Joshilyn Jackson, author of Gods in Alabama and, most recently, Between, Georgia, her second #1 Booksense Pick, stops by with her literary soundtrack. The novel received starred reviews from both Booklist and Kirkus. If you want to get a taste of Joshilyn’s winning voice, check out her blog, Faster than Kudzu.

1) the soundtrack to your latest book (what did you listen to while you were writing it?):

I have no idea. I am not a very MUSICAL person. Really. I don’t just mean that I can’t carry a tune (which I can’t) or that I am ignorant about the intricacies of composition (which I am). I mean that I have an emotional response to less than 1% of the music I hear. For the most part, it leaves me cold. It’s like I am spiritually tone deaf.

Once, while taking a survey, I came to the question, “What is your favorite song?” And I couldn’t think of one. I was completely stumped. Finally I wrote, “I don’t like songs,” and ploughed onwards.

When I say this in public, people tend to clutch their babies a little bit closer and ask me things like, “Dead inside much?” or “Are you a sociopath then? Or just an inhuman robot?” Apparently, people really like songs. *shrugs*

2) one song title (from any album) that would make a great book title (either for the book your touring, or just for some future book you’ve yet to think up)

Yeah, um, see above. Don’t really much like the songs. Don’t know many song titles. The Indigo Girls, a band I used to follow like a duckling in college, had a song called “Romeo and Juliette” I thought was an awesome song, but, you know, I think someone used that title already. Between, Georgia has some R and J moments though.

Other Indigo Titles…Chickenman. I would read a book called Chickenman, but I might not want to try to write it. I want Chuck Palahniuk to write it for me. I still love the Indigo Girls, by the by. When I am driving, I listen to them or to audiobooks…

Praise for Between, Georgia:
“Between, Georgia is a small miracle, and Nonny Frett is the most engaging woman who ever lived in the pages of a book.”
– Anne Rivers Siddons

About Joshilyn Jackson:
This lady’s official bio begins, “Joshilyn Jackson was born in the Deep South and raised by a tribe of wild fundamentalists who taught her to be virtuous and upright. Unfortunately, it didn’t take,” but there’s a lot more to it than that. Read about this fellow Southerner here. Jackson is one of those people who can’t so much as send an email without making you wet your pants laughing. So, word to Joshilyn: stop flooding my inbox, my carpet can’t take it.