Below are some songs that the author was inspired by or feel capture her book THE BOOK OF THORNS.   Running Up That Hill – Kate Bush This Kate Bush song from the 80s had a huge resurgence last year thanks to the show Stranger Things and then on TikTok. But it also was on the soundtrack of the 2018 miniseries adaptation of Vanity Fair. It’s no secret that my book was heavily influenced by Thackeray’s novel, and I have watched every movie and television adaptation of it. This song plays during the pivotal scene of the British army departing from Brussels to meet Napoleon on the battlefield at Waterloo. It imprinted on me while I was watching the miniseries, and subsequently became a staple of my writing playlist. It definitely fits with how Cornelia feels when Henri goes into battle, wishing that she could take his place to save him.   Cam Ye O’er Frae France – Steeleye Span I love Steeleye Span. I love their folk-rock takes on medieval and traditional songs, and Maddy Prior’s beautiful voice. So I’m always looking for an excuse to play their music, and one of theirs in particular kept running through my…

The town center proves to be that in name only. A run-down dry goods store with peeling letters advertises coffee, and a little white church sits at one end of the town green. That’s it. No theaters, no gardens and, worse yet, no bookshops. Yet there’s something charming about the simplicity of the square and the dirt roads that wind up and around it; there’s no stink of fish wafting off nearby docks, nor cobblestones caked with horse droppings. I take a deep breath and smile encouragingly to Emeline. Here’s our fresh start, not in the suffocating walls of Willow Hall with all its pretensions, but in the blue sky above it, the little town surrounding it. It doesn’t take long for our fresh start to lose its rosy glow. Two middle-aged women walk arm in arm, stopping to watch us unload from the carriage, Snip nipping at our dresses. They share a whispered word or two, and then creep a little closer to get a better look. The first woman lowers her voice and leans in toward her companion. “Those are the Montrose girls, you know. The family just came from Boston.” “Oh?” The other throws a glance back…