I'm thrilled to be on the blog tour for the upcoming YA fantasy And I Darken. Today, I'm going to be sharing a post from author Kiersten White! (And if you want to check out the novel, I'm going to be sharing some info about it later on.) Without further ado, here is Kiersten White to share a playlist post unlike any other we've ever seen before!
This is not a normal playlist post.
You know the type I’m talking about. “This song represents this character!” or “Here is a list of songs to listen to in conjunction with certain scenes.” Or even “These songs inspired me while writing!”
Let me tell you: I wish I were writing one of those posts, because it would mean that I had a normal playlist experience while writing this book. I tried! I tried so hard. I bought movie soundtracks. (The soundtrack to Dracula Untold is as bad as the movie, btw.) I bought traditional regional music to try to capture the feel of what my characters might have been exposed to in Europe and the Ottoman Empire during the 1400s. (Cool! But not really good for writing brutal princesses and sensitive brothers and sullen future sultans.) I bought loud music, soft music, angry music. None of it worked. I tried silence. Couldn’t focus. I tried white noise. Nothing was working.
And then I heard the song “Yellow Flicker Beat.” It’s by Lorde, and is featured on the Mockingjay soundtrack. I don’t dislike Lorde, but I don’t love her. I don’t actually own any of her other songs. But for whatever reason, this song triggered the mental state I needed to be in to write this book. So I listened to it.
On repeat . . .
for all 115,000 words of And I Darken . . .
and then all 120,000-and-counting words of the sequel.
I have listened to that song 1,300 times. And the weirdest thing is, I couldn’t tell you more than a couple of lines from it. I’ve found the best writing soundtrack is almost like hypnosis. It signals “time to work,” and becomes an invisible background to the dramas bleeding out of your head and into words. “Yellow Flicker Beat” meant my brain belonged to brutal Lada and clever Radu. Everything else disappeared, in the way I hope it does for you, too, when you read the book.
So, thank you, Lorde. And I’m sorry I’ve traumatized myself with your voice and now scream “IT’S NOT TIME TO WORK!” whenever you come on the radio.
I've been listening to this song ever since I read Kiersten's post, and damn if it isn't a tune that gets stuck in your mind! While I haven't read the novel yet, this song has certainly put me in the right frame of mind to read it. Here's to hoping you feel the same way! And now, here's a little bit about the novel And I Darken and author Kiersten White.
And I Darken by Kiersten White
Series: The Conquerors Saga #1
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: June 28, 2016
NO ONE EXPECTS A PRINCESS TO BE BRUTAL. And Lada Dragwlya likes it that way. Ever since she and her gentle younger brother, Radu, were wrenched from their homeland of Wallachia and abandoned by their father to be raised in the Ottoman courts, Lada has known that being ruthless is the key to survival. She and Radu are doomed to act as pawns in a vicious game, an unseen sword hovering over their every move. For the lineage that makes them special also makes them targets.
Lada despises the Ottomans and bides her time, planning her vengeance for the day when she can return to Wallachia and claim her birthright. Radu longs only for a place where he feels safe. And when they meet Mehmed, the defiant and lonely son of the sultan, who’s expected to rule a nation, Radu feels that he’s made a true friend—and Lada wonders if she’s finally found someone worthy of her passion.
But Mehmed is heir to the very empire that Lada has sworn to fight against—and that Radu now considers home. Together, Lada, Radu, and Mehmed form a toxic triangle that strains the bonds of love and loyalty to the breaking point.
Don't forget to check out the rest of the blog tour!
Monday, May 30th: Icey Books, Review
Tuesday, May 31st: Bookiemoji, Guest Post (Character Profiles)
Wednesday, June 1st: Seeing Double in Neverland, Review
Thursday, June 2nd: Alexa Loves Books, Playlist Post
Friday, June 3rd: Awesome Book Nut, Review
Monday, June 6th: Jessabella Reads, Review
Tuesday, June 7th: The Eater of Books!, Top Five Roundup
Wednesday, June 8th: Across the Words, Review
Thursday, June 9th: Pandora’s Books, Sneak Peek for Book Two
Friday, June 10th: Tales of the Ravenous Reader, Review
Monday, June 13th: A Midsummer Night's Read, Review
Tuesday, June 14th: The Irish Banana Review, Top 10 Guest Post
Wednesday, June 15th: Stories & Sweeties, Review
Thursday, June 16th: Jenuine Cupcakes, Author Mystery Guest Post
Friday, June 17th: The Soul Sisters, Review
Monday, June 20th: Winterhaven Books, Review
Tuesday, June 21st: Two Chicks on Books, Q&A (4-6 questions)
Wednesday: June 22nd: The Book Swarm, Review
Thursday, June 23rd: Read. Sleep. Repeat., Top Five Fantasy Books Kiersten Loves to Re-Read
Friday, June 24th: Please Feed The Bookworm, Review
Monday, June 27th: Comfort Books, Review
Tuesday, June 28th: Fitshun, Q&A
Wednesday, June 29th: Addicted Readers,Review
Thursday, June 30th: Lindsay Cummings, Movie Casting Post
Friday, July 1st: Rabid Reads, Review
Monday, July 4th: Reading Teen, Review
Tuesday, July 5th: YA Bibliophile, Guest Post (Trip to Romania)
Wednesday, July 6th: Carina’s Books, Review
Thursday, July 7th: Mundie Moms, Author Mystery Guest Post
Friday, July 8th: My Friends Are Fiction, Surprise Post!
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