"My debut novel, LITTLE MOVEMENTS, is about dance, which means it’s inevitably about music" Lauren Morrow shared a playlist for her debut novel Little Movements at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/09/23/lau… Random House Inc.

“In my new novel, Beings, a couple driving home from their honeymoon in 1961 encounters a spaceship that irrevocably changes their lives." Ilana Masad shared a playlist for her novel Beings at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/09/24/ila… Bloomsbury U.S.

"Epic and Lovely is 'alchemizing shit into the most beautiful thing' writ large." Mo Daviau shared a playlist for her novel Epic and Lovely at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/09/25/mo-… WVU Press

"While music doesn’t play a large role in Oona’s life, it does play an important role in mine, and there are many songs that I will forever associate with the process of writing MARROW." Samantha Browning Shea shared a playlist for her debut novel Marrow largeheartedboy.com/2025/09/28/sam…

"I spent nearly a decade writing and re-writing this book, and in that time I racked up thousands of records and ticket stubs..." M.L. Rio shared a playlist for her novel Hot Wax at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/09/29/m-l… Simon & Schuster

"At a time in which many people are asking how to make their voices heard in the face of large-scale injustice, I hope that the book’s themes and sensibility will resonate..." Grady Chambers shared a playlist for his novel Great Disasters largeheartedboy.com/2025/09/30/gra…

“I realized after I’d put the playlist together that many of these songs have a story behind them of a woman triumphing…” Mahreen Sohail shared a playlist for her story collection Small Scale Sinners at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/01/mah… apublicspace

"These songs are a combination of soundtrack, characterization, and glimpses into what didn’t make it on the page—as important for my novel-in-omissions as what the reader does get to see." E. Y. Zhao shared a playlist for her debut novel Underspin largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/02/e-y…

"...my mom’s silent treatment seems more like noise music. It’s aggressive. The distortion shifts unpredictably. It feels punishing." Jeannie Vanasco shared a playlist for her memoir A Silent Treatment at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/06/jea… Tin House

"This playlist features both English- and Arabic-language songs to represent the dichotomy of the two cultures and what it’s like living in between." Deena ElGenaidi shared a playlist for her debut novel Dust Settles North at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/06/dee…

"...people like me are happy to suggest a song for every occasion or for, in this case, each story in a collection..." David Haynes shared a playlist for his story collection Martha's Daughter at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/06/dav…

“I don’t listen to music while I write, but it plays a big part in my process while I’m away from my desk...” Patrick Ryan shared a playlist for his novel Buckeye at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/06/pat… Random House

"You know happy-sad songs? Songs that sound happy but, if you pay attention to the lyrics at all, will completely devastate you?" Kristina Ten | @kristinaten on Bluesky shared a playlist for her collection Tell Me Yours, I'll Tell You Mine at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/07/kri…

"Fiction writers always reveal themselves in their work, whether they mean to or not. I’m obsessed with music, and it’s the main way I have shown my hand in all three of my novels..." Lisa Borders (she/her) shared 3 playlists for her novel Last Night at the Disco largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/08/lis…

"The minute I focus on music, I can no longer focus on anything else—including writing." Tamar Shapiro shared a playlist for her debut novel Restitution at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/09/tam… Regal House Publishing

"Sister Creatures is a novel in thirteen haunted chapters, and it only makes sense that the playlist features thirteen songs." Laura Venita Green shared a playlist for her debut novel Sister Creatures at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/12/lau… Unnamed Press

"Much like considering the food and clothes of the time, I find that thinking about the musical world that shaped my characters is a really useful texture to help ground me in the worldbuilding of the story." Anbara Salam shared a playlist for The Salvage largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/13/anb…

"I generally don’t write to a soundtrack. I rely on rhythm in my prose, and playing music interferes with that internal metronome." Ken Liu shared a playlist for his novel All That We See or Seem at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/14/ken… Saga Press

"Something about having a second child really messed with my relationship to music." Anna North shared a playlist for her novel Bog Queen at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/15/ann… Bloomsbury U.S.

"These are a few songs we think evoke the timelessness of made-up places and the joy of being part of an outdoor adventure." Beth Rooney and Kathleen Rooney shared a playlist for their children's book Leaf Town Forever at David Gutowski largeheartedboy.com/2025/10/16/bet… U of MN Press