Count Your Blessings
A “meet-cute” set in Hartford, Connecticut on Thanksgiving 1998.
Claire Joanne Middleton is a 24-year-old front desk manager at a small boutique hotel. Her dream is to run her own small boutique hotel some day. It means she often has to work holidays, but she truly loves what she does.
Keston Walcott is a 28-year-old in the second year of his family medicine residency. Born in Trinidad, he moved to the United States for his education and medical training. His family followed him a little later, settling in Hartford. It was happy luck when he managed to get his residency there.
Music helps set the mood while I write. That is why the inspiration playlists play such a vital role in my writing process. These are the songs that inspired the Thanksgiving short story Count Your Blessings:
Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep - by Jennifer Nettles
This is another playlist I bookended with different versions of the same song. And the song gave me my story title.
Je Veux Me Marier (I Want to Marry) - by BeauSoleil
Claire is a fan of Creole, Cajun, and Calypso music. This is one of her theme songs.
Fantasy - by Mariah Carey
A number of the songs on this playlist are for other characters in Hartford that either Claire or Keston know. This is Claire’s boss Hillary’s theme song.
I Can't Steer My Heart Clear Of You - by Elton John
This is Keston’s friend Melissa’s theme song.
By Heart - by Jim Brickman with Anne Cochran
This is Keston’s friend Kevin’s theme song.
Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) - by Harry Belafonte
Keston is also a fan of Calypso music. This is one of his theme songs.
(If You're Not In It For Love) I'm Outta Here! - by Shania Twain
This is Claire’s other theme song.
Don't Go Breaking My Heart - by Elton John & RuPaul
This is Keston’s other theme song.
Blessings - by Laura Story
I picked this song for the title.
The Moment - by Kenny G
This is the song friends of Hillary, who make a very brief appearance in the story, danced to at their wedding.
Dream Come True - by Jim Brickman with Norbert Stachel
This is the song Melissa and Kevin danced to at their wedding.
Forever - by Mariah Carey
This is the song Hillary and her husband Jake danced to at their wedding.
The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - by Harry Belafonte & Lena Horne
This is the song Claire and Keston danced to at their wedding.
Count Your Blessings - by Megan Hilty
As I said, I wanted to use two different versions of this song to bookend the playlist. This is not the first time I ended a playlist with Megan Hilty’s version of a song. I’ve been a big fan of hers since the tv show SMASH.