Like many authors, when I’m in the process of brainstorming ideas for a work-in-progress, I like to make a playlist for the book on Spotify of songs that remind me of the book.

Though I’ve shared some of my playlists here on Authoring Arrowheads before, today I’d like to recommend y’all specific music artists based on my books. 🙂

Let’s rock and roll. 😛

For Can’t Beat the Heart of a Carolina Girl, I Recommend Old School Taylor Swift

My debut novel is a fluffy story of crushes, a girl finding her way through her freshman year of high school, and ultimately finding her high school sweetheart. Taylor Swift’s early country-pop songs on her debut album, her EP (Beautiful Eyes), and Fearless capture the story’s plot of exploring the highs and lows of young love well.

Which Taylor Swift Song Embodies Can’t Beat the Heart of a Carolina Girl the Most?

Taylor’s song “Beautiful Eyes” from the EP of the same name reminds me the most of CBTHOACG, because of the poem Riley writes about her crush in the story. I wrote Can’t Beat the Heart of a Carolina Girl years before I had a Spotify account, so its playlist isn’t as developed as some of my others.

For Speak Your Mind, I Recommend Relient K

Speak Your Mind is a spunky Christian upper middle grade novel full of zany and off-beat characters, and Relient K’s eclectic Christian pop rock songs fit the book’s tone to a T!

Which Relient K Song Embodies Speak Your Mind the Most?

While there are a few Relient K songs in the playlist I made for Speak Your Mind , the one that relates to the story most is “Pressing On”. It’s all about leaving stress behind, overcoming adversity, and finding joy in life. These are some of the main themes in Speak Your Mind.

For The Crush (The Ballad of Emery Brooks, #1), I Recommend Diamond Rio

If you’ve read The Crush, you may remember that the ’90s country group Diamond Rio is Emery’s favorite band; however, some of their songs really match the “handwritten love story that will stand the test of time” dream Emery has throughout the novel.

Which Diamond Rio song Embodies The Crush the Most?

Emery’s favorite song, as noted in the novel, is “Imagine That” by Diamond Rio, and its lyrics about finding and maintaining true love amongst societal pressures of giving up when things get tough is what Emery’s all about thanks to the advice her Grandma Adeline gave her when she was little.

Check out The Crush’s complete Spotify playlist here!

For The Fall (The Ballad of Emery Brooks, #2), I Recommend Plumb

Plumb is a contemporary Christian artist whose songs often explore relying on God in the midst of the toughest times of our lives. That is exactly what Emery goes through in The Fall, as she’s in the midst of grieving significant losses that look place in book one.

Which Plumb Song Embodies The Fall the Most?

Though both of the Plumb songs I included in The Fall‘s Spotify playlist are both spot-on for Emery’s attitudes throughout the novel, Plumb’s “Need You Now (How Many Times)” is the one that comes to mind first, because at the beginning of the book, Emery is heavily questioning God’s support through her grief.

Talk to Me, Arrowheads!

Which of these artist recommendations relate most to your taste in music? Let me know in the comments!

Aim high, stay strong, and always hit your mark.

-Allyson 😀