Sometimes people ask where a story begins.

Was it a character?

A single line?

A plot twist?

For me… more often than not it’s a song.

The more I think about it, the more that makes perfect sense.

Long before I became an author, I was a theater girl.

I grew up loving Broadway soundtracks, singing in several choirs, and being part of school productions. Some of my favorite memories were made under stage lights, rehearsing songs until they became second nature. Music has always been one of the ways I process emotions and tell stories.

So, honestly, it doesn’t surprise me that my books often begin the very same way.

Before there’s a completed outline or even a first chapter, there’s usually one song I can’t stop replaying. One song becomes five. Five become twenty. Before I know it, I’ve built an entire playlist, and somewhere along the way, a story begins to take shape.

Music has a way of unlocking emotions that are difficult to explain with words alone. A quiet piano piece might introduce me to a grieving character. A hopeful anthem might reveal someone who’s determined to keep going. Sometimes a single lyric captures an entire relationship before I’ve written a single scene.

I don’t listen to music simply because it’s nice background noise while I write.

I listen because it helps me discover the people I’m writing about.

Every story I work on eventually has its own soundtrack.

Some playlists are filled with Broadway ballads. Others lean into cinematic instrumentals, cozy acoustic songs, or K-pop tracks that perfectly capture a character’s personality. I don’t choose songs because they fit what’s already written; more often than not, I end up writing scenes because a song made me imagine them.

There are moments when a song comes on, and suddenly I can see everything. I know the lighting. I know the setting. I know exactly what my characters are feeling before they’ve spoken a single word.

Those moments feel a little like magic.

Over the coming months, I’m excited to start sharing more of those playlists here in the Library Between Worlds. You’ll get to peek behind the scenes and discover the songs that shaped different books, characters, and moments, sometimes before those stories are even finished.

Because every story has a soundtrack.

And sometimes…

Some stories begin with a song.

I’d love to know…

Is there a song that instantly takes you back to a specific memory, person, or season of your life?

I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

Until next time… keep wandering between worlds. 🤎