One element helped me more than any other to define the two “modern” characters in Stone Ties. One thing above all helped me cement their personalities in my mind. And that thing was music.

For Simeon the one spiritual experience that came close to his love of stone was music and the music of Handel specifically. It was the only thing guaranteed to stimulate an involuntary, physical response; to raise the hairs on his arms, to immerse him in the moment. True Carver’s sculpture came close, as did Oxford’s splendid urban spaces. But Ombra Mai Fu? Well, you only have to listen to understand.

And so it was with Flora. No surprise that her chosen soundtrack to those quiet, intimate moments should be Alan Stivell and his ethereal harp. Take a listen to Ys, one of her favourites.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3eQA1rA1n4

And what of the author? Well either of the above would suit me well. But come the moment, Shay Fan Yan Ley by the glorious Linda Thompson lays me low. Sixty six seconds of bliss.