Sharon Struth | The Power of Song

On the day of my wedding, I worried about getting crying and ruining my mascara the second the service started. I didn’t and thought I was home free. That was until the singer we hired stood with the string quartet and opened her mouth. My lower lip trembled and tears spilled in a matter of seconds. That is the power of music.

Somehow I managed to get through it without the puffy eyes that usually accompany my tears.

Writers often have playlists for their novels. For me such a thing kind of happens by accident. Driving in the car, for example, I heard Imagine Dragon’s song “Demon,” and instantly knew it belonged to the main character in HARVEST MOON, Trent Jamieson. Trent has hoped his addiction issues are behind him, but it isn’t easy. He has a history that follows him into his attempt at a new life.

The song “Blue Skies,” written by Irving Berlin also played into my novel (I love the version by Willie Nelson). Trent is a musician who plays the guitar and performs. In his past, this was the song he selected to sing to his first wife at their wedding—only their life together wasn’t filled with blue skies. This song also happens to a favorite Irving Berlin classic for our heroine, Veronica. Symbolically, Veronica is waiting for her skies to clear.

I even found an instrumental I loved that reminded me of my hopeful story theme. Sometimes I’d just listen to it for inspiration. I ended up using it in a book trailer for Harvest Moon.

Have any books made you think about songs you love?

About Sharon Struth

Bestselling author Sharon Struth believes you’re never too old to pursue a dream. The Hourglass, her debut novel, is a finalist in the National Readers' Choice Awards for Best first Book. Her follow-up release, SHARE THE MOON-Book one in the Blue Moon Lake Novel Series-is published by Kensington Books and is a Barnes & Noble romance bestseller. The series also includes Twelve Nights (11/15), Harvest Moon (12/15) and Bella Luna (2016).

She writes from the friendliest place she’s ever lived, Bethel, Connecticut, along with her husband, two daughters and canine companion. For more information, including where to find her published essays, please visit sharonstruth.com

Series include: Blue Moon Lake

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | GOODREADS | BLOG

About HARVEST MOON

Getting past the librarian’s guard…

Trent Jamieson isn’t one for virtual romance, but there’s something about the intriguing woman he meets on the Internet he can’t resist. Then the small town bachelor discovers the mystery woman who shares her secrets with him online is the laced-up librarian in his self-defense class! Veronica Sussingham may just be his toughest student yet. Because how can he show the vulnerable beauty that some men are worth letting your guard down for?

Veronica returned to her hometown seeking shelter for her shattered spirit. The last thing she needs is a blue-eyed charmer who wants to show her how to live—and love—again. Then she discovers Trent is not just another admirer, but a man who knows her deepest secrets. Now Veronica must choose between running from her past—or finding future happiness with the kind of man she swore she’d never fall for…

Blue Moon Lake #2

Buy on: Kindle | BN.com | Kobo | iTunes/iBooks | Google Play

“Struth has a gift for layering stories within stories while keeping them all connected.”—Library Journalz

“Sharon Struth writes a good story about love and loss. She knows her characters and has a path she wants them to take.”—Eye on Romance