The Music of the Harrisons

One of the areas I had most fun with when working on A Year with the Harrisons--when it was first drafted or this year when it was published--was the music theme. Music is something I've always loved (I am practically glued to my MP3 player and I've run through more pairs of earbuds over the years than could be counted.) But it hasn't played a large part in any story except The Harrisons, at least so far. 

There are two aspects of music that spiral their way through The Harrisons. Mainstream popular music--a blend of pop and country, very likely to be heard on the radio or even in grocery store background music; and music played in churches. The church scene is quite diverse--classical cantatas, traditional choir music, modern worship choruses, and a dash of instrumental and orchestra, and a lot of story is generated by the conflict between people who argue about these different kinds of music. On the mainstream music end, a prominent subplot concerns the Harrisons' cousin Betty and her family, all of whom do popular music professionally. 

Snatches of lyrics poke into the story now and then. Even when Lamia gets herself into a little trouble befriending a boy whose brother is throwing a house party, the errant teenagers hum and sing themselves all the way to jail. Music isn't just a plot device in A Year with the Harrisons--it's part of the story's heart and one of the reasons it continues to resonate with people. Music is . . . well . . . resonant, after all.

And there will be more updates.