Music has always been a big part of my life. I use it for everything. I use music to sleep, I use music to play video games, I use it to read, to exercise (as if), play Magic and above all else I use music to write.

When I want to write a certain character I need to get into his mindset, I need to feel what he’s feeling. I do that by music. A happy song has the power to energize me, a sad one to turn my mood foul and a raunchy song will…..well you see where I am going with this.

Sex. I was talking about sex.

So below is what I am calling The Benedict Playlist (because I can’t call this I Stole This from Carrie Vaughn PS I love your work Carrie). These are the songs that I listened to over and over in the writing process of Never Been to Mars. They are the songs that, while not always being lyrically appropriate, had verses in them that related to what Ben is doing now.

I don’t own any of these songs, sadly paying $0.99 on iTunes doesn’t count as owning them; they belong to the talented people who wrote them. So to them I give as many thanks as I would anybody else who helped me out. For without your lyrical skills I wouldn’t be where I am today.

So what I’ll do is post the list below and then talk about one or two songs!

Here to the Cowboy and his music.  To see the entire playlist on Youtube click HERE

Songs:

• Is Anybody Home? – Our Lady Peace
• Where My Heart Will Take Me – Russell Watson
• Frank’s 2000” TV – Weird Al Yankovic
• Sometimes When We Touch – Dan Hill
• You Can’t Always Get What You Want – The Rolling Stones
• Hey Brother – Avicii
• Here’s to Us – Halestorm
• Blind Mary – Gnarls Barkley
• The Way I Am – Ingrid Michaelson
• Hey Leonardo – Blessed Union of Souls
• Call My Name – Charlotte Church
• Another Way to Die – Jack Whyte & Alicia Keys
• Addicted to You – Avicii
• Solo Dancing – Indiana

This video is more about me – the author – then Ben.  This song represents my life as a writer.  For my entire life one of my major goal – those goals that if you did not do them by the time your life was over you’d really regret it – was to get a book published.

Never Been to Mars represents that goal coming to completion – finally, about that long time from when I made that decision, as a kid, to seeing the book in print.

This video represents Ben’s life from soldier to what he is at the beginning of Never Been to Mars.  He wanted to be super soldier man, the guy who fought for his country and eventually found that perfect woman, got married and lives happily ever after.

Things didn’t go according to plan.

Instead what he got was what he really needed to be the person he truly wanted to be – or at least put him on the path (spoilers).