MK Randall

Playlist 01

Steph’s Mix

I created this playlist because I wanted a soundtrack playing in my mind while I brought Stephanie to life.

She was everything I imagined the ideal teenage girl to be: confident, vibrant, fearless—and dating a couple of guys. Me? I went to prom with one of my favorite gay men. We had a fabulous time, but I was definitely no Stephanie.

I wanted to write a girl who came from my decade but was as different from me as possible. And so Stephanie was born.

Then, well…she became a ghost.

This playlist is both a celebration of her world and a clue to what happened to her. I’m nothing if not sneaky. 😉

Enjoy some of the most popular songs of the era—but behave yourself. Janet Jackson will call you out if you’re nasty.

Playlist 02

Metalsome Hearts

When I wrote Metalsome Hearts, I was nursing an achy breaky heart—excuse the pun. I had escaped a nightmare of a relationship and had a lot of feelings to get off my chest. Writing this book helped me work through them without turning into a man-hating troll.

Good job, music!

The playlist begins with A Perfect Circle because, when I created a fictional heavy metal band, I first had to decide what I wanted them to sound like. I said it out loud then, and it still stands:

“If Metallica and Tool had a baby, it would be Metalsome.”

And that baby would sound a whole lot like A Perfect Circle.

So here it is: a glimpse behind the scenes of a grunge-and-metalhead author determined to bring the music she loved to life. This mix helped me find the sound—and the heart—of Metalsome.

Playlist 03

Metalsome Affair

Metalsome Affair was more complicated for me.

Throughout much of my younger life, I struggled with a variety of issues. Like so many people of my generation, when I first heard Layne Staley sing with Alice in Chains, I felt seen.

Not casually understood. Really seen.

When I began writing Metalsome Affair, I wanted to imagine a different ending—a story in which someone like Layne survived the crushing weight of addiction and found a healthy, enduring love. That was my gift to him.

I never met Layne, but I felt a connection to him. Many of us did. The book is dedicated to his legacy, to the entire Alice in Chains fandom, and to our fierce, enduring love for the beautiful, complicated man behind that extraordinary voice.

This is a darker musical world—one shaped by struggle, isolation, longing, and the stubborn hope that even someone lost in the shadows might still find a way home.

Playlist 04

Metalsome Holiday

The Metalsome Holiday mix combines Christmas music with two of my great musical loves: Tony Thompson, the legendary drummer for Chic—and one of the finest drummers I’ve ever seen—and the incomparable elegance of Count Basie.

It’s a festive blend of holiday favorites, irresistible grooves, and some of the coolest old-timey music you’ve ever heard.

Pour yourself something warm, turn up the volume, and enjoy.