Since I was a child, I have had a soul-deep love for music. I began playing the piano by ear at age six. I’m no child prodigy by any means, but I have a genetic ability to “sound out” any song on the piano. It took me some time to realize that not every other person on the planet has the same internal connection to music that I do. That I was the only person in my family who could be rendered to tears by the sound of just the right melancholy minor chord combination or a majestic symphony. Simply put, I feel emotions in music that resonate with the ones inside me.
I was raised in a musically conservative household in which Christian contemporary music was taboo. I wasn’t exposed to it until I was a teen, and I can honestly say it was transformative to my life. The emotional connection to God I feel through praise music has grounded me over and over throughout my life since. If you’re a subscriber to my newsletters, you might have picked up on that, as I have written quite a few devotionals about songs I heard on K-LOVE radio at just the right moment.
Because music is so near and dear to my heart, it plays a big part in my writing as well. The tricky part is that copyright laws do not allow authors to quote lyrics in books. So rather than leave out music or resort to writing my own (I’m no songwriter!), I have gotten creative at times. In my Hometown Holiday Heartstrings series, I have at least one music scene per book.
In The Trouble with Tulips, my first full-length romance, I played it safe and only mentioned the singer and her well-known song: A case of nerves took over as [Kim] stopped in front of the microphone, waiting for her soundtrack to come on. As the opening stanza of Francesca Battistelli’s “Beautiful, Beautiful” flooded the speakers of the church, the door at the back of the sanctuary opened and a figure stepped through.
In The Fault in Firelight, I was a little vaguer, referencing Gungor’s “Beautiful Things” in a way that if the reader was familiar with the song, she would immediately know I was referring to it, but if not, the emotional impact of the passage would be the same: …as they got closer to Abingdon, he switched to one [radio station] Stacy never listened to. She knew immediately what it was, though. Christian. Not what she needed right now, pointing fingers at her. In spite of her efforts to tune the music out, the words kept crashing into her cranium like waves against a rocky coast. Beautiful things. Out of dust. Out of us. Could God really make beautiful things out the dirt? Out of people? Out of people’s dirt? She swallowed against a constricting feeling at her throat. Out of her?
In The Loophole in Lilies and The Promise of Picnics I handled music differently each time, with varying levels of subtlety. I find it an intriguing challenge to try to infuse my personal emotional connection to music with the stories and characters I write.
I will leave you with one last scene, from The Miracle of Mistletoe. Not a Christian contemporary song, but rather one we all know well. What does it evoke in you?
Colt forced his focus back toward the gazebo, where the pastor of the small church he’d been admiring on the way blessed them with a heartfelt word to God. With eyes closed, Colt invited the Holy Spirit to come in and cleanse his mind from all the hurts he tended to hold inside. As the soft strains of “Silent Night” flooded the square after the prayer ended, something shifted inside him. He didn’t know what it was, but it felt right.
Hearing Marcy’s alto voice beside him harmonizing with the second verse of the holiday hymn, Colt became aware of her thigh drifting close enough to his to feel the warmth emanating from her leg. When she shifted, her leg pressing against his, the warmth shot all the way to his heart. But she didn’t seem to notice.
As the final “Heavenly Peace” sighed over the open-air congregation, multi-colored lights sprang on in a mesmerizing dance, racing in circles around the huge tree at front and center, eliciting ooohs and aaahs of approval from the audience. In the same instant, the trees that edged the roads in a square around them revealed their white lights, coating wintry branches and encasing the trunks all the way to the ground.
Colt’s face slid into a smile. This was the magic of Christmas. It was beautiful. His gaze shifted to the woman beside him. So was she.
The Miracle of Mistletoe is free on Kindle today, December 13 through December 17. I made it free with my Inspy Romance readers in mind. This book is a marriage-on-the-rocks story of hope and healing. If you’re looking for a light and fluffy Christmas read, you’ll want to skip this one. It’s anything but. But it has a beautiful story of a marriage restored at Christmas, with all the holiday feels. It was one of the hardest books I’ve ever written, but adding music references throughout was one thing that brought balance to an otherwise quite heavy story. If you like Christmas, and you like marriage romances, and you like stories of a God who can redeem from any trauma and hurt, you won’t want to miss this one.
Now over to you! Do you like music references in books or do they not make much difference to you as a reader?
Emily Dana Botrous is an east-coast transplant who now calls San Diego home. She is a wife and mom of four. When she’s not busy doing laundry, packing lunches, and picking toys off the floor, she enjoys reading, cooking, music, long walks, and writing. Always writing. It is her goal in all things to make Jesus first, last, and always.
I like references to music. Reading a lot of Historicals many get the chance to mention hymn lyrics cos they are now public domain and I will often sing the song as reading them.
I also love silent night. its so special and in a carols event on tv they sang it in English and a verse in the original German which is so beautiful.
