“My novel, The Healing Circle, follows Ursula, whose terminal disease makes her leave family and friends in California—friends who share her penchant for New Age remedies—for a miracle cure in Germany. The book takes place in her hospital room. Sitting on the window ledge, an aloe plant called Madame Blavatsky is Ursula’s main companion. The book is written entirely in the present tense through a series of short vignettes that capture different moments of Ursula’s life. It’s as if she experiences her life all again, out of order, in real time. With this playlist, I wanted to capture the inner mood of the book. Place, time, plants, and family are all guiding principles. Although Ursula can’t physically move, her mind goes all over the place and she often wonders whether she isn’t already in an afterlife, stuck in a loop. California makes regular appearances in this list. So does ‘60s-‘70s pop music from Germany and Argentina—songs she may have listened to as a kid growing up in a German community in Argentina, and potentially shared with her own kids and friends. Some New Age vibes show up too. Like the book, this playlist jumps between places and times in a dreamy pursuit of happiness.”