The After Image Playlist

One of the first things I do when I start writing a novel is begin to build a playlist for the world of my story.

At first, the playlist is just a few minutes long, as I gather a few songs that help me settle into the mood of the book. Later, it expands and becomes more tailored and specific, with songs embodying certain scenes or characters or relationships.

At the Texas Book Fest, I heard Attica Locke say that she uses this technique as well. She believes that her playlist, over time, starts to elicit a "Pavlovian response"––that is, whenever she turns it on, she feels a desire to write––and I've found this to be my experience too.

My playlist also re-energizes me when my excitement for the novel has started to fade, and the discovery of a new song can help me unlock aspects of the book that weren’t apparent to me before. 

Here's a glimpse of the top eight songs on my After Image Spotify playlist and the reasons they helped me solidify the ideas, moods, and themes of my book.

"Lay Your Cards Out" by Poliça

The moody electronic vibes of this song consistently transported me into the world of After Image: dark, moody, and full of mystery. The central refrain (get your head right / I am waiting) felt like it was aimed right at my main character, Natasha, who struggles mightily with anxiety, grief, and denial in the wake of her stepsister’s disappearance.

"WuWu" by Thutmose

When Natasha is sixteen, her mother remarries and she gains a stepsister—Allie, the rebellious daughter of a famous Hollywood actress. “Wuwu” helped me envision the impact of Allie’s arrival in Natasha’s quiet world. With its seductive, catchy beat, the song expresses something crucial about Allie, a teenager who has learned to weaponize her social status and sex appeal.

"Everybody but Me" by Lykke Li

Back in 2008, Natasha would definitely have been listening to Lykke Li’s Youth Novels. The delicate melodies and breathy lyrics are a perfect fit for this quiet, studious kid who tends to keep her thoughts to herself (I'd rather stand against the wall / And hope that no one sees me). At Natasha’s ritzy high school, she’s a scholarship kid, and while she secretly yearns to be seen and admired the way Allie is, she's most comfortable standing on the sidelines and observing.

 
"Super Rich Kids" by Frank Ocean

A key theme in After Image is the class divide between the two stepsisters and how it affects the way they experience the world. To me, "Super Rich Kids" perfectly illustrated Allie's world of wealth and entitlement, which confers an enormous amount of privilege but leaves her feeling deprived emotionally (Maids come around too much / Parents ain’t around enough).

“Born to Die” by Lana del Rey

While Allie projects the persona of a party girl, her inner world is much darker than anyone around her imagines. Lana del Rey’s “Born to Die” felt like the perfect anthem for Allie’s inner turmoil, highlighting the allure of drugs and romance as an escape for intolerable emotions. 

“Transformer” by Donna Missal

A natural troublemaker, Allie finds joy in destabilizing others, and she’s particularly intent in waging a psychological war against her parents. About midway through the novel, she goes on the warpath, determined to exact justice from someone in her orbit, and the lyrics of “Transformer” could’ve been spoken by Allie herself: I’m gonna find you out / I’m gonna take you down / Bang, bang, bang / I never miss when I take my aim.

“Tonight” by Lykke Li

In the years since Allie went missing, Natasha has formed a bond with Adam Ruiz, one of the lead detectives on the case. Like Natasha, Ruiz has lost someone close to him in a crime that was never solved, and because of this, he understands Natasha’s suffering in a way few other people can. To me, “Tonight” expresses Natasha’s unspoken longing for connection, a yearning that is thwarted by her inability to be honest with Ruiz about her actions in the days leading up to Allie’s disappearance. 

“Pieces” by Andrew Belle

Early on in the process of writing After Image, I envisioned the final scene: a moment where Natasha would finally reach a new understanding of her stepsister—and of herself. While I can’t say much more without giving away the ending of the book, I’ll just note that the melody and the lyrics of this song encapsulated the feeling of emotional resolution I wanted to infuse in the book’s final pages.