A Book with a Soundtrack

Music fills my soul and evokes emotions that can stir me to tears, make me dance with glee, and everything in between. I have a soundtrack for every part of my life–for work, for faith, for play, for exercise. I have a song for every emotion and I bet you do too. I remember the heartache of my teen years as I was discovering boys and the song I played over and over and over and over was Boyz II Men’s “End of the Road“. How could they love me and leave me and never say goodbye? Still trying to figure that one out.

As I was writing my newest book, The Serendipity Journal, I had an epiphany. How cool would it be for the main character (Kip) to think of songs connected to her feelings throughout the book? The Serendipity Journal is a middle-grades realistic fiction book, and middle grades students are just beginning to explore their own musical tastes. I love the idea of helping them discover the beauty of creating their own life soundtrack.

I have started preparing my website for the launch of The Serendipity Journal in just a few weeks and I added Kip’s Playlist this weekend. It is a teaser for the book because, just like in a movie, you can read the song titles and listen to them to get a feel for the storyline. Check out the songs that play in Kip’s mind throughout the book, listed below and HERE. Any guesses about the storyline?

I am so excited for this book for many reasons. Introducing students to new music is just one. I am also thrilled to introduce them to Choice Theory concepts, and to share a story of choosing to love ourselves. This book has been a dream of mine for 20 years and it has been in the works for a year and a half. Hundreds of students from around the world have given me feedback on parts of the book. Just a few weeks until we launch it and I am so grateful that you have joined me in this journey!

Please share your thoughts about the playlist and guesses about The Serendipity Journal’s storyline in the comments. I would love to hear what you think!