Suzanne hums: "The Music of the Night."

Music speaks to me. It always has. One of my earliest memories is of playing on the swing set in the back yard of my childhood home and singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."

When I was seven I begged for piano lessons. At sixteen, I wanted to be a singer and studied voice. At twenty-one (realizing I wasn’t headed for stardom on the Broadway stage, after all), music lessons were nudged aside and I had to earn my living as a high school English teacher. At twenty-six, I started writing fiction, and the rest, as they say, is history.

I love many types of music from classical to Celtic, from opera to Rock. Music affects and reflects my mood. I choose different music for each book. Not to listen to as I write, but to listen to before I write. Music takes me where I need to go emotionally as I sit down at my computer each day. It gets me "in the mood" and serves as a kind of emotional shortcut.

When I finished writing SWEETHEART, INDIANA, I decided to share the music I’d been inspired by in an author’s note at the back of the book. It was fun for me and for the readers.

So I thought you might be interested in knowing some of the music I’m listening to for the book I’m writing now:

"Sometimes I Dream" (Mario Frangoulis)
"Who Wants To Live Forever" (Sarah Brightman)
"Wicked Games" (Chris Issak)
Puccini’s "Nessun Dorma," from "Turandot"
"Pretty Vegas" (INXS)
The score to "The Phantom of the Opera"

Pretty eclectic mix, huh?

I swear there’s no sexier song on the planet than "Wicked Games," so that’s the CD I listen to before I write a love scene. If it’s a highly dramatic or melodramatic scene I might choose the operatic "Nessun Dorma" or the opening chords of "The Phantom of the Opera," or something from Sarah Brightman, especially if she’s going to hit one of her high C’s and give me goose bumps. The book is set in Las Vegas, which explains the new INXS song.

The problem I find most frustrating is not being able to find the right music for a book. That leaves me floundering; at sixes and sevens. I really need the emotional connection music gives me.

In the interest of science, I asked the other Quills what part, if any, music plays in their creative process. (I also asked them about the alleged connection between musical ability and mathematical ability.) Here are their responses:

STELLA: "Music is essential to me. It’s part of my writing ritual. I have a set of Bose headphones. (Suzanne: "I’m pea green with envy!") I wear them all the time while I’m writing. My mood is tied to the music, so I choose the music to match my mood. At the moment I’m listening almost exclusively to Madeleine Peyroux, a fabulous blues singer. Although I admit a ditty called ‘Hang on Little Tomato,’ by Pink Martini is also a current favorite."

When asked about the music-math connection, Stella said she comes by her love of music naturally (her grandmother was an opera singer), but she still had to work hard at math.

JAYNE: "I’ve never been musically inclined. And don’t even start on the
math thing. I’ve heard the two are related, and I think I see a pattern here."

Jayne also volunteered that she’d heard kids should take piano lessons if they want to be good at math. (Suzanne: "Ah-ha! Maybe this explains the A+ I got in college algebra after ten years of piano lessons.")

ELIZABETH: "I always write to music. In my case alternative popular (according to my kids). Nearly always vocals, which I choose for their parallels to the story and/or characters. I used to make one tape for each book. Now I have an iPod and iTunes on my computer, plus nifty speakers."

EL also added: "Math? I quit when I hit the second level of calculus, which I’m not sure I spelled correctly!" (Suzanne: "She did! And Elizabeth also "wins" the math prize among the Quills.")

So, the questions of the day are: Does music affect your mood? What music is currently your favorite? Do you believe there’s anything to the whole music-math theory?

Happy Humming,
Suzanne