Howdy! I’m Dylann Crush, USA Today Bestselling author of small-town and cowboy romances that will make you laugh, cry, and fall in love. I’m excited to stop in today! I want to chat about how I use music to inspire me while I’m writing.
Some authors associate a certain scent with their characters and some find visuals, such as photos, to represent characters or locations. I tend to rely on music to suck me into the story I’m writing.
Since I write small town contemporary and cowboy romance, I like to listen to music that reminds me of the locations and characters in my books, and thankfully, there’s no shortage of country songs. I’ve found the easiest way for me to connect to the emotion of the story I want to write is to create a playlist to listen to when I’m writing. This works for me on a few different levels.
First, it’s fun for me to spend some time thinking about my storyline and characters as I search for tunes. I’ll imagine the emotions my hero and heroine feel during different points of the story and pick songs that convey those feelings. For example, in my upcoming release, Kiss Me Now, Cowboy, my hero Justin is a professional bull rider. When building my playlist, I made sure to add some tunes that really make me think about the cowboy life like “Boys ‘Round Here” by Blake Shelton and “Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy” by Big & Rich.
My heroine Emmeline is a teacher, but she’s country through and through, so I added songs that make me think of a sassy, southern heroine. A few of my favorites are “She’s Country” by Jason Aldean and “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” by Sammy Kershaw.
Em’s worried about her best friend returning to bull riding too soon and wants to get him away from the pressure he’s facing. She figures out a way to get him to agree to a trip to Paradise Island, a fictional island I created off the southern coast of Texas. I absolutely had to have some
Kenny Chesney on my playlist. His songs “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems” and “Because of Your Love” make me think of the sun and sand and the ocean breeze.
Finally, Justin and Em go from best friends to lovers over the course of the story and listening to a few of the songs like “Yeah, Boy” by Kelsea Ballerini and “What I Never Knew I Always Wanted” by the amazing Carrie Underwood helped me capture the range of emotions they experience as they fall in love.
My trick is to set up my playlist, then listen to it over and over again until I don’t even hear it anymore. As a mom of three two-legged kiddos and four four-legged kiddos, I’m always on the go and am constantly being pulled away from my work. So many distractions can make it difficult to hop in and out of the story. One benefit of having my book playlist is being able to listen to it when I’m out and about. I can hit play and my brain subconsciously continues to process the storyline while I drive kids around, cheer my youngest on at his sports events, or try to exercise my hundred-and-forty-pound Great Dane.
If you want to check out my playlist for Kiss Me Now, Cowboy, you can find it here.
Professional bull rider Justin Forza might have to trade his cowboy boots for flip flops to win the woman he loves.
Forzas aren’t quitters. That’s the motto professional bull rider Justin Forza’s dad has drilled into his head since the first time he climbed into the bucking chute. After a serious injury, doctor’s orders are to stay out of the arena. But if Justin can win one more championship, he’ll be able to continue the family legacy, set himself up for life, and finally confess his love to his best friend Emmeline.
Emmeline Porter lives by one rule: never date a bull rider. She’s seen the damage a bad ride can cause. As a last resort to stop Justin from returning to the rodeo circuit, she convinces him to take a trip to Paradise Island, a tropical haven off the coast of Texas. She hopes cutting Justin off from the pressure his dad is laying on him will give her best friend the clarity he needs to walk away for good.
The close quarters and island adventures put their friendship to the test, and it’s not long before real feelings surface and threaten to sweep them both away.
Pre-Order now: https://geni.us/KissMeNowCowboy
Giveaway!
I’d love to gift one reader a signed paperback copy of Kiss Me Now, Cowboy when it releases in August! For a chance to win, just let me know which song you think would be a good addition to my playlist!
(Only US addresses eligible for signed print copy. International addresses eligible for e-book.)