There are songs that evoke emotions. If I hear certain ones I tend to cry or it will remind me of events.
Thank you for the book! Books with already-married couples getting a second chance are some of my favorites ❤️
I love references to music! I grew up with a mom that would quote/sing song lyrics at us kids whenever they fit the situation & if they didn’t match exactly she’d just rewrite them on the fly. I did it to my kids when they were smaller, and now they’re continuing on the tradition. ❤️ I love that my life has had a (slightly crazy) soundtrack 😂
I do like references to music, especially if they’re done like yours! Music touches most of us, I think, in one way or another, so why shouldn’t it touch the characters in books? I have many songs I associate with things that happened in my life, some good and some not so good.
I love references to music. I am a church pianist but do NOT play by ear, and I am entirely music-bound. It’s always funny to watch the inevitable disbelief when someone comes to me asking me to play a particular song, and I respond with, “Well, I’d need the music for it!”
On a different “note,” in this passage:
“Beautiful things. Out of dust. Out of us. Could God really make beautiful things out of dirt? Out of people? Out of people’s dirt? She swallowed against a constricting feeling at her throat. Out of her?”
How did you not run into copyright troubles here? Is it because the words are not exact? I’m simply asking because I have a manuscript with the words to a song currently highlighted in yellow to remind me to remove them. But goodness, I don’t want to!
Also, when you include the songwriter’s name and song title, I assume you don’t need a footnote? I guess that’s what I will have to do with my manuscript and hope that the readers “hear” those beautiful words as they read the title…
Thanks for this blog – it’s been very helpful and I’m off to find The Miracle of Mistletoe :))
Music has always been in my life. It completes things when needed and opens the mind at other times. It refreshes my soul and helps me to relax. Growing up I heard music all the time. Mom loved to play music and sing. I played the piano and the alto clarinet. I was in the bands at school and on my own. I love books that have music in them.
I love music, so it’s great to have music included in books, it’s such an important part of life and worship that I think something would be missing without it. I had never thought of the copyright implications of using lyrics though, that’s really interesting.
I had bad experiences with my music teachers as a child so I have never classified myself as a musical person but as a teenager I used to listen to a lot of K-pop or music from series or anime soundtracks. I have always liked to write and music helps.
When I became a Christian, my friend used to listen to a lot of Christian music in Spanish that didn’t appeal to me much, the rhythms and style simply weren’t my thing, but then I found the song “Behold the Lamb” by and the singer Andrew Peterson and his music connected with me.
Also Cece Williams’ song “Goodness of God” and I recently found Amy Sand she ‘s Chinese and has a different style than Western songs but is still very beautiful.
Hi Jenny, Silent Night gets me every time! I hadn’t thought about older hymns being public domain. Food for thought for future books. Thanks!
Oh my goodness, I’m like your mom! (And you). I create my own lyrics all the time. My kids think I’m slightly unhinged. I might be. Lol. But it keeps a happy home, right? :D Hope you enjoy Colt and Marcy’s story! Merry Christmas!
Hi Trudy, I’m glad you also enjoy music references. I can’t imagine life without music! So exciting that we get to look forward to hearing the angels sing in heaven. Music definitely forms associations, for good or bad. It’s so powerful!
Hi Jennifer, my mom was a church pianist for many years until early Alzheimer’s robbed her of the ability to play the piano. She also did not play by ear and would get frustrated when people assumed she could easily transpose to different keys and such. She needed music, and she stuck to what was in front of her.
So you can’t quote lyrics directly, but you can rephrase them to clearly represent the idea. That’s what I did here. The ideas behind phrases cannot be copyrighted *yet* thankfully. So I take full advantage! You just gotta think a little outside the box to make music references work best. Wishing you all the best with your manuscript!
I love that, Lori! Music completes things when needed and opens the mind at other times. SO true in my life. Thank you for sharing! I’m glad you feel music deeply in your soul.
Yes, it’s such an integral part of worship for me, Ruthie. I’m glad you love music, too! Some authors have sought permission to quote lyrics, but you have to get it from the author of the lyrics and I believe the producer of the song, and it’s a lot of hoops to jump and usually quite expensive to buy the permission. So I just choose to get creative!
Hi Lilly,
That is so interesting! I do love The Goodness of God. I’ll have to look up Amy Sand, as I haven’t heard of her. Thanks so much for sharing!
My kids think I am too, but yes, it keeps us laughing which is so important! Merry Christmas to you too!
Thank you! Also, prayers for your mom… you are walking a heartbreaking path. May God give you all strength and comfort💕
What a wonderful connection to have. It’s so heart warming to hear how music is so special and inspiring to you. I can’t say I’ve ever considered the part music plays in literature, but I definitely will now. Thanks :)
Yes, I enjoy having music referenced in books. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you. Merry Christmas.
Hi Dianne, thanks for joining the conversation! Merry Christmas!
Thank you so much, Debra. Merry Christmas to you, too!