Creating playlists for stories is one of my favorite parts of the writing process. Certain songs help me craft particular scenes, while other songs are great for setting the general mood. Here are five songs that perfectly set the stage for The Love Simulation.
Helpless by Ashanti and Ja Rule
I heard this version of the song before I actually saw the play Hamilton and immediately imagined someone vulnerable, wore her heart on her sleeve, and ready for love. I played the song often when thinking of Brianna. She really wants to succeed in her career and doesn’t let others bulldoze over her, but she isn’t afraid to show her soft side. She’s also led by her heart so while she knows Roman should be off limits, she is helplessly attracted to him.
Crush On You by Lil Kim ft Lil Cease
This song is about having a crush on someone while knowing your bad reputation might turn them away. Unfortunately for our love interest, Roman, being the (unliked) principal’s son plays a role in how his fellow teachers treat him. He knows he’s not trusted or well-liked by the faculty, and while he does a good job of not crossing any lines with Brianna during the school year, he can’t help but want to get under her defenses and have her see the real him when they’re in the simulation together. This great throwback has the fun and flirty vibe that I want readers to experience when they read The Love Simulation.
Another Dimension by Pop Money
“You take me away from reality…got me running away from the world with you…”
This song is pure vibes! Playing it over and over helped transport me into the story. While the Mars simulation Brianna and Roman are competing in may technically be on Earth, they get to live in their own little reality for six weeks.
Six weeks.
Need I say more?
Hello by Beyonce
We all know the famous Jerry Maguire scene where Rene Zellweger’s character delivers her famous “You had me at hello” line. I haven’t seen the movie in well over a decade, but that line has stuck with me and Beyonce captures everything that is heartfelt about that scene. Even though Brianna can’t acknowledge her feelings for Roman, the way he captures her attention and then her heart is immediate and instinctual.
Angel of Mine by Monica
Another great throwback, and one that encapsulates Roman’s feelings for Brianna. It shows how love is transformative and how you can just know by looking at a person that they will change their life. May we all find that kind of love in our lives!
A passionate vice principal and a guarded science teacher compete for a grand prize, only to realize their budding relationship might be the real jackpot.
Brianna Rogers has been told a time (or six) she needs to stop jumping into things head first. But when the principal rescinds his approval for a library upgrade, deciding to spend the money on a football field instead, she sees red. Literally. Brianna throws her hat in the ring and joins a team of teachers who will spend their summer in a Mars simulation. As the sister of an astronaut, this should be easy, right? What she didn’t count on was the last-minute addition to the team—Roman Major: science teacher, son of the principal, and too handsome for his own good.
Roman and Brianna have been hot and cold all year, and living in close quarters intensifies their animosity and attraction. Brianna is sure he’s been sent by his father to sabotage them, foiling their chance at prize money that will cover all of the school’s actual needs. But each day, Roman proves himself to be a dedicated teammate—and Brianna finds herself falling harder and harder. While it’s clear the feeling is mutual, she can’t shake the sense that he’s hiding something. As the simulation nears its end, Brianna realizes she may have to make an impossible choice, between the school she’s dedicated herself to, and the man who has won his way into her heart.
Romance Comedy [Berkley, On Sale: March 4, 2025, Trade Paperback / e-Book , ISBN: 9780593640241 / eISBN: 9780593640258]
Etta Easton’s journey into romance began in middle school. Her best friend pulled a tupperware bin full of Harlequin paperbacks from her mom’s closet, and Etta has never looked back. She is a certified hopeless romantic who now writes contemporary romance. Her stories are full of humor, relatable heroines, swoon-worthy heroes, and Black joy.
She lives in Central Texas with her husband and two young kids who get all of their sweetness and attitude from their momma. When not reading or writing, Etta indulges in her s’mores obsession and searches for her next favorite love song.
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