Author A.K. Morgen's Songs of Destruction: FALL's Playlist!

I always love having author A.K. Morgen on the blog and today she's back with her new Upper YA/New Adult paranormal romance as well as giving us the playlist for Songs of Destruction:  FALL's Playlist! 

FALL - The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two
A.K. Morgen
 
 
Genre: Upper YA/New Adult Paranormal Romance
Publisher: Tirgearr Publishing
 
 
Summary:

How do you save someone who doesn't want to be saved?
 
Those called to stand guard against the end are broken, and Sköll and Hati run free. Now Arionna Jacobs and Dace Matthews face a threat unlike any before. Ragnarök is coming and they aren't strong enough to stop it.
 
Arionna thought she understood sacrifice, but she never counted on her destiny tearing Dace apart. Ever since she nearly died, he has been consumed with guilt. Now it threatens to turn him into the monster he always feared.
 
It's up to Arionna to stop him before it's too late, but the path to hell is paved with good intentions, and Dace is hurtling toward self-destruction. This time, Arionna isn't sure she can save him from himself.
 
Can she convince him to let the past go, or is her true destiny to sacrifice her heart in exchange for the lives of the people she loves?
 
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Excerpt
 
Dace nuzzled his cold face into my neck, planting little kisses everywhere he could reach.
 
I love seeing you like this, I said.
 
Hmm?
 
Happy. I tilted my head to the side to allow him better access to my neck. I loved when he kissed me like this. Like he couldn't be this close to me without having his hands and lips on me.
 
I am happy. You make me happy.
 
Gage leaned down to whisper something to Chelle. She looked out over the field, frowned, and then whispered something back to him, too low for me to hear. Gage responded, causing her to shake her head. Her frown deepened.
 
I followed her gaze with mine and had to bite back the urge to groan.
 
Ronan stood across the quad, his long hair blowing in the brisk wind.
 
Why is he here?
 
I asked him to come, Dace said.
 
"Why?" I demanded aloud.
 
Some of the girls around us turned in my direction.
 
"Shit," I cursed under my breath. I would remind everyone I was within gawking distance. I arched a brow in a pointed, unspoken request.
 
They hurriedly averted their gazes, opting instead to cast furtive glances over their shoulders at us.
 
Behave, please. Dace continued nuzzling my neck, trying to distract me.
 
I closed my eyes and leaned back into him again, doing my best to ignore the renewed interest of my former classmates. They weren't only curious about me. They were just as curious about Dace, the gorgeous TA who had never dated a student before me. Didn't help, though. I didn't like the attention.
 
Why's Ronan here? I asked.
 
To help keep an eye on things.
 
Dace sucked at lying. Or maybe I'd gotten better at picking up on the things he didn't say. Whatever the case, he wasn't being honest with me. I heard it in the half-second pause before he answered. Felt it in the way his body tensed for a moment before he relaxed again.
 
I'm not lying.
 
You're not telling the whole truth, either.
 
I am.
 
Geri? I pushed my thoughts out toward the wolf. If he knew what Dace was plotting, he'd fill me in. Wolves didn't keep secrets.
 
Geri stirred.
 
Dammit, Arionna. Dace nipped gently at my skin with his teeth, a little punishment for defying him, and a little reward for defying him. The boy was nothing if not complicated.
 
"Tell me," I said, turning my face into his.
 
He's here to see if he can root out Sköll or Hati.
 
I froze, my heart jumping.
 
We don't know if they're here, Dace said, trying to ease my mind.
 
It didn't work.
 
He didn't know for sure, but he suspected the demon wolves were here. And why wouldn't he? Whoever they were, they knew where he worked, where I went to school. They knew exactly where to find us the day they attacked, right down to our schedules. Of course, they were here somewhere. What I didn't understand was why Dace was here.
 
If he expected Sköll and Hati to show up, why did he willingly let me, Chelle, and Beth come here?
 
Because you're safe here.
 
So he hoped.
 
I won't let anything happen to you again.
 
I sighed, things beginning to fall into place in my mind.
 
Dace wouldn't let any of us leave the house without a guard, but he had no such qualms about putting Ronan in danger. Sköll and Hati had to know Dace would be too busy keeping an eye on me, Chelle, and Beth to spare any attention for anyone else today. No one would be watching Ronan's back, making him an easy target. All the twin wolves had to do was separate him from the crowd, and no one would ever know.
 
