Pop Muzik

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

One perk I love about drafting a novel is figuring out what interests my characters, such as movies, music, clothes, etc. For NaNoWriMo, I’m drafting Always (working title for now). Taking place in the 80s, Lisa is a spunky chickie who is loyal to her girlfriends and all about showing some skin. Her philosophy is: If you got it, flaunt it. When she slips a cassette into her boom box, her preference is arena rock, adult contemporary and pop. I’m glad I familiarised myself with the last two when I wrote Real, because Isabetta also enjoys the same genres.

Mind you, because I love music so much and don’t limit myself to just heavy metal and hard rock, digging into the tunes my characters love has been nothing but a joy. I love discovering new artists—such as the sixties kick I’m on, thanks to a character in my YA romance.

So I thought I’d do a playlist of what’s on Lisa’s mixed tape. Remember those?

1. Live to Tell by Madonna. My character has a connection with this song because her first love dealt her an awful blow, thanks to his macho posturing and cheating ways. Now she believes men serve one purpose and not a dime more.

2. Voices Carry by Til Tuesday.

3. I Get Weak by Belinda Carlisle.

4. Stand Back by Stevie Nicks.

5. Betcha Say That by Gloria Estefan.

6. Ti Amo by Laura Branigan.

7. The Morning After by Maureen McGovern.

8. Right Back From Where We Started by Maxine Nightingale.

9. Which Way You Going Billy? by the Poppy Family.

10. All Time High by Rita Coolidge.

11. Strut by Sheena Easton.

12. We’ve Got Tonight by Sheena Easton and Kenny Rogers.

13. Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler.