Bullets, bar fights, and . . . rock music?! What the Wild West sounds like in Shot Through Time
Updated: Nov 4, 2019
One of the first things I do when starting a new writing project is to create a story playlist. Everything I've ever written has it's own songbook, some of which I've shared in my Facebook group. The Swept Away Saga had a lot of epic, instrumental music from Two Steps From Hell. The God Chronicles were AC/DC fans. My Halloween novella, Hell Hall, is filled with your typical holiday music. What does the Wild West sound like, though?
I'm not a big country listener, I'll admit. There are a few songs I like, but for the most part, I'm a pop fan. That being said, I do listen to almost everything, and I like what I like. I'm annoying like that 😅 If you ask me for music recommendations, you're just as likely to end up with a modern hit or Broadway musical as you are Mozart's plagiarized church music.
However, when it comes to making writing playlists, I tend to let the characters lead the way. I search for music that sounds like what I envision them to be, or that shares the same message as their personality. Often, I end up with a variety of songs I've never even heard before. They play on repeat for several weeks as I write and become my new favorites, haha!
Sometimes, I hear a song on the radio or in the store, and it will make me think of a scene in the book. Even if it doesn't sound like the rest of the playlist, it gets added. For example, Shot Through Time has I Don't Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith on it. It doesn't seem to fit in with the rest of the music, but I heard it on the radio, and it made me think of Dante and something going on in his life, so I added it. Every time it comes on, I'm reminded of that moment and the feelings I was receiving from my character as he told me his story. I like to think of it as Dante's way of letting me in and speaking to me through the music 😊
Shot Through Time's playlist is a mix of a lot of rock by Bon Jovi, Royal Delux, and Dorothy. There are a few other oddballs in there that the characters gave me. And I love listening to it all! If you'd like a sneak peek into what my western world sounds like, you can check out the playlist on Spotify.
Fun fact: The cover art used to be the art for the book cover. It's since been changed, obviously, as well as the title, which was initially Desperado.
Shot Through Time will be releasing soon! Check out the preorder page for more information.
Dante Hernandez is sure of only three things: he didn't deserve to go to prison, his gang mates want him dead, and if the cops find him, he can kiss his chance at freedom goodbye.
Running for his life, Dante stumbles onto a huge secret-- a time machine hidden in the Arizona desert. Seizing the opportunity to go back and right the wrongs committed against him, he uses it to travel to the night everything changed for the worse. Unfortunately, his plans are shattered when the vehicle malfunctions, shooting him into the Wild West and stranding him over one hundred and fifty years from his intended path.
Lost in a lawless and untamed world, Dante finds himself holed up in the mining town La Paz, struggling to make any kind of life for himself. It doesn't help that the sheriff is a merciless racist set on making him miserable, as well as a prominent historical figure. When Dante meets Abagail Baker though, he realizes there is a lot more at stake than his own survival. History can be cruel, and there is a terrible destiny awaiting the woman who seems to see right through his lies.
Caught between his old life and the possibility of the new one before him, Dante has only two options. Will he return to his own century and clear his name, allowing history to go on untainted, or will he be branded as one of the desperados of the West?
