I listen to music in the car, around the house, working, working out, going to bed… you get the idea. My story, The Homecoming, is being published September 30, 2021 in Passionate Ink’s Falling Hard anthology. I obviously had a playlist for the story as well as for when I was writing. I thought it would be fun to get a glimpse into the minds of the other authors, their stories and their songs. You can read about my playlists in my next blog.
Listen to the playlist as you read the stories behind the songs.
Hard Cider Crush by Ryley Banks
I planned to get over my brother’s best friend, not fall deeper.
TJ Martin is back at his family’s New Hampshire B&B helping out for the busy tourist season, just until he starts his new job out of state. So far, it’s been a piece of apple cake to avoid the man who crushed his teenaged heart—Harley, his older brother’s best friend. But when an opportunity arises to help his family’s struggling inn, he has to face the same tall-dark-and-handsome guy and somehow keep his feelings out of the deal.
Harley Johnson is a man with all the answers—his business degree and profitable family orchard prove it. But when a simple business proposal becomes a blast from his past, he’s not sure how to keep his emotions under control and hot ginger TJ out of his head. Can he have a taste of what he denied all those years ago and not crave more?
Songs
- Crush by Jennifer Paige
- Damn I wish I was your lover by Sophie B. Hawkins
- Into you by Ariana Grande
All of Ryley’s songs are about crushes and wondering if they like you back. Who can’t relate to that?
Want to connect with Ryley? https://linktr.ee/ryleybanks .
Between Love and Death by Deni Dawson
When it comes to love and death, time is just another four-letter word.
The worst day of every ghost’s afterlife isn’t dying. The Living are born to die. No, the most painful part is seeing your survivors clean out your stuff.
Amelia knows this better than anyone. Her husband gave her things to his new wife shortly after her death. But for Eli, the handsome new ghost haunting the place with her, it’s much worse than watching his vinyl collection get destroyed.
The city plans to demolish the house. Can a ghost haunt a place that no longer exists?
When Eli suggests an interesting way to spend their final two days together, Amelia questions everything she thought she understood about her afterlife. Even ghosts know nothing good lasts forever. And when it comes to love and death, time is just another four-letter word.
Time is an important theme in my short story, so Deni wanted songs that embody the futility of time, that when time is all you have, it becomes meaningless. Until you run out of it.
Songs
- Once in a lifetime by Talking Heads
- When the night is over by Lord Huron
- Wings by Birdy
I just love that tagline. Time is just another four-letter word.
Connect with Deni Dawson on Instagram @deni.dawson, Website: DeniDawson.com and TikTok: @deni.dawson
Open Enrollment by Jordyn Kross
Astrophysics professor Chandra Russell never enrolled to be abducted by an alien.
Chandra Russell, premier astrophysics professor, has evidence spaceships are visiting Earth, but everyone in her department thinks she’s crazy. When she’s abducted by an actual alien, Praduchs Felixiuh, she’s not sure if she should celebrate or panic.
Praduchs would rather spend his time exploring the universes instead of wooing a mate he doesn’t want. Once he has her on his ship, though, he finds himself fascinated with her, distracted from his mission by thoughts of claiming her smooth, tight body.
When chaos strikes and they’re confined to close quarters, things take a heated sexy turn. But no matter how attracted Chandra is to the intriguing alien, she’s determined to return home to clear her name and prove to everyone she was right. Despite his unexpected reaction, Praduchs has to resist the mating or lose everything he cares about.
The forces of the universe are pushing Chandra and Praduchs together, but their missions and futures are worlds apart. Aren’t they?
Song
- All the The Stars by Ed Sheeran
The reason she chose All the Stars is that it’s a beautiful love song about two people separated by space, but meant to be together. Their horizons will meet. They will be guided home. They are aware of the other one viewing the same beautiful stars.
Chandra, the heroine, as an astrophysicist, is a star expert. She believes there are other beings out there, but is risking her career pursuing that belief. Praduchs, or Dukes as Chandra calls him, is also career driven and isn’t ready to abandon his work to settle down. In the song, the singer has put his career ahead of love but believes that he will ultimately be able to be with the one he loves. Chandra and Dukes will have to open their eyes and make difficult choices.
Don’t you love the idea of your love viewing the same stars no matter where they are?
