Weekend Sampler

Each weekend between now and when HEAVENLY MOVES is released in April, I hope to give you a little sample of its wondrousness.  (she said modestly)  Rock'n'roll looms large in this novel - specifically, 1980s' rock'n'roll.  Now, for some nefarious reason I can't figure out, the 80s are dismissed and ridiculed. People always brings up Debbie Gibson, Spandau Ballet, Flock of Seagulls...

Well, dude, I Was There!  That stuff was the exception, not the rule. My 80s were filled with great tuneage like Missing Persons, The English Beat, The Cars, Joe Jackson, Prince, Talking Heads... and that's not even talking about the women rockers of the 80s!

All kinds of marvelous music are found in the pages of HEAVENLY MOVES, but for this blog post, I wanted to highlight some of the great female musicians that are playing in the background as my characters go about their business.

First and foremost, Bonnie Hayes!  The book is set in a Northern California beach town south of San Francisco. Bonnie Hayes & The Wild Combo was one of the most popular local acts in those days.  Still one of my favorites - you rock, Bonnie Hayes. Whether you know her or not, you probably know her songs, as Bonnie Raitt and Bette Midler have recorded her stuff.

Other female rockers mentioned in the book include The Go-Go's (of course! it's the 80s!), Rickie Lee Jones (I ditched work, froze my butt in line for HOURS for tickets to one of her shows in San Francisco, almost got beat up and ripped my pants - ah, what a magical night!), Stevie Nicks (specifically the "Leather and Lace" duet from Belladonna with Don Henley) and last, but most certainly not least, the awesome Martha Davis of The Motels.

I hope you sense my passion for this topic!  It was great fun infusing HEAVENLY MOVES with all these songs.  Kept me on my toes, too, research-wise, as I had to make sure the album wasn't released after June 1982 when the novel takes place.  Movies have soundtracks, but novels do, too, don't you think?  If you're familiar with these tunes, you'll be rocking right along with the characters in the book.

As the first line of the book says, "I remember the summer of 1982."  Whether you do or don't, please know that the music of the 80s was killer, dudes.