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Mixtape: Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon

Author Lisa de Nikolits shares the songs that define the characters and moments of her latest novel Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon (Inanna Publications), a mob novel from the moll’s perspective. Read on (and add Lisa’s selected tunes to your playlists)!

The cover of Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon by Lisa de Nikolits. The cover is bright pink, with a Jessica-Rabbit style woman figure looking over her shoulder at a mobster in a long coat and hat.

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ALU Editor

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Thank you All Lit Up Canada for having me as a guest today! I’m just delighted to share some of the songs behind Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon.

This book was supposed to come out in 2018, but it got bumped by The Rage Room and Everything You Dream is Real and I kinda really thought dear old Mad Dog would never see the light of day but happily, here we are and there’s no better way to celebrate than with music!

About the book: Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon (Inanna Publications) is a darkly comedic, noir suspense thriller set in current time but written as a 1950’s hard-boiled suspense thriller.

Now, to the songs!

Jessica Wren and Daisy, The Leafy Sea Dragon

Album: Soundtrack to The Virgin Suicides (Air)

Song: All of them

Why: The sadness, the ennui, the haunting solidarity of loneliness is the soundtrack to Jessica and Daisy’s life.

Enzo Esposito, The Kingpin’s Son

Album: Nothing But the Best by Frank Sinatra

Song: “Fly Me to the Moon”

Why: Enzo loves Frank. “Hey sweetheart, you and me, we could be listening to Frankie singing at The Desert Inn,” he said with a sideways grin. “I always dress like this, what’s your excuse?”

Grace, The Psycho Matriarch

Album: Along Came Tom by Tom Jones

Song: “It’s Not Unusual”

Why: Of course Grace would love Tom! I’d bet she was first in line to throw her panties at him.

Joey, The Bad Boy

Album: Soundtrack to Drugstore Cowboy

Song: “Israelites” by Desmond Dekker & The Aces

Why: “Joey was eighteen and his beauty made me want to cry. I ran my fingers through his thick black hair. I thought he looked like Matt Dillon out of Drugstore Cowboy, and he laughed when I told him.”

Glynnis and Donatella

Album: Moulin Rouge Soundtrack by Baz Lurhmann

Song: “El Tango De Roxanne”

Why: These crazy lovebirds! They dance the tango with as much passion as seen on the video, but they’re coke-fueled and out of whack!

Trevor, The Bodyguard

Album: Faith by George Michael

Song: “Father Figure”

Why: This Jean-Claude van Damme lookalike may come across as a man of steel but he’s a softie at heart and a big fan of George Michael.

Jessica Wren’s Fave Song

Album: Alchemy by Dire Straits

Song: “Tunnel of Love”

Why: “Joey’s bad for you,” Glynnis said.

“He’s the love of my life,” I replied, turning away from her. Deep down, there was something about Joey that frightened me and I knew our love was doomed.

My own personal anthem

Album: Honey by Andy Williams

Song: “The Impossible Dream – The Quest”

Why: Because I didn’t think Mad Dog and the Sea Dragon would live to see the light of day, but I never gave up. We have reached the unreachable star!

* * *

A black and white photo of writer Lisa de Nikolits. She is a light skin-toned woman with long, straight blonde hair and glasses, wearing a spotted blouse and dark blazer. She smiles widely.

Originally from South Africa, Lisa de Nikolits is the internationally acclaimed, award-winning author of eleven previous novels. Her short fiction and poetry have been published in various international anthologies and journals including the Crime Writers of Canada’s 40th Anniversary anthology (2022). She has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Philosophy, and has lived in the US, Australia and Britain. Previous works include West of Wawa, Between the Cracks She Fell, A Glittering Chaos, Witchdoctor’s Bones, No Fury Like That, The Rage Room and Everything You Dream is Real. No Fury Like That was published in Italian in 2019 by Edizione Le Assassine under the title Una furia dell’altro mondo. Other recent short fiction works include the 2025 Derringer nominated The 13th Letter, A Mesdames of Mayhem anthology, Imagine and Navigate, Windtree Press, and Devouring Tomorrow, Dundurn/Rare Machines. Lisa lives and writes in Toronto.

Find Lisa on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, and her own website, lisawriter.com.

Photo of Lisa credit Bradford Dunlop.

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