Hello readers,
For the first half of July, I got to spend time in Reikyavik, Edinburgh, and London… and y’all! Our rental in Edinburgh was literally next to a cemetery…like it was basically our backyard! We also visited an ancestral castle—hello to Clan Campbell—and had a fabulous tour guide. If you ever plan a vacation to Scotland, reach out to Hailey. And we were next door to a tiny occult shop, Black Moon Botanica—which I visited twice—and found some amazing books for ‘research…’
This month’s post is a little longer than usual, so please indulge me as I chat about a fun part of my writing processes…finding the right music.
I’ve touched on this briefly before, but I make a playlist for every new story I write. For Almost Like Magic, I have a playlist of over 500 songs! It’s a mix of classic rock (for Stella and Cole), country (for Mikey), and indie folk-rock songs that just have vibes, but I also have a shorter list that’s specific to each book, and I thought I’d share the (very unofficial) Spotify soundtrack for Bad Company and how each song inspired me or some part of the story. (some minor spoilers ahead, if you haven’t read book 1—and hey, you should get on that before book 4 comes out).
Love Is a Dirty Word, Jason Collett: The last thing Stella wants is love, especially with a tracker. She’s down to have her fun, but doesn’t want anything serious. Like I’m gonna let that happen! Welcome to the story old flame…
You’ve Got a Home, Christa Wells: This is Stella, every single word of it! How she feels about Eight-Fold Acres and the lengths she takes to make it a home for those who don’t have a place to call their own. I think it’s really part of her desire to heal that feeds that need.
Princess, Lee Dewyze: IYKYK! But it’s more than a call out to Cole’s snarky nickname for Stella. The lyrics remind me of their childhood friendship, and how it might grow into more for future books.
Long Goodbye, The Nadas: The whole sound of this song hit something in my brain when I first heard it. I don’t even know when or how I stumbled upon it, but it tied into the complicated relationship between the Pikes the Hills.
Breaking the Skin, Duplex: This one sadly doesn’t have anything for me to link to (pretty sure it’s in the Spotify playlist though), but it has a folky/alt rock sound and reminded me of the tracker life, alone, getting into scrapes, and the tenuous relationships they make out there on the road.
Smalltime Evil, Monkeyjunk: This is Mikey all the way. I don’t have words to explain why, it just is.
Why Does the Wind?, Tracey Thorn: This is another song that’s pure Stella, encompassing her feelings about getting involved with another tracker, and perhaps the conflict she feels as she starts not hating Cole…
These Roads Don’t Move, Jay Farrar & Benjamin Gibbard: I couldn’t possibly write a road trip story without finding a song that hit all the right emotions…and this one did. It was slow, melodious, and really resonated with the way Cole, Mikey, and Stella come together eventually.
Old Oak Tree, Tracy Marie & Friends: This song really stuck with me when I first heard it, and I think I listened to it like 20 times in a row. It’s Stella and her ties to Eight-Fold and all the traditions that she embraces at home, and how hard it was for her to leave, even to save her own life.
Monsters, Matchbox Romance: The sound for this song is different than many of the others, but it was too perfect not to include. I like how this one really stands out from the others as a symbol of the bad things lurking in a tracker’s world.
Bad Boys Running Wild, Scorpions: An oldie but a goodie. This is for all the trackers out there… Rock on!
Demon Eyes, The Answer: The first time I heard this one, it kind of became Stella’s rallying song when she’d had enough of being the victim of the evil chasing her, but there’s an undertone of ‘do I really want to know?’ to the lyrics that cemented its inclusion.
On a Wicked Night, Danzig: Haunting tones and rocking lyrics, plus the way it builds, really make it fit with the world of Almost Like Magic.
Bad Company, Bad Company: This became the title track for obvious reasons, but the lyrics feel like they tell the tale of a tracker, of someone who grew up learning about monsters, weapons, and magic.
I hope you find a few new songs you like! Let me know if one (or more) resonated with you.
Season of the Witch, of course! I sent it off to my amazing editor a few days ago!!! I should be on track to have it out later this year. (and I hope to have a cover to share with you soon)
I’ve decided to basically start an old project from scratch because I loveloveLOVE the basic idea but the execution of it isn’t up to my current standards. I’ll have my edits for book 4 back in 6-8 weeks probably, so that gives me time to get some good words out! But for now my lips are sealed on the details.
I don’t listen audiobooks very often (because I have trouble following the story) except under a couple of very specific conditions. One of those is being on an airplane, and since I did a bunch of traveling during the first half of July, I started The Martian. I read the book years ago, but had no idea Wil Wheaton was the narrator! I immediately bought it and he does a fabulous job!
I also hope to dive into my TBR while I’m taking a break from book 4! I’m a mood reader, so I have no idea what I’ll settle on, but here’s a partial list of my most favorite author people you should check out:
Book’d and Tatt’d Halloween Spectacular, Saturday, October 17 at the Olympia Center, 11am-4pm. This reader event is going to be a blast!!! Though all genres of books will be available, this is a Halloween party! And if you know me, you know my brain is Halloween all year ‘round. I’m sharing a table with my friend and fellow author, Penelope Wright, and rumor has it we’ll be dressed up! Though VIP tickets are sold out, general admission tickets for the event are still available, and I hope to see some of y’all there.
Oof, this month was rough. I turned off all of my ads in June because I was spending more than 5x what I was earning every day and that wasn’t sustainable. Since I was traveling and largely unplugged for the first half of July, I also did little social media posting. Once I was back home, I decided to focus on finishing book 4 instead of stressing about marketing and page reads/sales. It wasn’t any easy decision to make, but I don’t regret it. The best way to find more readers and sell more books is to write more books. But here’s the numbers for ya…
I am eternally grateful to anyone and everyone who takes a chance on my books. THANK YOU! Love my books and want to help me find more readers? The absolute best marketing is word-of-mouth. So anything you feel like sharing is appreciated, be that reviews, social media posts, or an in-person rec to your friends.
If you’re still with me here through this longer-than-usual post, thank you! I hope you’re enjoying your summer so far, with lots of great books.
Happy reading 📚💫
Jill
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