Music and Writing

Hi! Thanks for having me here today to share my newest release, Love in the Clouds, and talk about how I use music in my writing process.

There are times when I write, when silence is just what I need to get the words down, but most of the time, I require music in the background. Over the years, I’ve created several playlists I use, depending on my mood and what I’m writing.

For instance, if I’m struggling to get the story out, I’ll play my inspirational playlist, which includes the following songs:

“This is Me” by Kesha

“Something Big” by Shawn Mendes

“Sidekick” by Walk the Moon

These three songs tend to motivate me and pump me up almost immediately. There are other songs on that playlist, and my favorites tend to change, but right now I listen to these more than any others. We all have music that reaches into our souls and gives us a jump-start when we need it and those are mine.

On rainy days, I like mellow music, even listening to oldies like England Dan and John Ford Coley, especially the song “Nights Are Forever Without You”. (I freely admit to replaying that song over and over until I am finally able to move on.)

When it comes to sad songs, “And So It Goes” by Billy Joel is so achingly beautiful, I almost always tear up when I hear it. It’s about a man being brave enough to share his heart again, yet cynical enough to automatically think it will be broken again. Every time I hear it, I find myself pulling for him—hoping he found what he was looking for and that his love was returned. When I’m working on a sad or intense scene that needs to be handled carefully, this song helps put me in the right frame of mind.

While writing Love in the Clouds, I remembered an old song my brother and I loved as kids and was excited when I found it on iTunes. It was actually the theme song from The Greatest American Hero and we used to watch those old reruns all the time. The lyrics mention “walking on air” and it’s about a superhero flying through the clouds, so the song seemed to fit what I was writing. By the time I was finished, it had become my own little theme song for Love in the Clouds. Trust me—I know every word by heart.

What about you? What songs touch your soul? What songs are a staple in your life?

Rafael Patino has a great life in Rain Valley. He’s a teacher at the high school, has a great group of friends, and enjoys the occasional baseball game. Other than the sporadic call from his drunken mother, he’s pretty content.


He’s also been in love with his best friend Dustin for nearly a decade. Years of keeping those feelings under control are put to the test when they begin a summer project together.


Dustin Vance builds furniture for a living, has just earned his pilot’s license, and has an amazing best friend. When he buys a 1976 Cessna Skyhawk, he asks Rafael to help restore it, then travel with him to Wisconsin for the largest aviation convention in the world.


As they spend their days working on the plane, they begin to spend their nights together. Will they find love in the clouds, or will they stall out before they even take off?

September 1 – Gay Book Reviews, Amy’s MM Romance Reviews, September 3 – Mikku-chan, September 4 – Joyfully Jay, September 5 – Open Mind For A Different View, September 6 – Love Bytes, September 7 – Book Lovers 4Ever, Katie’s Book Corner Reviews, Love Unchained Book Review, Making It Happen, Xtreme Delusuions, Gay Media Reviews, Wicked Reads, September 8 – The Novel Approach, September 10 – Diverse Reader

Sarah Hadley Brook lives smack-dab in the middle of the Heartland and is the mother of two wonderful young men, as well as two cats. During the day, she works in the nonprofit world, but reserves evenings for her hobby-turned-passion of writing, letting the characters she conjures in her mind take the lead and show her where the story will go. When not working or writing, she can be found reading, working on dollhouses, trying her hand at new recipes, or watching old movies and musicals. In her ideal world, Christmas would come at least twice a year, Rock Hudson and Doris Day would have costarred in more than three movies, and chocolate would be a daily necessity. She dreams of traveling to Scotland some day and visiting the places her ancestors lived. Sarah believes in “Happily Ever After” and strives to ensure her characters find their own happiness in love and life.


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