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?
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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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.
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