So, I am not the biggest fan of country music. But sometimes, there are songs that really strike a chord with me. One of those songs is “I Wonder” by former American Idol contestant Kellie Pickler. Again, this is a crazy instance of a song fitting perfectly with the plot of my novel.

In the song, Kellie Pickler sings about her fractured relationship with her mother. She reminisces about the few memories she has of her and wonders about where she is. Kellie expresses deep regret that her mother cannot see the person she has become.

My female protagonist experiences something similar. When we first meet her in Act 1, she still lives in the same town she grew up in. Not much has changed since her mother abandoned her at the age of sixteen. She works at as a waitress at her father’s diner and she lives with the same boyfriend she had in high school. She doesn’t have much going for her and does her best to accept her lot in life. Sometimes, when things get tough, she thinks about her mother and all the memories they shared.

Later on in the novel, she meets her mother and their complicated relationship develops. My protagonists is stuck between a rock and a hard place. She is angry at her mother for abandoning her, but also wants to do everything she can to please her mother and win her love. Eventually however, she realizes that nothing she does is ever going to please her mother. So she lets go and becomes the woman she is meant to be.

I don’t know what else Kellie Picker has done in her career, but this song is definitely a stand out. Please check it out below.