I love music as much as I love to read. I love it when authors use music to help tell the story. Today, author Ron Kearse shares with us the playlist for his new book Just Outside of Hope. Be sure to tell him what you think of it in the comments! And then check out the excerpt and follow the rest of the tour. Best of luck entering the great giveaway at the end!
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Just Outside of Hope is the second novel in my Road Without End Trilogy.
Here is a list of the songs I have included in the novel. I feel they are representative of the years 1980 and 1983, the years in which this novel takes place.
Hey Nineteen – Steely Dan: I’m setting the stage for the story with this song. One of Steely Dan’s biggest hits, this is instantly recognizable as a song from 1980.
Broken English – Marianne Faithfull: The inward tension the character Jim is feeling in this scene is highlighted by his brother Glenn putting this song on the turntable of Jim’s record player. The song slices through the air like a knife.
Upside Down – Diana Ross
Babooshka – Kate Bush
Emotional Rescue – Rolling Stones:
These three songs were put in place just to remind the audience of the times the scenes take place.
Dave Brubeck: The character David is, what many would have called at this time, a Yuppie. Surrounding himself with expensive, Teak, Scandinavian furniture, original art and jazz music was my way of bringing this into focus.
Happy Xmas: War is Over – John Lennon: John Lennon was assassinated just before Christmas in 1980, and this was my way of paying homage to him. Jim’s Brother, Glenn is playing this song alone in his music room and laments how much John Lennon’s passing signals both great loss, and great changes coming.
Desperado - The Eagles
Bette Davis Eyes – Kim Carnes
I Missed Again – Phil Collins:
Once again, these songs were placed where they were to remind the audience of the time the action was taking place.
Take It to the Limit – The Eagles
The Eagles is the character Mickey’s favourite band, and it felt like a good song to end Jim’s story within this novel.
She Blinded Me With Science – Thomas Dolby
Time – Culture Club
Der Kommissar – After the Fire:
The second part of Just Outside of Hope opens in 1983 with the character Bert being released from Jail, and returning to a city that has totally changed. Even the music on the radio has changed with the popularity of British Synth-Pop in full swing. I felt these three songs illustrated that beautifully.
Overkill – Men at Work
Once again, this song is purely to remind the reader of the times the action in the novel takes place.
Our House – Madness
This was the perfect song, and the description of the accompanying video in the novel, that showed the arrival of Much Music in Canada, as MTV did in the USA. The characters Bert and Givens are almost mesmerized while watching this video being played on video monitors in a pub.
Islands in the Stream – Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton
Sweet Dreams – Eurythmics
One Thing Leads to Another – The Fixx:
Again, these songs are to remind readers of the point in time this story was set.
Aquarius/Let the Sun Shine In – The Fifth Dimension
Theme from The Love Boat:
These songs highlight the opening scenes that take place during the Tacky Tourist Cruise, and the dominant characters are drag queens who are performing for the audience before the Cruise gets underway.
Blue Monday – New Order:
How could I not include one of the most popular songs during the summer of 1983? This is being played by the DJ during the Tacky Tourist Cruise…just before everything goes sideways for the main characters, Bert and Givens.
Stand Back – Stevie Nicks
A great tune to insert just as the novel is ending. This song is playing on the radio as the two characters Neil and Bert leave Vancouver driving to Toronto to begin a new life together.
Ron Kearse
Author
Road Without End Trilogy
Just Outside of Hope, the sequel to Road Without End, moves through the early years of the 1980s. It takes us from the Canadian Prairies to the pubs, bath houses and nude beaches of Vancouver, British Columbia.
It is now September 1980 and ex-Lieutenant Jim Whitelaw is dealing with the guilt he feels from the fall out of a military tribunal, and lingering family issues which make things worse. But just as he feels he's getting his life together, cracks appear once more and he has to make some serious decisions.
Meanwhile, in a matter of a moment, Jim's friend and sometimes lover Bert Gilhuis, finds himself trapped in a serious situation that eventually sees him set off on new adventures in Vancouver.
These are two more stories in the continuing series of the lives of gay men who lived through the most exhilarating and terrifying of times.
Read an excerpt:
MAY 1983 – BERT GILHIUS
Is this what it feels like when you wake up after sleeping for what seems like twenty years? It’s been four months since I’ve finished my prison sentence, and it still feels like the time I’ve spent inside has been some kind of bad dream.
When I went into prison in September 1981, Calgary was a boomtown where there were good jobs to be had everywhere. Now here it is May 1983, and as I walk around town, I see apartment buildings that are almost empty, for sale signs on the front lawns of houses, and I’m hearing too many stories of people leaving to get jobs in Toronto. What happened? This drastic change occurred, and I feel like I was asleep. To top it off, it’s been another frustrating morning at the Canada Manpower Centre because I’m limited in the jobs I can apply for due to the criminal record I now possess.
In spite of all that, it’s late spring, the sun is shining, and I feel okay. After being confined for eighteen months, I appreciate what a great feeling it is just to walk down a city side street and enjoy the sun whenever I want to.
BUY LINKS
An artist, broadcaster, actor and writer, Ron has a colourful and varied work resumé.
Having lived a nomadic life, Ron has finally settled in Victoria, BC where he lives with his partner James Howard.
Just Outside of Hope is the second installment in the Road Without End Trilogy, he has also published a photo book of Vancouver Street Art in the mid-1980s called Lost History.
CONTACT:
rwkearse@gmail.com
250-208-6227
@ronswriting
Ron Kearse
www.ronkearse.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RonsWriting/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7042513.Ron_Kearse
Ron Kearse will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI appreciate getting to hear about a new book. Thanks so much for taking time to share.
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ReplyDeleteWho was your favorite character to write for?
ReplyDeleteHi Bernie, I would say my favourite character in the book would have to be Bert. He is the one character that appears all the way through, and I like the way he develops as the book goes on.
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ReplyDeleteThank you to all for the wonderful comments.
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