Alyssa Goodnight | Pop Culture — Love It or Hate It

You’re merrily reading along in a book and reach a mention of a band you’re not familiar with, or a movie, or a restaurant. Does it drive you to distraction, or does it make you curious and maybe even eager to do a little research? As you can expect, readers tend to take sides on this subject. Some love the pop culture references and believe they add authenticity, and some people emphatically do not.

I fall into the former camp, for lots of reasons. To the haters who say that these specific references date a book, I say, perhaps, but in a good way. In a culturally defining, time capsule sort of way. And there are plenty of other contributors to this time capsule: word choice, character names, clothing choices, hair styles, and historical events. Like it or not, most novels are inherently dated by some sort of cultural reference, so adding a little pop culture isn’t exactly a game-changer in this regard.

Those tiny little references to the heroine’s Downton Abbey obsession or favorite hangout can show a lot about the character without the author having to tell so much. And the younger the character, the more important these little details are. In my latest release, JUST SAY YES, the hero and heroine are both into superheroes, sci-fi, and cosplay. Without pop culture references, descriptions of these two would definitely have fallen flat. And given that the heroine has a teenage daughter, not including any pop culture references would have probably come off as unauthentic. But each character is different, and so it makes sense that different books have different levels of immersion, so to speak.

Another complaint against pop culture references is that readers unfamiliar with specific references might feel confused or detached, and while that is certainly one possible reaction, another is curiosity. If a character in a novel I’m reading has a favorite band I’ve never heard of or a favorite restaurant in a city I’m planning to visit, I look them up, and consider these details bonus features of the book. My previous two books were set in Austin, Texas, with plenty of “local color,” so I added a page to my website, linking to all the spots mentioned in the book. Sort of a mini travelogue.

My personal feeling is that pop culture references add so much authenticity to a book, and they’re not even a new-fangled idea. Jane Austen threw in a few over two hundred years ago, so they’re obviously de rigueur, right?

About Alyssa Goodnight

Alyssa is a Texas girl who dreams of British accents. She currently lives between Houston and Galveston with her husband, two sons, and their adventure dogs, Indiana Jones and Short Round.

She does her writing with an ice-cold can of Dr. Pepper or, when she's feeling spicy, a handful of Hot Tamales. She fangirls over Masterpiece Mystery, good Tex-Mex, boxed chocolates, and of course, books.

Her books have been mentioned in Entertainment Weekly, FIRST for Women, and Woman's World magazines.

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About JUST SAY YES

Single mom Jade Moran isn't ready for any big changes in either her horrible '70s kitchen or her romantic life. Her ex did a number on her, and she isn't interested in getting hurt again. But when she meets a super-hot contractor, she wonders if avocado appliances are on the way out and romance is on the way in.

Max Gianopoulis doesn't have a clue why he's so enchanted by Jade. She's almost as big a mess as her kitchen, and he's a guy who likes to keep things simple. He let himself get involved with a previous client, and he's not interested in repeating the experience. But Jade has turned up the flirty heat - and he can't keep his hands off her.

With everything moving too fast and coming too easy, Jade's insecurities kick into high gear. She's not sure she can trust another man again - and she definitely doesn't believe in magic.