I knew I had to write a story to go with it. It gave me chills and made me cry. This is the song that played on a continuous loop the entire time I was writing Welcome to Last Chance. I can’t hear this song without thinking about the hero of that story, Clay Rhodes, my first Last Chance hero. There are so many sneaky references to this song in the book. All the women who broke Clay’s heart in the past show up and definitely point the way toward the new woman in his life. And there’s no question that Miz Miriam, the matchmaker, tells Clay that there is a greater plan for him that involves Jane, the heroine. And both the hero and heroine make references to the long, difficult road they’ve both had to travel to find true love.
Finally, here’s another song about a person who has lost his way — Saving Grace by Sixwire. In this case, the hero isn’t angry or confused, just lonely and sad. This is the song that played on a continuous loop while I was writing Last Chance Christmas, and I can’t listen to this song without thinking about Stone Rhodes.
Do you have a particularly favorite love song that makes you cry or sends chills down your back. If you do, please take a moment to share it. I collect love songs. They are my favorite kind of music to listen to.
