“Any story I’m working on begins with a mood—a tone, an atmosphere for the story to grow out of—and that mood, for me, is always informed by music. So, very early on, I settle on a soundtrack. For instance, with Radio Iris, I wanted a haunting, echoing mood that immediately aligned itself with pop oldies: Sam Cooke, Buddy Holly, and other voices from the past, simple songs of love and longing that are touched by the tragic fates of their singers, and feel as though they’re trapped behind frosted glass. Before I start working, I’ll listen to the music I associate with the story to get the right feel. That’s the first part. The second part is walking. I like to write at cafés, not only for the caffeine and soothing background patter—though those things are important too—but for the walk to get there. Watching the neighborhood go by while songs rattle around my head puts me in the right mood to let a story unfurl.”
—Anne-Marie Kinney, author of Radio Iris (Two Dollar Radio, 2012)
Photo credit: Abraham Kinney