What does music do for you? Is it an art form, mood enhancer, or just something to jump around to? From the orchestra pit to the mosh pit music inspires our lives, is universal and personal, futuristic yet primordial. As the soundtrack trigger to a thousand memories it can be seductive yet soulful, energetic and prophetic. But the immediacy of music has rarely been exploited within literature. Until now... In these stories writers use music as a springboard for their fiction, their characters lives entwined with the metaphorical music of the spheres as well as that played upon the stage.. Like the mid-length EP, Extended Play showcases work of longer length than the average story, allowing greater characterisation, depth of theme, and complexity of plot, whilst still benefiting from the conciseness of the short. This anthology brings new meaning to the phrase one hit wonders. Accompanying the fiction some contemporary songwriters comment on how fiction has affected their music, looking at the influence from the other side of the coin. Writers: Marion Arnott, Becky Done, Andrew Humphrey, Emma Lee, Tim Nickels, Rosanne Rabinowitz, Philip Raines, Tony Richards, Nels Stanley, Harvey Welles. Songwriters: JJ Burnel (The Stranglers), Rebekah Delgado (Ciccone), Catherine and Susan Hay (The Tall Poppies), Lene Lovich, Gary Lightbody (Snow Patrol), Sean "Grasshopper" Mackowiak (Mercury Rev), Jof Owen (The Boy Least Likely To), Iain Ross (Bearsuit), Chris Stein (Blondie), Chris T-T. (Description from back cover of trade paperback edition)