Guest Blog: Anne Hope

The Library Mistress welcomes Paranormal Romance author Anne Hope.

The "Muse" in Music

Every so often, I’ll hear a song and it will spark an idea within me. Characters begin to take shape, storylines unfurl in my mind, and before I know it, I’m sitting at my keyboard typing away. Music is one of life’s great inspirations because it provokes not only thought but emotion. Lyrics can touch us on a deep level, which is quite extraordinary when you think about it. A song is only a page long, and yet it can trigger a greater emotional response than some novels.

Music is used in commercials to help consumers associate positive feelings to a given product. It is used in movies to heighten tension and drama. Most recently, I’ve heard talk of multimedia e-books, where music and videos are being embedded in books to improve the way we experience a story.

Given the important role music plays in storytelling, I decided to put together a playlist that could act as the soundtrack to my Dark Souls series. So grab a cup of coffee, put on your earphones and enjoy!

Halo by Beyoncé 

Back when I was writing Soul Bound, I kept hearing this song, and it always reminded me of Jace and Lia. The lyrics apply to both characters. Lia is bursting free of the shell she’s built around herself, breaking the rules, and risking it all for the love of her angel. As for Jace, Lia truly is his “saving grace.” Hear light burns through the growing darkness inside him, forcing him to become a better man. And let’s not forget the strange, compelling aura he keeps seeing around her.

 Read the lyrics | Buy the song

All of Me by John Legend

This song is absolutely perfect for Soul Deep. Regan is definitely Marcus’s downfall, not to mention his “worst distraction.” Half the time he’s wondering what’s going on in her head, afraid she’s going to do something that will land her in hot water. Still, despite all her “perfect imperfections,” he risks everything to save her. These two may enjoy poking fun at each other, but when push comes to shove, Marcus and Regan are willing to put everything on the line for love.

Read the Lyrics | Buy the song 

Unconditionally by Katy Perry

This song beautifully describes the pure, tender love Angie and Adrian share in Soul Thief. Both characters have their own demons to overcome, but they accept each other wholeheartedly. From the first moment Angie lays eyes on Adrian, she sees the good in him. Adrian longs to break through Angie’s defenses and claim her heart, even though she warns him that loving her could prove dangerous. Whatever the future holds, whatever storm they may have to brave, they are determined to face it together. In fact, Adrian’s love for Angie is so powerful, that he is willing to fight any force to be with her, including time itself.

Read the lyrics | Buy the song

Let Me Go by Avril Lavigne

In Soul Chase, Adrian can’t move forward with Angie’s reincarnation, Emma, unless he lets go of the memories and guilt that plague him. He is so obsessed with holding on to the pain, that he risks losing his soul mate all over again. Emma fights for Adrian, determined to free him from the chains that bind him and make him understand that it’s okay to let go of the past and start over.  

Read the lyrics | Buy the song

A Thousand Years by Christina Perri 

I’m currently writing Cal’s story, the fourth and final installment in my Dark Souls series, and if this book is ever made into a movie, this could be its theme song. Cal has loved and mourned his wife for over five thousand years. Now, fate has seen fit to resurrect her, but Cal is unwilling to risk his mission…or his heart. Rhea is the reason he fell, the reason he damned all of mankind, and he fears if he lets her in, history will repeat itself. But her loneliness matches his own, and emotions he thought he buried ages ago keep rearing up within him. If he’s not careful, he may very well end up falling all over again.

Read the lyrics | Buy the song

Demons by Imagine Dragons

There can’t be a more perfect song to sum up my Dark Souls series than Demons by Imagine Dragons. Every word in this song is relevant, from the darkness my characters harbor inside to their overwhelming desire to protect the light in those they love. In every Dark Souls book, the hero struggles to guard the heroine from the beast hiding within him. His curse is one of darkness, but somehow, the heroine succeeds in teaching him how to go against his nature and embrace the light. It is a beautiful song, full of heart and emotion, the very things I try to infuse in each book I write.

Read the lyrics | Buy the song

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Blitz: Deep Soul (Dark Souls #2) by Anne Hope

"Save her life or save mankind. His choice could cost him his soul. "

For nearly two centuries, Marcus has been the Watchers most faithful soldier. Sworn to protect humanity, driven by an unrelenting compulsion to atone for past sins, he has rarely found a compelling reason to question his mission, let alone defy his leader.

His partner, Regan, is his exact opposite, an enigma he longs to solve. A free spirit and reckless to a fault, Regan acts first and thinks later. Her smart mouth and tender heart have fascinated Marcus for decades, but the Watchers strict vow of celibacy has forced him to ignore the sizzling attraction between them. Until now.

When Regan goes rogue to protect a very special little boy, Marcus is forced to make an impossible choice commit an act of treason or watch the woman he secretly loves die.

Hunted by enemies and allies alike, Regan and Marcus run for their lives, fighting to thwart an age-old prophecy and guard a boy whose destiny may very well be to destroy the world or save it.

Warning: Contains violent battle scenes, angels with twisted agendas, nail-biting suspense, intense emotion, burning-hot sexual tension, and a sexy, stubborn hero who would rather face death than admit what s in his heart.