Want to connect with Jordyn? Her website is jordynkross.com. FB: https://www.facebook.com/jordynkrosswrites IG @Jordyn_Kross
Claiming Papa by Ryan T. Osborn
Sometimes miracles occur when you least expect them.
Roger Callahan is at the end of his rope. After surviving one of the greatest tragedies of his life, he has lost his hope and faith in humanity and life. Then he meets Angel though a mutual friend. Angel is a young man on a mission. He has been lonely for way too long and yearns to find himself a new daddy to look out for him. In the course of one afternoon Angel teaches Roger that there is still life to be lived and people who need him.
Song
- All or Nothing by Cher.
The singer is telling the lover that its all or nothing. For the story this to me meant, my main character had to choose between love and death.
Want to connect with Ryan? https://linktr.ee/rtosborn78 .
What an anthem to have.
Who Can Find a Virtuous Woman by Michal Scott
Looking for a virtuous woman? Don’t look her way
Excerpt:
Darling, your grandmother told me to close my eyes and think of God to help with the pain of penetration. She said to think of Jesus’ sufferings when the humiliation of being at a man’s beck and call becomes too much to bear. That won’t do for a daughter of mine. You’ll not be denied the respect due all human beings or the sexual gratification all women deserve
Songs
- You Were Meant for Me by Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown. Performed by Helen Forrest
- Superfreak by Rick James
- Nasty Girl by Vanity 6 (unavailable through Spotify, so not on the list, but can be viewed here.
Eve is Rick James’ Superfreak, a very kinky girl who wants to be able to express herself fully like the nasty girl in the Vanity 6 song. That’s why she needs someone who was made for her like Madison, hence You Were Made For Me perfectly describes their relationship.
As a woman “You’ll not be denied the respect due all human beings or sexual gratification all woman deserve” spoke to my soul and screams “Yes!”.
Connect with Michal Scott at https://michalscott.webs.com
Burned Bones by Calia Wilde
What? You ain’t never heard of a woman living off sex? Well, my little sweet potato, you ain’t met the afterlife neither.
Daisy knows her limitations. A battle-ready mercenary she ain’t. There’s no way she can fight on an empty tank. The simple answer would be to suck a certain stick-in-the-tin skirt French knight dry and go on her merry way, but she isn’t willing to destroy humanity’s hero. With a dragon on their trail and a whole lot of demons at their destination, Daisy and Gaston du Foix need every advantage they can get. That means sex.
Songs
- Invincible by Tool
- River of fire by In this Moment
- My bones by The Pretty Reckless
Each song choice for Hollow Bones not only influenced the creation of this short story but also represents an element of the greater story universe.
Starting with Invincible by Tool. This song touches on the eternal struggle of aging warriors who rise up despite the impacts of time. They dig down deep to put all their strength on the battlefield, knowing it may be their last one. My undead mercenaries can die a second time, so their fight can either be endless or immediately finite. They choose to put it all onto the field despite futility.
River of Fire is Daisy’s song. Her past, the element of fire acting as her transformation, and the risks she takes by embracing both exemplify the character arc.
My Bones has dual meaning. The series of short stories planned in this universe will all have the word “bones” in the title. But also the song is for Gaston. He’s finding his core, the internal anchor of faith that can sustain him when the things he once believed are lost or challenged. He’s finding structure when the rules change. Bones.
The depth of thought that went into the songs and the threads in the stories blows me away.
Connect with Calia Wilde at website CaliaWilde.com, Twitter @shewulf6, FB CaliaWilde
So
Which story or song resonates with you?
Don’t you just want to rush out and get Falling Hard? Preorders are available https://books2read.com/u/mdDP7O. Current special price of $2.99 ending soon.
Falling Hard is Passionate Ink’s celebration of autumn. Seven sexy MUST reads from authors who know how to make a short story sizzle.
Passionate Ink (www.passionateink.org) is an organization for erotic fiction authors. Their goal is to promote erotic fiction through education and to encourage good will and respect for all erotic fiction writers, regardless of the genre in which they write. One of their projects is to publish an anthology. This is their third year. The anthology is a fundraiser for ProLiteracy www.proLiteracy.org, an organization that is the leading resource and champion for adult education and literacy worldwide.
Xoxo
Candy
Candice LaBria 
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