Today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the release of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run” album. The songs on that album were part of the soundtrack of my high school years and many are still on my playlist today. It reminds me that many of my life experiences over the years are part of characters and places in the books I write.

If you’ve read Islands of Deception, you know that Springsteen is referenced a few times early in the book, including his nickname, “The Boss.” While I grew up on a farm, I could identify with the blue-collar vibe Springsteen presented in his music. My dad was a welder at a stamping plant, my brother worked in an auto plant, and manual labor was not foreign to me on the farm. In college I worked on an assembly line in a commercial bakery, drove a truck, and mopped floors. In some ways the character Cally, in both of my books, represents this experience of trying to get ahead in life.

A lot of what makes us who we are today is seasoned by our life experiences. The people, places and events in our past play a role in shaping our future. In my case they also help shape my writing and the creative process. The sights, sounds, and emotions from my past find their way into the words that create sentences, pages, and chapters in a book. Springsteen has often remarked how his New Jersey roots influenced the writing of a lot of his songs.

There is something about anniversaries that convey a retrospective tone and perhaps a bit of perspective on life. It prompts one to reflect on the years that have passed and all the living in-between. It also reminds me how much of myself and the places I’ve lived are sprinkled into the characters and plotlines of my books.

If you have any Springsteen songs in your playlist, take a moment to share them in a comment.