Megan Collins, the 41-year-old author, has revealed that Taylor Swift’s love songs played a pivotal role in the creation of her newest psychological thriller, Cross My Heart. Collins shared that while writing her most “twisted” novel yet, she found herself continuously turning to Swift’s music for inspiration, particularly during the book’s creation process.
In an exclusive interview with People Magazine, Collins reflected on her journey as a devoted Swift fan, recalling how she was first drawn to Swift’s music at the age of 26. “I became a Taylor Swift fan when love had left me ruined,” she shared. “For several months, I played Dear John on repeat while driving to and from work.” Collins expressed how the song, which speaks to a broken heart, resonated with her at the time, helping her make sense of her own emotional turmoil.
“The song helped me feel a little less crazy, a little less heartbroken,” Collins continued. “Back then, I couldn’t have imagined that over a decade later, Taylor’s music would be instrumental in writing one of my most twisted thrillers to date.”
Cross My Heart, which features a deeply complex plot and characters, was influenced by the emotional depth found in Swift’s lyrics. Collins explained how she drew on Swift’s songwriting to explore the hidden meanings within the story. The author said, “In Swift’s music, there’s always more beneath the surface. That’s the essence I wanted to capture in my book — a sense of suspense and hidden truths that will keep the reader on the edge of their seat.”
One of the central themes of Cross My Heart is the complicated, sometimes obsessive nature of love, a concept that Collins attributes to Swift’s influence. Collins noted that Swift’s song Labyrinth, which features lyrics about falling in love again but with an undercurrent of caution, resonated deeply with the novel’s tone. “When I listened to that song, I knew my book needed that same perspective,” Collins said.
The author credited Swift’s music with shaping the novel’s exploration of love in its most intense and dangerous form. “Without Taylor’s music, Cross My Heart would have been a very different book,” she explained. “Even with the same characters and big surprises, it wouldn’t have explored the darker, more obsessive side of love — that fine line between desire and delusion, where passion becomes peril.”
As Collins prepares to release Cross My Heart, it is clear that Taylor Swift’s influence has helped craft a psychological thriller that is as emotionally charged as it is twisted. Readers can expect a gripping tale about love’s complexities, drawing inspiration from Swift’s deeply introspective music and lyrics.
