J.R. Johansson Dares to Make Sweet Music

I've been playing around with different creative outlets lately and it's been really fun. So along those lines, for my post today, I dared myself to put together a special Friday the Thirteeners Playlist!

It features one song to represent each of our books. I've been lucky enough to read many of the awesome books on our sidebar and these songs are like a little slice of each! It's a great way to get a feel for our stories in music form.

Here are the reasons we picked the songs we did or you can just scroll down and start listening!

Track 1 - J.R. Johansson - Insomnia: "Letters from the Sky" by Civil Twilight - This song reminds me of Insomnia because it reflects this feeling of Parker's world falling apart around him and somehow finding a way to fight through it anyway. 

Track 2 - Ellen Oh - Prophecy: “Life in Mono” by Mono - This is one of my favorite songs and for some reason it was the tune that always came to me when I thought of my main character, Kira. When I was working on her scenes, trying to figure her out, I’d literally hear this song in my head. So I just started playing it all the time and Kira came to life. I find it perfect for her because it’s a melancholy piece—sad and lonely, but still filled with hope. Kind of like Kira.

Track 3 - Megan Shepherd - The Madman's Daughter: "Seven Devils" by Florence + The Machine - When I listen to this eerie, dramatic song, I think about how the greatest dangers come not always from outside, but often from something within each of us.

Track 4 - Elsie Chapman - Dualed: "Run" by Snow Patrol - I used to listen to this song on repeat when I wrote Dualed. It's sad but really charged, and it's one of my favorites.

Track 5 & 6 - Erin Bowman - Taken: "Love Like a Sunset Part I + II" by Phoenix - These two tracks have always felt like the book’s point of no return to me. Gray makes a choice. This is the moment nothing will ever be the same.

Track 7 - Mindy McGinnis - Not a Drop to Drink: "Rocks and Water" by Deb Talan - Because it's pretty much a perfect feel for my book.

Track 8 - Shannon Messenger - Let the Sky Fall: "Hurricane" by Something Corporate - It was the song that inspired Vane's sorta bratty, easy-going voice. And it has wind references!

Track 9 - Brandy Colbert - Pointe: "Give it Away" by Zero 7 - I don't listen to music while I write, but this is a song that I listened to a lot during the period I was working on my second rewrite.

Track 10 - Renee Collins - Relic: "The Kiss" from The Last of the Mohicans Soundtrack - This is the song that captures the sweeping, historical feel of Relic the most for me.

Track 11 - Natalie Whipple - Transparent: "I Just Wanna Run" by The Downtown Fiction - I picked this because Fiona is all about running—physically and emotionally. :)

Track 12 - Kasie West - Pivot Point: "Little Wonders" by Rob Thomas - I picked this because it captures the feel of Pivot Point for me so well. One line says: Our lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders, these twists and turns of fate. That line, along with the rest of the song, says it all for me.

Track 13 - Alexandra Duncan - Salvage: "A Widow's Toast" by Neko Case - It's a hard choice, but I think this just fits Salvage the best.

Track 14 - April Tucholke - Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea: "Metamorphosis One" by Phillip Glass - Cab Calloway's Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was the title inspiration for my book, but not really what I listened to while writing it (it's too cheerful). I also really love his Illusionist and The Hours soundtracks.


So, what do you think? Do you have a favorite song from our list? Any songs that remind you of our books or that you think should've made the cut?

Happy Friday!

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J.R. Johansson loves reading, playing board games and sitting in her hot tub. Her dream is that someday she can do all three at the same time. She is a YA thriller author represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Her debut novel, INSOMNIA, is due to be released June 10, 2013 with Flux. You can find her on twitter, goodreads, her website, or her