I’m pretty sure it was author Lisa Bergren who I first saw share a playlist that she curated for one of her books. I don’t know for sure because it was so long ago! Regardless of who it actually was, I thought it was such a fun idea. I had just written The Peasant Queen at the time, so I soon began my own playlist for this story. Over time, it grew into a list of twelve songs–rather short compared to some more recent ones I’ve created, but each track represents the story in some specific way. Half are regular songs with vocals, and the rest are instrumental tracks. Check out the list below and I’ll explain (without spoilers!) how they relate to the book.
All of Me–John Legend
This is Rowan and Arabella’s song! It perfectly describes their relationship. Thanks to the writers of this song for creating it specifically for my characters. **wink, wink**
Hold My Heart–Tenth Avenue North
Never Gone–Colton Dixon
These songs sum up the struggles Arabella deals with throughout the story. They could also apply to Rowan at times as well, especially Never Gone.
Praise You in This Storm–Natalie Grant
Wait on the Lord–James Wilson
Both of these are recent additions to the playlist. I never really loved “Praise You in This Storm” when it was originally recorded by Casting Crowns, but when Natalie Grant recorded it this year, I fell in love. Listening to it, I knew that it perfectly fit Arabella’s struggles.
“Wait on the Lord” is a powerful worship song that has impacted my heart personally and when I was listening to it a while back, I suddenly thought of how fitting it was for this book. I imagine this is a song that would touch Arabella’s heart, too, in her darkest moments.
Something There–Alan Menken, Howard Ashman (from Beauty and the Beast)
Belle and the Beast’s moment of realizing that there might be more between them than they thought is a perfect fit for Rowan and Arabella. While unintentional, I feel like the story ended up with some Beauty and the Beast vibes to it.
Born for This (Esther)–Mandisa
This one’s sort of self-explanatory. A song about Esther, an Esther-retelling… get it? It is a perfect fit for the iconic “Esther scene” when Arabella must risk everything for the sake of those she loves.
Beauty of Grace–Thad Fiscella
For the Love of a Princess–James Horner (from Braveheart)
Provenance–Chris Nole
The Approaching Night–Philip Wesley
Lamentations of the Heart–Philip Wesley
Each of these beautiful instrumental pieces were some of my favorites that would come up on my Pandora station during the writing of this book. Each one stood out to me, with their tone or melody just feeling like they fit what was happening in my scenes as I wrote.
If you want to listen to my playlist, just follow this link to find it on Spotify! You can enjoy listening to it now, and once the book comes out, it would be the perfect reading music to have in the background as you dive into the story.
