Music is a huge part of my writing process, so I thought it might be fun to share six songs–only a small selection–from the playlist I listened to while drafting and editing The Spy and the Nightingale.

In particular, Jackie Evancho’s version of “Falling Slowly” really captured the tender emotions I wanted to channel when writing Isobel’s point of view. Taylor John Williams’s version likewise captured a similar tenderness while I wrote from Nate’s POV.

Dermot Kennedy’s “Power Over Me” was great for bringing the energy of Nate falling hard for Isobel. It was the very first song that made it onto my writing playlist for this book, in fact.

Kelly Lutrell’s version of “Fields of Gold” so perfectly gets at the wistfulness that goes along with wanting to recapture something sweet from the past. I returned to it repeatedly while working on the opening scenes in the Scottish part of the book.

Catherine-Ann McPhee’s “Canan Nan Gàidheal” (which translates to “The Language of the Gael”) is a song derived from a poem about the loss of Gaelic culture and language when England tried imposing its will upon Scotland. Isobel’s Gaelic heritage is an important part of her, and although I don’t speak Gàidhlig, this song gave me an emotional window into that world.

And of course I had to include a version of “Ae Fond Kiss” on the list, sung by a Scotsman, since Isobel sings this near the end of book. It’s the famous Scots poet Robert Burns’s work set to music.