I used dozens of pieces of music to write The Sunflower House, since music is a huge part of my creative process. Music always get the words flowing because it helps me get into character. (More on my process below the list of songs in this blog if you’re interested!)

What Types of Music?

It’s not what you’d expect – not German composers or songs of the 1930s and 1940s. Instead, it’s music that touched my heart throughout my life, beginning at around the age of twelve. I call each of these songs Heart Songs because they helped me connect with the heart of different characters and scenes.

Here’s a list of songs, each linking to a YouTube video – click through to the music that inspired each character. (If you’re on Spotify, you’ll find The Sunflower House Playlist here.)

Allina

• Angel by Sarah McLachlan
• Fear by Sarah McLachlan
• Glitter in the Air by P!NK
• Landslide by Fleetwood Mac
• Seven Nation Army – original version by the White Stripes and Kelly Clarkson’s cover
• One More Time by Steve Perry
• Fragile by Sting

Karl

• In the Air Tonight by Phil Collins
• To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra
• Nothing Else Matters by Metallica
• With Arms Wide Open by Creed (shared with Allina)
• River by Leon Bridges
• Aubrey by Bread
• Somewhere There’s Hope by Steve Perry (shared with Allina)

Katrine

• Patiently by Journey

Rilla

• Love Story by Taylor Swift/Taylor’s Version (shared with Allina)
• In My Daughter’s Eyes by Martina McBride (shared with Allina)

Classical Music

The pieces below are more of a recurring theme, like the background of a painting, for chapters and scenes that dealt with grief and loss.

• Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings
• Karl Jenkins’s Benedictus
• Gustav Mahler’s Adagietto (Symphony No. 5)
• Henryk Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs
• Jules Massenet’s Werther – an entire opera (!), but this is the bit that appealed the most

The Process

Writing is a mental activity, and I get that the words have to travel from my brain through my fingers to the page. But nothing gets on the page unless I feel it in my heart, gut, and throat first. I have to feel the scene in my body.

Painful emotions can be hard to summon, but music always gets me there. Music is vibration, a healer, and a universal language—it runs through your body and changes every molecule in the room.

I didn’t pick the songs deliberately. Instead, they tended to come to mind in a flash. Also, the songs changed based on where I was with the manuscript. Drafts used some songs, and editing/revisions used others.

It goes like this: I play each song, or series of songs, to get into character. Often, the music is on repeat so I can pace around and absorb it. (Physical movement almost always helps.) Sometimes I change the lyrics, usually I sing or hum out loud, and I often laugh or cry. Then when I’m finally “there,” I sit down and write for as long as possible, an hour, maybe. Depending on how far I get or if I have more time, I go back and do it all over again.

And that’s pretty much it! My crazy writing process and the music that helped make the words.

If you’ve read The Sunflower House, I’d love to know if these songs make sense to you – or if you have any songs you associate with the characters in this book. Leave a comment below if you have a minute. Thanks, Adriana xo 🌻