That's why we were really here today. Not because we needed a break or because Dace was actually trying, but for this. So Ronan could do what Dace wouldn't let me do and act as bait.
 
We couldn't even get away from the apocalypse for a single afternoon.
 
The damn thing followed us everywhere went.
 
About the Author:
 
A.K. Morgen is the Amazon Bestselling author of the Ragnarök Prophesies series. She lives in the heart of Arkansas with her childhood sweetheart/husband of sixteen years and their furry minions. When not writing, she spends her time hiking, reading, volunteering, causing mischief, and building a Spork army.
 
She graduated summa cum laude with her Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and Forensic Psychology in 2009 before going on to complete her graduate degree in CJ and Law.
 
She puts her education to use as a 911 Dispatch Supervisor, where she's responsible for leading a team of dispatchers as they watch over police, EMS, and firefighters for her county.

Ayden also writes steamy romantic suspense under the penname Ayden K. Morgen. You can visit her online at http://akmorgen.com or at the links below.
 
Facebook: http://facebook.com/akmorgen1
Twitter: http://twitter.com/akmorgen
Instagram: http://instagram.com/aydenmorgen
Newsletter: https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/k8v9e2
Tirgearr Publishing: http://www.tirpub.com/akmorgen
AllAuthor: http://akmorgen.allauthor.com/

Songs of Destruction:  FALL's Playlist by A.K. Morgen

Music is such a big source of inspiration for me. I wrote FALL (The Ragnarök Prophesies: Book Two) over the course of a year way back in 2012-2013. When prepping it to republish this year, I considered coming up with a whole new playlist as I worked my way through edits. But I quickly found that the original playlist I created way back then was already exactly what I needed for this story. 

In FALL, we see this struggle unfolding between Arionna Jacobs and Dace Matthews (our apocalypse stopping heroine and hero) where they both have their own ideas on what's best for everyone. They end up clashing over those differences of opinion and reacting to this added element of angst in their relationship in some pretty intense ways at times. As a result, this created a sort of dark, melancholy tone for FALL in places.

I'm not exactly a dark and melancholy kind of person, so it was critical that I found music that captured that feeling while writing or it simply wouldn't have worked. Luckily, there was an endless supply of music out there that really captures the more angsty parts of FALL, so I had a lot of good choices.

Revisiting them again while editing was, surprisingly, a lot of fun. I hadn't heard some of these in a few years, so it was really nice to queue them up and remember why it fit so well.

Here are some of my favorite angst-ridden songs from FALL's playlists.

 • Letters From The Sky - The Civil Wars - This song so perfectly captures Ari and Dace's relationship, and the whole hopeful yet melancholy apocalypse theme of the series, I added it to the list the first time I heard it.

• Closer - Burn Season - This song reminds me so much of Dace at times. He's so screwed up, and yet so amazingly good at the same time, I always feel a little sad for him.

• Maybe Tomorrow – Stereophonics – I can't think of any other song that says so much with so little. It's sad, it's hopeful, and just all around powerful. 

• All Falls Down – Adelita's Way - This song was an early favorite. I love it for Ronan, who we see a lot more of in FALL, and really start getting to know. It also perfectly captures some of the darkest points of the entire Ragnarök series.  

• Radioactive - Imagination Dragons – This song has such a great feel to it. There's that apocalyptic vibe, and then that self-loathing vibe, and then underneath all of that is the story of an awakening or desire to change. We see a little of each in FALL. 

• Always – Saliva – This is one of my all-time favorite pissed off songs. It's so spot on when it comes to that "breaking point" of relationship angst. I rocked it a time or five. 

• One More Night - Maroon 5 – This is another great dysfunctional relationship song. Plus, I don't know anyone who can make dysfunction sound as hot as Adam Levine does.
• Hold it Against Me – Sam Tsui – Speaking of hot, I love, love, love Sam Tsui's cover of this song. It's so raw and lovely at the same time. There's a specific scene in FALL where this song fit perfectly. 

• Tears of an Angel – Ryandan – If I had to pick a single song to listen to while writing the entire Ragnarök Prophesies series, this song would be it. It's haunting, beautiful, sad, hopeful, and just all around amazing.