LAURA KAYE & SOUTH OF SURRENDER

It is such an honor today to be a part of Laura Kaye’s SOUTH OF SURRENDER TOUR. We absolutely Love this book, along with all of Laura’s other yummy reads and hope to express to all of our followers just how much we admire and appreciate this special author. Wendy, LT, and Shonna 

Guest Post for Vampires, Werewolves, and Fairies, Oh My!

By Laura Kaye

The Musical Inspiration Behind South of Surrender

Very happy to be back at VW&F.Oh My! to celebrate the release of my tenth novel! South of Surrender is the third book in my Greek-mythology-inspired Hearts of the Anemoi series and features Chrysander Notos, Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer, who crashes into the life (literally!) of human Laney Summerlyn.

I was inspired in writing this story in part by a particular song, which I listened to on repeat several hundred times while I wrote South of Surrender. In many ways, Katy Perry’s "Wide Awake" captured the feel of the story and characters, right down to particular lines of lyrics. Do you know it? Give it a listen:



Here are some of the ways the lyrics of the song related to the story, for me:

"Wide Awake"

I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake

I'm wide awake
Yeah, I was in the dark
I was falling hard
With an open heart
I'm wide awake
How did I read the stars so wrong?
I'm wide awake
And now it's clear to me
That everything you see
Ain't always what it seems
I'm wide awake
Yeah, I was dreaming for so long

The above lines always made me think of Laney, who suffers from a degenerative eye diseases and is nearly blind. Literally, she lives her life mostly in the dark, yet she is open-hearted. Her disability also gives her an interesting ability to perceive the divine and reality everything isn’t always what it seems.

[Pre-Chorus]
I wish I knew then
What I know now
Wouldn't dive in
Wouldn't bow down
Gravity hurts
You made it so sweet
'Til I woke up on
On the concrete

[Chorus]
Falling from cloud nine
Crashing from the high
I'm letting go tonight
Yeah, I'm falling from cloud nine

This chorus for me is the end of the first chapter of the book, when Chrys is grievously hurt in battle and falls from the heavens. And it’s the first time he realizes he has to let go of someone he’s cared about all his life.

I'm wide awake
Not losing any sleep
I picked up every piece
And landed on my feet
I'm wide awake
Need nothing to complete myself, no

This stanza reflects something both Laney and Chrys need to learn and come to grips with over the course of the book. That they are good enough all by themselves. That they are strong enough on their own. Yet, they’ve ever better and stronger together.

I'm wide awake
Yeah, I am born again
Out of the lion's den
I don't have to pretend
And it's too late
The story's over now, the end

"I don’t have to pretend" – oh, man, is this Chrys revealing a phobia he has to Laney, and having her accept it. Gah!

[Pre-Chorus]
I wish I knew then
What I know now
Wouldn't dive in
Wouldn't bow down
Gravity hurts
You made it so sweet
'Til I woke up on
On the concrete

[Chorus]
Falling from cloud nine (it was out of the blue)
I'm crashing from the high
I'm letting go tonight (yeah, I'm letting you go)
I'm falling from cloud nine

I'm wide awake
Thunder rumbling
Castles crumbling
I'm wide awake
I am trying to hold on
I'm wide awake
God knows that I tried
Seeing the bright side
I'm wide awake
I'm not blind anymore...

The bridge of this song is the climactic battle of the story, which includes not just the fight scene but a massive weather event and a major tragedy (castles crumbles). Everyone must fight to see the bright see. And everyone’s eyes are opened.

I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake

[Chorus]
Yeah, I'm falling from cloud nine (it was out of the blue)
I'm crashing from the high
You know I'm letting go tonight (yeah, I'm letting you go)
I'm falling from cloud nine

I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake
I'm wide awake

So those are some ways that "Wide Awake" helped inspire South of Surrender. While we’re on the topic of songs, do you have a favorite song that just feels like summer to you and/or makes you think of summer? GIVEAWAY: One commenter who leaves their email address will win a $15 iTunes gift card. Open to international!

Also enter the Rafflecopter for a chance at the overall tour prizes to be picked on June 22!

Thanks for reading!

Laura

Visit all the stops on the South of Surrender Blog Tour for more ways to win!

"A fast-paced thrill ride." ~New York Journal of Books

"Sexy, emotional stories, powerful, evocative writing, a vivid and unique vision, and enough magic and mysticism to keep the most demanding reader satisfied, Laura Kaye delivers it all. I love this series!" ~Maggie Shayne, NYT Bestselling Author

About South of Surrender:

She's the only one who can see through his golden boy façade to the broken god within...

Chrysander Notos, Supreme God of the South Wind and Summer, is on a mission: save Eurus from his death sentence and prove his troubled brother can be redeemed. But Eurus fights back, triggering vicious storms that threaten the mortal realm and dangerously drain Chrys.
Laney Summerlyn refuses to give up her grandfather's horse farm, despite her deteriorating vision. More than ever, she needs the organized routine of her life at Summerlyn Stables, until a ferocious storm brings an impossible—and beautiful—creature crashing down from the heavens.
Injured while fighting Eurus, Chrys finds himself at the mercy of a mortal woman whose compassion and acceptance he can't resist. As they surrender to the passion flaring between them, immortal enemies close in, forcing Chrys to choose between his brother and the only woman who's ever loved the real him.

Personal thought's from Shonna's review: Siting here in front of my keyboard, I have so much to say about this book, (and series) I just don’t know where to start. How do I condense all that I am busting to say about this UNBELIEVABLY FANTASTIC story in just a few short lines.   The truth is, there is no way to express how AMAZING this work is (wish I could think of a better word to express here) and how I absolutely am in awe and in LOVE with the world Laura Kaye has created. Please start at the beginning of this series (not that it’s necessary to understand what is going on in the third installment but) because this is well worth your time. Never boring, never a stalling moment, and to top it off, a huge twist in SOUTH OF SURRENDER that had me crying (one of many times throughout this series) and numb because of the way Laura Kaye effortlessly absorbs you into this tale, you will not want to put down. You honestly become a part of the words on the pages. A new fork in the road now, with all of the characters, new and old, places a spin that I did not see coming for future books, and put me on pins and needles to see where it all goes. I hope this series never ever ends. This *placing my hand over the last page of the story*  is what reading and enjoying a book is all about.

Thank you Laura Kaye. 

My Rating: a Big Fat 5 

  

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Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of a dozen

books in contemporary and paranormal romance. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

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