Playlists – Joan Hall

Playlist: Cold Dark Night #WIPWednesday

Published on May 19, 2021May 18, 2021 by Joan Hall17 Comments

Hello, everyone! Before I continue, the release date of Cold Dark Night has been delayed a few days. I’ve had some unexpected personal things come up and need a few more days to prepare. Anyhow, instead of May 24, the new date is Tuesday, June 1.

Most of you who have followed my blog a while know at least a couple of things about me. (1) I’m fascinated by full moons, and (2) I love music. Enough to create playlists for most of my books.

This one is likely the most eclectic – a haunting ballad, a cheerful song from the movie Grease, selections from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon, and more.

Like my other playlists, the songs all fit a particular scene or capture a mood.

If you’d like to see the playlists for my other books, click here. In the meantime for your entertainment…

House of Sorrow Playlist #WIP Wednesday

Published on September 30, 2020October 3, 2020 by Joan Hall24 Comments

Hey, everyone. It’s been ages since I’ve done a WIP Wednesday post. The past few weeks, I turned my focus from Cold Dark Night toward finishing the short story prequel. Originally titled Woman in Black, it has a new name, House of Sorrow.

As is often the case, the story took me in a slightly different direction than I originally expected. But I had so much fun writing it. Many of the scenes are set in the late 1960s. Let’s say I was able to relive some of my childhood while writing and doing research.

When I neared completion of the first draft, it dawned on me that I was missing a golden opportunity by not creating a playlist. I did that with all my Driscoll Lake novels and often listen to them on Spotify while driving. I was quick to create one for this story.

There are hundreds of songs I could have included, but the ones I picked symbolize the time or follow the storyline. I’ve included a couple from the late seventies, as I have a scene written during that time.

Here’s a photo of one popular group from the sixties. Eight Miles High, anyone?

The Byrds in 1965 – Chris Hillman, Gene Clark, Roger McGuinn, Michael Clarke, and David Crosby (Public Domain Photo)

And now, here’s the list. Quite a mix, wouldn’t you say?

Turn! Turn! Turn! -The Byrds
For What It’s Worth – Buffalo Springfield
Abraham, Martin, and John – Dion
Get Together – The Youngbloods
Aquarius/Let The Sun Shine – Fifth Dimension
Time of The Season – The Zombies
Woodstock – Matthews Southern Comfort
All Along the Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix
Let it Be – The Beatles
Spirit in The Sky – Norman Greenbaum
Bad Moon Rising – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Deacon Blues – Steely Dan
Lonely People – America

This is a video of one of the songs. Don’t you “dig” their clothes? Pardon my use of the sixties term.

I plan to release House of Sorrow in late December and Cold Dark Night in February 2021 (a little later than anticipated, but there’s a reason for the February release date). I’ll post more about both projects in the upcoming weeks, including cover reveals.

Unseen Motives Playlist #WIPWednesday

Published on September 4, 2019September 12, 2019 by Joan Hall16 Comments

Hey, everyone. It’s time for another WIP Wednesday. This week is another “work in publication.”

The idea of creating a playlist, or soundtrack for my novels didn’t occur to me until after I had published Unseen Motives. Given the main character in Unknown Reasons was a part-time drummer who loved music, it seemed fitting for that book.

But Stephanie Harris, the protagonist in my first novel, also has a love for music. She was largely influenced by her father. Unfortunately he died when she was only fourteen, but she never forgot the times when the two of them would go for drives in the car with the radio tuned to a Classic Rock station and the volume loud. (Her mother’s taste leaned more toward classical music, but that’s another story.)

I began putting together a list of songs. As with Unknown Reasons, the songs follow the book’s timeline. The only song mentioned by name in the book is Van Morrison’s “Wild Night,” but I tried to select others that fit the storyline. And yes, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” is relative to a scene near the end of the book.

Before I began writing this series, I didn’t intend for romance to play a part. It didn’t take long for me to discover Stephanie and Driscoll Lake Police Chief Matt Bradford were meant to be together. But they both have things from the past to deal with. Here’s a snippet from one of the scenes.

Matt and Stephanie lingered in the parking lot after the others departed. “Sorry about the crowd,” Matt said. “I should have known. Mary’s is always busy on Friday nights after games.”

“It’s okay. It was nice to visit with some of my high school friends.” Stephanie took a deep breath of the night air. “I’m glad I went to the game. I wasn’t sure how it would be, but I felt a sense of freedom tonight. Maybe I’m finally getting over the past.”

“But you still have questions. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked Kyle to write a second story.”

“Yes, I do. I realize the outcome probably won’t change, but I have to try.” She tried to blink away tears that threatened to fall. “I didn’t mean to get emotional.”

Matt wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Look, I know tonight wasn’t a real date, but how about dinner tomorrow? Just the two of us. We can go someplace in Brewster.”

Stephanie smiled. “I’d like that.”

“Good.” He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her lips.

Impulsively, Stephanie took her finger and traced the scar on his chin. “How did you get this?”

Matt took her hand and pulled it aside. Something flickered in his eyes. Pain? Hurt? Anger? Something else?

“It happened a long time ago. It’s getting late. You’re probably ready to go home.”

She jerked her hand away from his. “Maybe tomorrow night isn’t such a good idea.”

“Stephanie, I—” The ringing of his cell phone interrupted Matt’s words. He took it from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. “Damn. It’s the station. I’d better take this.”