Jocelyn Davies drew a lot of inspiration from music while writing The Odds of Lightning, her magical realism adventure that just went on sale last week. Check out Jocelyn’s “Neo 80’s/90’s Movie Lit” Odds of Lightning playlist below and then don’t miss her NYC Walking Tour, find out which Odds character you’re most similar to, and read our extended excerpt (before October 3)! And as always, let us know what you think in the comments!

I listened to and was inspired by a LOT of music while writing this book! I live in New York, where The Odds of Lightning takes place, and there’s nothing like putting on your headphones and going for a walk through the streets or during a long subway ride. (Disclaimer: I never listen to music while actually writing. I need a cocoon of total silence or white noise to write because I’m easily distracted by anything with lyrics.) From the start, this book unfolded in my head in a very cinematic way, and so I always thought about what the soundtrack would sound like. If I could make up a genre for ODDS it would be “Neo 80’s/90’s Movie Lit”; because even though the book takes place in the present day, movies like The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, and Can’t Hardly Wait, and shows like My So-Called Life were big inspirations for me. So, naturally, The Odds of Lightning playlist has a bit of an 80’s/90’s vibe, with some more recent songs that inspired me while I was working on the first draft (fun fact: Vampire Weekend was the original inspiration for Owen’s band Unsexy Gum). The unifying theme is that they all have an anthemic, majestic quality to them—because that’s what you listen to when you’re running through the streets of New York in the middle of the night, of course! A couple of the bands make multiple appearances because I just couldn’t decide. I hope they inspire you to have your own epic all-night adventure!