I adored digging into vintage music to set the mood for SHIP OF DREAMS, set aboard Titanic. Here are five songs I had on my playlist to help me set the scene:
Salut d’Amour
This lovely, lyrical piece by Edward Elgar features violin and piano and if you’ve watched any period dramas set during Victorian times or later, you’ll undoubtedly recognize it. It’s easy to imagine it in the background of a beautifully laid afternoon tea, or perhaps during a delightful dinner with the clinking of silver on fine china and the sparkle of crystal. Bonus points for romance: the composer wrote it as an engagement present to his future wife.
Oh, You Beautiful Doll
Surprisingly, there was no dancefloor on Titanic, but music accompanied dinner in the upper classes and the on-board orchestra entertained passengers. I’ll confess, every time I hear a ragtime ditty I picture the Crawleys dancing to Rose’s phonograph in Downton Abbey. What I love about this particular piece is how spirited and jaunty it is… expressing the gaiety of those in first class, who, for the first days of the journey, didn’t seem to have a care in the world.
Fascination
Another tune that is so recognizable! This was the perfect track to play while I was writing Lou and Reid’s “dancing on the deck” scene (I did mention no dance floor!). I loved having the opportunity to have them indulge in a private moment in each others’ arms… The brisk breeze off the Atlantic, their shoes on the wood deck, the warmth of their bodies hovering close together… this just seems so romantic to me!
Nearer My God to Thee
My one nod to the 1998 Titanic movie is the inclusion of Nearer My God to Thee. It’s common to have sad, wistful music playing during intense action/death scenes, the juxtaposition hitting watchers right in the feels. In this case, it’s also semi-accurate. There are several accounts that do indeed corroborate that the orchestra/quartet played this on deck during the sinking, while others say it was Songe d’Automne.
Let Me Call You Sweetheart
If Fascination is Lou and Reid’s song, this one is for Charles and Hannah. Their marriage is in utter shambles when they board the ship, and Hannah’s whole reason for going on the trip is to try to mend the distance between them. She’s not even sure Charles loves her anymore. On the evening before Titanic strikes the iceberg, I can imagine Hannah and Charles holding hands, with her perhaps resting her head on his shoulder, listening to the orchestra play. There is a purity and sweetness to this song that I’ve always loved – in fact it’s not the first time I’ve included it on a playlist as I’m writing!
You can listen to all these songs and more on my YouTube playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlfE6J1JuiKYlG2gcuz2wZNqnkzxiWpsN
SHIP OF DREAMS by Donna Jones Alward
Aboard the Titanic, where opulence knows no bounds and the horizon seems limitless, two women fight for the futures they dream of, fraught with secrets that could change everything.
Hannah Martin is clinging to the hope that six days on this grand ship will heal the wounds in her marriage to Charles. Beneath her poised exterior lies a desperation to mend what was shattered and conceal a secret that could upend their lives forever.
Louisa Phillips, spirited and uncompromising, is escaping her family’s insistence on a passionless marriage. But this daring step could also sever the deepest bond in her life.
As the ‘unsinkable’ ship strikes the iceberg, amidst the chaos and icy waters, lives are changed forever. In the face of impending doom, what dreams will Hannah and Lou decide are worth saving, and at what cost?
This evocative historical fiction will stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Perfect for fans of Kate Quinn, this is a poignant tale of love, choice, and survival against the odds.
Women’s Fiction Historical [ One More Chapter, On Sale: March 31, 2026, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780008701543 / ]
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About Donna Jones Alward
Since 2006, New York Times bestseller Donna Jones Alward has enchanted readers with stories of happy endings and homecomings that have won several awards and been translated into over a dozen languages. She’s worked as an administrative assistant, teaching assistant, in retail and as a stay-at-home-mom, but always knew her degree in English Literature would pay off, as she is now happy to be a full-time writer, blending her love of history with characters who step beyond their biggest fears to claim the lives they desire.
Donna currently lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, with her husband. You can often find her near the water, either kayaking on the lake or walking the sandy beaches to refill her creative well.
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