Song Specific

When I was writing THREE DAYS TO DEAD, I had a specific compilation of music I played over and over. It's a mix of songs with lyrics and scores. Songs often popped up that remind of situations and themes. There are songs that remind me of Evy, and songs that make me think of specific scenes in the novel. But I never had one that, to me, screamed WYATT!

Wyatt Truman, the hero of TDTD, is such a complicated, reticent guy, that I didn't really get a handle on him until writing AS LIE THE DEAD. He was finally forced to face some metaphorical demons and, as goofy as this always sounds to non-writers, I finally learned more about him.

The other day, I was stuck in a traffic detour around a 2-lane accident (my third, accident-related detour in 2.5 weeks, no less). I was flipping stations, trying to get a traffic report, and hit on a song that stopped me cold. It was the chorus that hit a chord in me. I know I'd heard the song before, but I couldn't place it. As soon as I got home (an hour and a half later), I Googled.

And found it. Wyatt's song.