The Music That Held the Story

Some stories are written in silence.

Mine wasn’t. Music is therapy for me.

Because of Jane was written with music playing softly in the background, sometimes loud enough to drown out the world, sometimes barely there, like a heartbeat. These songs weren’t chosen intentionally at first. They simply showed up when I needed them, each one carrying a piece of my past, my healing, or my becoming.

What’s powerful about music is how it changes with us.

A song you heard as a child doesn’t mean the same thing when you hear it again as an adult. Lyrics shift. Melodies deepen. What once felt like escape becomes understanding. What once felt like survival becomes strength.

These songs carried me through different chapters of my life, and through the writing of this book.

Finding Strength in Survival

Some songs reminded me that I made it through things I never should have had to face.

•   I'm OK - Christina Aguilera

  A reminder that healing doesn’t mean forgetting, and that strength can exist alongside scars.

•  Fighter - Christina Aguilera

  Anger transformed into power. A declaration that pain didn’t win.

•  The Voice Within - Christina Aguilera

  Learning to trust myself when everything else felt uncertain.

•  Warrior - Avril Lavigne

  Not just surviving, but standing back up stronger.

•  Fight Song - Rachel Platten

  A small voice insisting it still mattered.

•  OK Not to Be OK - Demi Lovato & Marshmallow

  A powerful reminder that healing isn’t linear—and that it’s okay to not be okay while you’re finding your way forward.

These songs didn’t fix anything, but they reminded me I was still here.

Songs That Held the Pain

Some music met me in the places that were hardest to name.

•  Because of You - Kelly Clarkson

  A complicated reflection on how childhood shapes us long after we grow up.

•  Concrete Angel - Martina McBride

  A haunting reminder of the children the world overlooks.

• Don't Cry Daddy — Elvis Presley

  Grief layered with silence, loss spoken in quiet ways. The song my dad played for us when he wanted us to feel bad.

•  Tied Together With A Smile- Taylor Swift

  The invisible weight people carry behind brave faces.

• You're Not Sorry - Taylor Swift

  The moment you realize words without change aren't apologies

  
  

These songs didn’t rush healing.

They sat with it.

Hope, Even When It Felt Fragile

There were moments while writing when hope felt distant, but music found it anyway.

•  Head Above Water - Avril Lavigne

  Choosing to keep breathing when everything feels heavy.

•  Keep Holding On - Avril Lavigne

  A reminder that connection can exist even in darkness.

•  Smile - Glee Cast

  Learning that joy doesn’t erase pain—it can coexist with it.

•  Soon (Thumbelina) - Jodi Benson

  A soft promise that something better could still be waiting.

•  Tomorrow - Annie (musical)

  
  

  Hope spoken simply, stubbornly, and honestly.

Hope didn’t arrive all at once.

It arrived in notes. Music Notes.

Childhood, Memory, and Comfort

Some songs existed long before I understood why they mattered.

•  Old Toy Trains - Raffi

•  Frosty the Snowman-Raffi

These weren’t just children’s songs.

They were safety. Familiarity. A gentler world I could step into when the real one felt overwhelming.

And then there were the songs tied to imagination and escape:

•  Part of Your World (The Little Mermaid) - Jodi Benson

  Wanting more. Wanting different. Wanting freedom.

  
  

The Songs That Changed With Me

Some music meant one thing when I was younger, and something entirely different when I listened again while writing.

•  Mean - Taylor Swift

  Once about hurtful words; now about reclaiming power.

•  Stuck In My Head - BLU EYES

•  You'd Never Know - BLU EYES

These songs reminded me how much goes unseen, and how much growth happens quietly.

Music as a Witness

Music didn’t just accompany the writing of Because of Jane.

It witnessed it.

It carried memories when words were heavy.

It softened moments that needed tenderness.

It gave voice to emotions that lived between the lines.

These songs grew up with me.

They changed meanings as I did.

Check out the music on Spotify!