Available for purchase at

            

EXCERPT

Marcus found Regan standing at the top of one of the numerous cliffs that barricaded the Watchers’ complex, staring down at the sea, her features pinched with concentration. The rain had finally stopped, but dampness still hung in the salt-laden air. A thin mist hugged her feminine figure, making moisture bead on her skin. She looked intangible, as elusive as the fog encompassing her. Regan was so strong and capable, he sometimes forgot how delicate she was.

The sight of her standing so close to the edge triggered all his protective instincts, and something else—the forbidden desire to touch. “Penny for your thoughts,” he said, burying his fists in his jacket pockets, where they wouldn't be tempted to stray.

She smiled but didn't turn to look at him. “Is that all they’re worth?”

“You drive a hard bargain. How ’bout a quarter?”

She laced her arms across her chest as the sun slowly set behind red-hued clouds. “What’s going to happen to him, Marcus?”

He didn't have to ask her who she meant. Ever since they’d found Ben cowering in that kitchen, the boy had dominated her thoughts, maybe even her heart. Marcus had never believed it was possible for their kind to love, but recently he’d been forced to revisit that assumption. He’d seen it firsthand with Jace and Lia, and now he was seeing it again with Regan. Maybe one didn't necessarily need to have a soul in order to love. Maybe just the echo of it was enough, similar to a phantom limb that continued to throb long after it was severed.

“Cal hasn't come to any decisions yet,” he told her.

A brisk breeze blew, sending her curls rioting around her face. Again, he was seized by the urge to reach out to her, to smooth back her hair, to run the pad of his thumb across her mouth.

A mouth meant to be kissed.

He gave himself a mental kick, focused his attention on the churning waves below. He had no business kissing Regan. No business even thinking about it. When he’d taken the blood vow, he’d made a conscious choice to swear off sex, same as all those who bore the Watchers’ mark.

Only Jace and Lia seemed exempt from this oath, and Marcus couldn't for the life of him figure out why. He’d seen Cal punish his followers for far less a crime. If there was one thing his leader demanded, it was absolute loyalty.

Regan picked up a pebble, then flung it over the cliff into the restless ocean. “Do you believe in destiny?”

The question took him off guard. “I’m not sure. I know Cal swears by it.”

“I didn't ask about Cal. I asked about you.” She ran her fingers through her hair, exactly as he’d imagined himself doing. “Cal’s always preaching about fate, and for the most part, I believe him. But deep down, there’s this inkling of doubt, and it gets me thinking sometimes. If everything really is preordained, what happens to free will? Does it even exist or are we just being strung along?”

“When did you go all philosophical on me?”

She inhaled deeply, drawing his attention to the gentle swell of her breasts. Ignoring the kick beneath his ribs, he looked past her, fixing his gaze on the rocky shore again.

“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve been having this feeling lately, like there’s something I’m supposed to do, but I’m not sure what that is. I only know it involves Ben. He’s important somehow.”

He’d been having the same feeling, but he refrained from telling her. The last thing he wanted was for her to grow even more obsessed with the boy. In their world, obsession and impulsiveness often spelled disaster.

“Regan, you need to trust Cal to do the right thing. You know the drill—no Watcher can deviate from the plan. If you do anything, anything that compromises the mission, you will be labeled a Rogue. And you know better than anyone how the Watchers deal with Rogues.”

They hunted them down and exterminated them. The idea of that happening to Regan tore a painful strip out of him. He’d spent too many years training her, working alongside her, fighting to keep her alive, to lose her now. Had she been capable of reading his thoughts, she would've argued that she was the one always bailing him out of trouble, and she would've been right. She’d saved him more times than he could count. They were a team, more in tune than most, able to regenerate each other with nothing more than a touch, thanks to the Watchers’ bond.

The truth was, he couldn't picture his life without her.

Losing the battle, he clasped her arms and turned her to face him. “Promise me you won’t do anything stupid.”

She tensed at his touch, inclined her head to look at him. “Define stupid.”

Those sweet-looking lips hovered inches below his, too damn appealing to ignore. Right there and then, standing at the edge of a deadly overhang ensnared by Regan’s smoky gaze, Marcus understood the precise meaning of stupidity.

He was tempted to demonstrate, but he didn't. Releasing her, he secured a safe distance between them. “Just think before you act. That’s all I ask.”

She visibly deflated, and he could’ve sworn disappointment momentarily flittered across her face. Above them, the sun’s dying rays struggled to pulse against a sky determined to suffocate them. Regan grabbed another pebble and sent it whizzing through the air with a note of finality. “Thinking is overrated.”

A bitter laugh rumbled in his throat. If he wasn't so damned disciplined, he would've agreed.

About The Author

Anne Hope is the author of emotionally intense romances with a twist—a twist of humor, a twist of suspense, a twist of magic. All her stories, however, have a common thread. Whether they make you laugh or cry or push you to the edge of your seat, they all feature the redeeming power of love and the heart's incredible ability to heal.

Anne's passion for writing began at the age of eight. After penning countless stories about enchanted houses, alien girls with supernatural powers, and children constantly getting lost in the woods, she decided to try her hand at romance. 

She lives in Montreal, Canada, with her husband, her two inexhaustible kids, a lazy cat and a rambunctious Australian Kelpie.

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