It feels like forever since Darcia Helle and I met, but in truth, it’s only been a few years. There’s an energy to our friendship, a synergy, and I have trusted Darcia with some of my deepest secrets.

That’s why I’m proud to host her today. Her new book is called Secrets, and … well, read on. See what song makes her think of her book.

Music is sometimes an inspiration for what I write. Other times, it’s not until after I’ve written something that a particular song strikes me as significant to the story. The latter is the case with Secrets. While I’m very much tuned to lyrics, everything about a song has to fit. The tempo, the mood of the music, and the tone of the voice all have to mesh perfectly. I have to hear, feel and see my characters in the song.

The song I most relate to with Secrets is Cold Water by Damien Rice; the version sung with Lisa Hannigan.

This is a video of the two of them singing Cold Water stripped down and live.

Everything about this song is haunting. The mood, for me, is one of both sadness and hope. The lyrics are simple. In fact, there aren’t many words to this song at all. The ability to move someone doesn’t come from a lot of words; it comes from the words we choose. Songs and stories have this in common.
Damien sings the first verse. He opens with:

Cold, cold water surrounds me now…
And all I’ve got is your hand.

The cold water here isn’t literal. I hear it as a man who feels he’s drowning in a metaphoric sense. This is Jeff, Samantha’s husband. He’s clinging to her hand and, without that connection, he’s lost.

Lisa sings the second verse and her opening words are striking to Samantha’s story in Secrets:

Love one’s daughter…
Allow me that.

As a child, Samantha was sexually abused by her father and despised by her mother. In these words, I hear Samantha’s plea for all parents to grant their daughters this one basic gift.

Then she sings:

And I can’t let go
Of your hand.

Samantha’s lifeline is her husband.

This song hits me deep each time I hear it. Damien Rice’s voice can move me to tears. For me, it’s powerful and raw, and speaks volumes with few words.

Did your jaw drop open? Mine did, the first time I read this.

Here’s the official blurb:

SURVIVAL
Samantha’s monsters aren’t under the bed; they’re the people she calls Mom and Dad.
ESCAPE
She makes it out alive, her sanity barely intact.
LIES
She creates a new past that fools everyone, including herself.
HOPE
A life filled with love and security teeters on its base of lies.
SECRETS
When it all comes crumbling down, will Samantha make it out alive?

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