Today my book, My Fake Vegas Boyfriend, was released. (Did you know you can read Chapter 1 right here, on my site? Check it out.)
This is book one in my Viva Las Vegas series and the other two will be released in April and June. There’s so much I love about this series–the characters, the setting, the clothes, but today? The music.
There were 3 songs that inspired this book (and then, in turn, it became a series because I wasn’t ready to leave that world). The songs may not have been out in 1958 (when the stories take place), they may be older or may not have been out yet. But when the bud of an idea for this story first began, it was about evoking a feeling for the time and the people who occupied it.
The first song was Sway by Rosemary Clooney. That beat, the passion in the lyrics, the back-and-forth of two people falling in love was my foundation for the story ideas.
In writing this story, and after listening to Sway, I knew there would be a dance scene. I’ve never written one of those before, and the logistics of how to write that without it becoming, “He twirled her. She spun,” was intimidating indeed. I think I pulled it off. In fact, it was one of those things like dancing, where I just let myself access the moment and went with it and when I was done, I thought, “Damn. That’s actually good.”
But then to pick the song they would’ve been able to dance to. It had to be something I connected to, something that spoke to where they were emotionally in the story at that point, and something released before or in 1958. I chose Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You by Frankie Valli and, seriously, if you listen to the song and read that scene… it works well.
Finally, a song that helped me access the core conflict for Layla. It’s not an exact replica of her feelings, but it speaks to the situation she finds herself in. I don’t want to say anything spoilery, so I’m just going to leave the song here and hope you enjoy it– Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow by The Shirelles.
I’ve very much enjoyed this walk down memory lane with you. These stories came about when I was in a dark place emotionally and I literally wrote myself out of a depression. They’re magical, I’m very proud of them, and I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I did.
