By Heather Snodgrass
Music has a way of weaving its way through all of our lives like thread. Some may use it as background noise while they are studying, working, or even to fall asleep. I am a person who retains what I read with music in the background and that is one reason I like to listen to music while I read. Many of us use it to tell our stories. Musical theater and concerts are not the only ways to convey thoughts and emotions to a live audience through music. Whenever a person is reading or watching a film, they are the live audience for that story, and I have really wanted to marry music with reading in a unique way.
In my debut novel, A Love Letter to Reading, Ariana is an assassin, contracted by her father’s business. As events unfold, she finds herself joining a book club where her target is a member. Though music is her first love, she quickly becomes an avid reader as she navigates grief and revenge. After she befriends her target, she finds herself in a race against time to bring down her father’s crime ring before they get to her. In A Love Letter to Reading, music and books are interwoven throughout the story, and they ignite Ariana’s evolution.
Throughout the novel, I use music to put the reader in the scene with the main character, Ariana, or whichever character they are following in the story. Scorpion is Ariana’s assassin alias, and she uses music as her anchor during her assignment. She relies on that anchor to remind herself about her target’s worst traits. As an assassin, she lives by a code when she kills. She curates playlists for her targets based on her justification for following through on her assignment.
Personally, lyrics are what inspire me the most to create stories. They put my mind into creative overdrive. If you’ve ever watched a movie where a song makes you feel as much as the actor on screen, that is what I draw upon when writing while listening to a great song.
In building A Love Letter to Reading, I drew upon timelines from my own life. My most vivid memories are the ones that have a song to anchor the memory in the timeline. I made sure to include this detail when creating the characters. Like Ariana, I build playlists for almost every reason in life. I have a playlist about myself, I have playlists for dealing with grief, preparing for auditions, public speaking, social engagements, etc. I create playlists for each character I write. I utilize music as a framework to establish traits and personality while I am writing to help ensure each character is unique.
I wrote so much of Ariana and Sam’s relationship around the song “River” by Leon Bridges. I made sure to write that song into a scene specifically for those two people where I described what the lyrics mean to Ariana. To Ariana, that song is so perfect for their relationship even though Sam can’t hear it. It is important to her to be able to convey it to Sam.
Incorporating the Mamma Mia! and Aladdin soundtracks were very specific to the two men who inspired Larry. One happened to be an actor in Mamma Mia! early in his stage career. The mention of the Aladdin soundtrack is based on a true story. Both are excellent soundtracks and have been influential in my life.
Soundtracks have always been so important to me in movies. I have always fallen more in love with a movie that has a great soundtrack. I enjoy musical theater a lot because it combines music and storytelling. I love using music to express the story or character. One specific time I remember completely falling in love with the presence of the music in a scene was in X-Men: Days of Future Past. The audience is introduced to Quicksilver and his super-speed abilities during a battle while “Time in a Bottle” by Jim Croce plays over the scene. It almost seemed counter-intuitive, but it was so perfect. That scene stuck with me, and I knew I wanted to tell stories with music that just works. In A Love Letter to Reading, I envisioned Scorpion killing to music she feels describes the target. Some of it may be more fast-paced, and some may be a bit slower.
Being a millennial, I grew up with an eclectic ear palette. I loved it all. Many of my friends around my age were the same way. We rocked out to everything from oldies to metal, and we really loved the music. We listened to the lyrics. We analyzed the meaning behind the lyrics. We bonded at concerts. We were truly together in those times. Whether you’re a Swiftie, a Monster, a Beatlemaniac, a Bruce Tramp, Beyhive, a Pig, or any of the fandoms that exist, I see that same bonding happening around the world. It was important for me to create a character that resonates with readers from around the world who just love the music. Music really can unite the world. People all around the world are currently experiencing a form of grief, and unification is needed now more than ever.
I created an unofficial soundtrack on Spotify for A Love Letter to Reading for the very reason of listening to songs in the scene and chapter titles. Being a book where music is such an important theme, I wanted to give readers the connection between this book and the music that brings it to life. The second edition of my book will be released soon and it will have a QR code where readers can connect to the playlist if they choose to do so. Music does not need to be limited to movies and shows in order to add that depth to the scene. I invite all readers to step into the rhythm of this story.
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Heather Snodgrass has a lifelong love of novels, movies, and the creative arts. A graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, she has explored multiple avenues to bring stories to life. She lives in Colorado with her husband, JD, and their dogs, and enjoys traveling, gardening, and playing video games. Like her character Ariana, she keeps a playlist for everything and invites others to share theirs in return. Her debut novel, A Love Letter to Reading, explores complex characters in a world where the arts reveal the best of the human spirit. She recently received the International Impact Book Award (July 2025).
