Those with great memories may remember I’ve been teasing a blog tour for Is There Life After College? in my past several blogs. Truth be told, it was supposed to start in September, closer to when the book was released, but then it was pushed to October. Then, for whatever reason, it was canceled altogether. In preparation for the tour, I wrote several pieces and answered questions that were originally designed for other blogs, but given the cancelation, I’m simply going to post them here. For my first entry, I was asked to come up with a book playlist, a list of tracks that would go well with my novel or have some connection to it. Here was my list:
1. “What a Good Boy” –Barenaked Ladies
I had this song playing throughout my head while I was writing Is There Life After College?, especially the opening lines: “When I was born, they looked at me and said/‘What a good boy, what a smart boy, what a strong boy.’” And then the lyrics flip to the female version: “‘What a good girl/what a smart girl/what a pretty girl.’” These lines say so much while saying so little. Besides this being my first romance that centers on a boy-girl relationship, it sets up the expectations placed on us at the very start of life—not only from our parents but from ourselves. At the beginning of the novel, my main character Mark doesn’t really know what he wants to do with his life, despite graduating from college as a valedictorian, and these lines haunt his story as he tries to figure that out. Also, considering the book’s title, the following lines are telling: “I go to school; I write exams/If I pass, if I fail, if I drop out/does anyone give a damn?” Finally, the line, “This song is the cross that I bear” is almost too on the nose because there is a lot of talk of Christianity and its merits in my book.
2. “No Day But Today” –Idina Menzel
Is There Life After College? takes place in the late ‘90s, when the musical RENT was all the rage on Broadway, so this song would have to make an appearance. The show and even this song’s title are mentioned a few times in the novel. I prefer this softer, ballad version sung by one of the musical’s original cast members (though she didn’t sing it in the Broadway show). Of course, Idina Menzel (or “Adelle Dazeem” if you’re John Travolta) would go on to superstardom with Broadway’s Wicked and the Frozen films, but what a start for her career.
3. “Blue (Ba Da Dee)” – Eiffel 65
There is a scene at a techno club in my novel, so I needed a clubby song from 1999, and you’d be hard pressed to find a song that matches that description better than “Blue,” which was not only a club fixture at the time but absolutely dominated the radio airwaves that year. You couldn’t escape it, no matter how much you wanted to. And recently, there was a remake with new lyrics. It just won’t go away!
4. “More Human Than Human” –White Zombie
This is the song that follows “Blue” in the club scene, and not only does it fit the bill of being a retro club banger, it also describes my female main character, Astra—or at least how protagonist Mark views her. It could also describe how the club patrons see her as she commands the dancefloor. She’s practically supernatural.
5. “Like a Prayer” –Madonna
If Is There Life After College? ever gets made into a movie (fingers crossed!), I’d want this song to play over the end credits, though we probably couldn’t afford it. Clashes of faith and spiritual doubts are a few of the novel’s themes, so this song would end the story on a hopeful note—pun somewhat intended.
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In other MTP news, the Goodreads giveaway of five signed copies of Is There Life After College? came to an end, and almost 3,000 people entered! This is the most anyone has entered for one of my Goodreads giveaways. To the lucky winners, your books are on the way! And, as I wrote in the Acknowledgments section, I’d greatly appreciate a Goodreads and/or Amazon review after you finish the book—unless your review is negative. Just kidding…kinda.
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In other, other MTP news, I’ll be signing copies of Danger Peak, Déjà View, The Electric God and Other Shorts, and Is There Life After College? at the Bay Shore Bean coffeehouse in (where else?) Bay Shore, NY, on Sunday, November 8th, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. This will most likely be my last solo signing of the year, so come out for delicious, gourmet coffee and discounted books! For more info, please see the flyer below:
Hope to see you there!
MTP
P.S.: Next blog: My Top 5 Favorite Books
P.P.S.: The Danger Peak audiobook is available!
P.P.P.S.: Is There Life After College? is now available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble:
