THE MARKED PRINCE by M.A. Grant (eBook August 5): Torn between two worlds, desperate to save one love. M.A. Grant continues her incredible world building with Sebastian having to choose between completing the mission and earning his place among the Unseelie who took him in, or risking his very life to ensure freedom for the man he loves. M.A. stopped by with her a playlist for The Marked Prince.

Playlists are the first step of my writing process. Years later, a particular song will hurtle me back to the exact sections I wrote. I’m so happy to be here sharing a handful of songs that inspired me while writing THE MARKED PRINCE.

“Emperor’s New Clothes” by Panic! At The Disco – Long ago, I wrote Sláine’s interaction with Roark at the Unseelie party in PRINCE OF AIR AND DARKNESS. This song informed that moment, and so many of his character interactions in THE MARKED PRINCE. Between the aggressive chorus and the seemingly innocent melody running contrary to the lyrics, it captured the eldest prince’s mindset. Anytime I had to write in his perspective, it was time for P!ATD or Fall Out Boy.

“Falling” by Florence + The Machine – In contrast to the intense chaos of Sláine’s music, Seb needed soulful, heart-on-the-sleeve songs. I loved writing Seb because of how genuine and earnest he is. He takes these ridiculous risks, but he has the type of courage I wish I had. This song in particular captured his personality throughout the story.

“White Lie” by The Lumineers – If a deeply emotional or strong visual scene hits me, I have to write it down, even if it’s out of order. I’ll use that scene as a touchstone while I write the rest of the book. The first scene I wrote down for THE MARKED PRINCE is in Chapter Sixteen and I listened to this song on repeat for hours while I tried to get the moment right.

“Requiem” from the Dear Evan Hansen Broadway soundtrack – Sláine and Roark’s face-off in Chapter Twenty of THE MARKED PRINCE broke me in the best ways, just like this song. Another “repeat ad nauseam” song I can now sing from memory, no matter which part of the lyrics I come in on.

“Without You” by Leslie Odom Jr. – Basically all of Chapters Twenty-One through Twenty-Four owe themselves to this song. I won’t spoil anything about them, but, with more distance now, I realize the emotional build of these chapters mirrors that of the song.

“World Gone Mad” by Bastille – By the time I was writing the last chapter of THE MARKED PRINCE, I was emotionally drained, but excited to start THE IRON CROWN. This song came on randomly while I was writing the words “The End” on TMP and I sat at my desk and stared at the wall until it was over. Then I played it again. It’s the perfect transition from Seb and Sláine’s story into the final book of the series.

There were too many other songs to list, but you can view more of them at the Spotify playlist (https://spoti.fi/2U4T3m7) I put together for THE MARKED PRINCE. You can also find the playlists for PRINCE OF AIR AND DARKNESS, and try to figure out what’s coming with the (ever growing) playlist for THE IRON CROWN.

Thanks for stopping by M.A.!