Music Monday gets around, but I got the idea from Lauren over at Always Me .

So–we’re winding up a D&D campaign, getting ready to start Feng Shui. When I create a new character for a game, I always like to dig into the music first, to put together a playlist. I find it’s one of the most useful things you can do, as a writer or a gamer, to get a real feel for a character.

I knew I wanted to play a Bounty Hunter (that’s a class, by the way), so I started thinking bad-ass lady bounty hunter…maybe rides a motorcycle. I stumbled on this:

It’s a great song…but more for a law-breaker than an avenging angel, which is what I was going for with my character. I wanted a tough-as-nails woman. I wanted something from the 70s/80s (which is the aesthetic of the game). I wanted someone who felt supremely American.

So: what kind of woman was that?

Well…Pam Grier came to mind.

That put me on the right musical track right away. I dug through some Motown, specifically some Sister Sledge, a couple Etta James numbers. Then I found this:

…let’s ride.