When I was shopping around my last manuscript to agents, more than one requested songs that related to the story. I’d never really considered musical accompaniment, and I prefer to work in silence so I didn’t even have a writing playlist I could link to. It really threw me for a loop!

This time around, I’ve kept the idea of a soundtrack in back of my mind. Anytime I heard a song that struck the right chord, I threw it into a Spotify playlist. The playlist grew organically from there, and it’s taken on a shape and logic all its own. Weirdly, I do listen to it from time to time to get in the writing mood, especially since it turns out to function like an actual soundtrack, with each song connected to a specific chapter or scene from the story. Most of the tracks feature female vocalists–fitting since the story is told in Rosamund’s voice. Those that feature male voices are the songs I associate with Alboin or the “male perspective” in general. It’s a strange mix of genres–folk, indie rock, electropop, hip-hop, and more. I really had to restrain myself from adding a bunch of 90s gangsta rap to the mix since that somehow seems to tap into the spirit of the time–at least for me!

Happy listening!