Best-selling author Harlan Coben has turned Aussie singer songwriter Missy Higgins into a piece of fiction in his provocative thriller `Hold Tight`.
Fans of Missy have been noticing the Missy reference on page 297 of Harlan’s latest book `Hold Tight`. “She sits in the dark and listens and cries,” he writes. “Music does that to her. I didn't get it. Like last month, I heard this song from Missy Higgins. Do you know her'”“She is great. Her music is a total killer. This one song she talks about an ex-love and how she can’t stand the thought of another hand upon him, even though she knows she should”.
So how did Missy Higgins make her way into a novel of a New York Times best-selling author' “A friend forwarded me a copy of the song ‘Where I Stood’, Harlan tells Undercover News. “I was mesmerized. I loved every second. It is beautiful and it haunts”.
“I immediately ran out and bought that CD as well as The Sound Of White. I listened to it a great deal while writing `Hold Tight`, even mentioning her in the actual book. It became something of a backdrop, so I told my readers about her in a newsletter. The response has been positive”.
Missy found out that she was in Harlan’s book in a novel way as well. “My Mum and Aunty were recently in Broome, in Western Australia, in the same place I wrote most of my last album, when my Aunty, in the middle of reading `Hold Tight` stopped suddenly and said "Oh my God, he talks about Missy!", she tells Undercover. “So of course my Mum read it and is a huge fan of Harlan Coben's now. I look forward to reading it myself. I really feel honoured to have been mentioned in the writings of such a respected and talented author”.
Harlan has become a huge fan of Missy as well. “When a friend has a baby, I make it a point of including a CD for the mother,” he says. “Right now, I'm sending `The Sound Of White`. It never fails to move”.
Now that both author and songwriter have connected, who knows what the future now bring. “Oh, I did hope to catch her during her American tour but I was on book tour when she was in the area. Maybe next time,” he says.
`Hold Tight` was released by Orion books in hardback in April and will be released in paperback in October.
Missy Higgins `The Sound Of White` and 'On A Clear Day' are both out now through Eleven Records in Australia and on Warner in the USA.
