This is so cool! Today is the release day for my good friend and critique partner Amanda K. Byrne's first full-length novel, Fracture. I had the great good fortune to be one of the beta readers for this project and I can honestly say I LOVE THIS BOOK! It'll hit you right in the feels! So check it out, and keep reading for my girl Amanda's thoughts on the playlist for Fracture...
I’m a big fan of playlists. I make one for the majority of my stories, though I rarely listen to them while I’m writing. But they do a fantastic job of setting the mood, and with my newest release, Fracture, I needed it.
Fracture is set in present day war-torn Sarajevo, so I wanted intense, angry music. Songs like “I Stay Away” by Alice in Chains and “Metal Heart” by Garbage. Or Kasabian’s “Switchblade Smiles”, and Linkin Park’s “Castle of Glass”.
And since U2 is my favorite band, I had to include one of their songs, and it’s such an obvious one, too – “Bullet the Blue Sky”. Another war song, “Zombie” by the Cranberries, made the list, but I chose an acoustic version over the album version. It’s got this haunting quality to it that brings to mind an almost visceral image of the destruction and havoc war wreaks on humanity.
My taste in music can be rather eclectic, though, so there’s a few songs that kinda sorta don’t make a lot of sense (Morten Lauridson’s “O Nata Lux”, which is absolutely gorgeous, and “Central Reservation” by Beth Orton). One scene takes place in a dance club, so I threw in some David Guetta (“Turn Me On”, featuring Nikki Minaj) and Bassnectar (“Ping Pong”).
But if I were to pick a theme song off the list, it would be “Gorecki” by Lamb. Declan, for all his cruelty and thoughtlessness, turns out to be exactly what Nora needs, and their connection is this fierce, adamantine bond forged in the chaos. The melody and the beat combine into something dark and sensuous, full of heat and lust and need. When Lou Rhodes sings, “Here my heart knows calm”, I can imagine Nora thinking those very words.
Got a Spotify account? You can listen to the full playlist here.
Blurb
Every nightmare has an end.
There’s no way Nora can ignore the beating. Same heavy boots. Same curses, same pained groans. But that was two years ago, and this a different man, a different part of war-ravaged Sarajevo. This is her second chance. She has to try.
And then she’s stuck with him, nursing him, putting up with him. Declan’s an ass. He’s rude and tactless. He’s arrogant. Dismissive.
Charming. Intense. Caring when she needs it most – and least expects it. He tears away the numbing fog that’s been her constant companion and offers her a way out and a way home.
And it damn near destroys her.
Nora’s survived two years in a war zone. Can Declan show her how to live?
Buy it here
AMZ | BN | KOBO | iBooks | GR
Bio
The official version:
When she’s not plotting ways to sneak her latest shoe purchase past her partner, Amanda writes sexy, snarky romance and urban fantasy. She likes her heroines smart and unafraid to make mistakes, and her heroes strong enough to take them on.
If she’s not writing, she’s reading, drinking hot chocolate, and trying not to destroy her house with her newest DIY project. She lives in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, and no, it really doesn’t rain that much.
The not quite as boring version:
I didn’t set out to be a writer. A lot of people say that, and they say it because it’s true. More, I didn’t set out to be a romance writer. I wanted to be a jockey when I was younger. Yes, I wanted to ride racehorses for a living. Then I wanted to be a juvenile probation officer. At some point, I wanted to be a teacher, a princess, and an actress, and I ended up doing none of those things.
I adore reading. In fact, I love it so much I review books as well as write them. I review for My Bookish Ways and Vampire Book Club, and sometimes I’ll post a review on my own blog. I grew up reading literary fiction, mysteries, thrillers, and the occasional chick lit thrown in for spice. The only romance author I’d read for years was Nora Roberts (closing in on twenty years with that relationship) and while I’ve since expanded my romance reading horizons, she still remains one of my go-to authors for comfort reading.
I have the world’s neediest cat and the most amazing partner. I also have a massive number of shoes and sweaters and can’t bring myself to part with any of them. If you bring me green Sour Patch Kids, I will love you forever, but I could (and do) live happily without brussel sprouts. I drink too much Pepsi, guard my free time fiercely, and swear a lot (except on Facebook, because my mother doesn’t like it).
Why Amanda K. Byrne? Because if you google my name without my middle initial, Google thinks you’re talking about a former Nickelodeon actress with some…issues. Go on and check it for yourself. I’ll wait.
*cricket chirp*
See? Anyway.
I have a love/dislike relationship with social media. I’m all over it, but I don’t spend too much time in one place. You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Goodreads, a sorely neglected Tumblr, and you can check out the playlists for some of my books over on Spotify. Or you could, you know, be old fashioned and send me an email.
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