Blog Tour- WATERFELL by Amalie Howard a Playlist

Hey y’all! I have an awesome playlist from Amalie Howard today for her novel WATERFELL!

Haven’t heard of WATERFELL? Check it out!

$9.99 U.S./$11.99 CAN
ISBN: 978-0373211050
Young Adult
304 pages
Harlequin TEEN

October 29, 2013

Nerissa Marin hides among teens in her human form, waiting for the day she can claim her birthright-the undersea kingdom stolen from her the day her father was murdered. Blending in is her best weapon-until her father's betrayer confronts Nerissa and challenges her to a battle to the death on Nerissa’s upcoming birthday-the day she comes of age. 

Amid danger and the heartbreak of her missing mother, falling for a human boy is the last thing Nerissa should do. But Lo Seavon breaches her defenses and somehow becomes the only person she can count on to help her desperate search for her mother, a prisoner of Nerissa’s mortal enemy. Is Lo the linchpin that might win Nerissa back her crown? Or will this mortal boy become the weakness that destroys her?

 Now on to the playlist! I’ll share some videos of my favorites!

THE MUSICAL INSPIRATION BEHIND WATERFELL & PLAYLIST REVEAL

As part of my creative process, I create a playlist for every book that I write. I usually pick out the songs beforehand when I have a budding idea for a story, but it’s a work in progress as the story progresses. For me, the right piece of music can make a scene flow magically, whether it’s a romantic scene or an action sequence. Sometimes, I’ll have a certain song on repeat depending on the scene I’m writing. The theme song that I had on repeat for WATERFELL was Lights by Ellie Goulding.

“I had a way then losing it all on my own

I had a heart then but the queen has been overthrown

And I'm not sleeping now, the dark is too hard to beat

And I'm not keeping now the strength I need to push me

You show the lights that stop me turn to stone

You shine it when I'm alone

And so I tell myself that I'll be strong

And dreaming when they're gone

'Cause they're calling, calling, calling me home

Calling, calling, calling home”

I probably played Lights over a hundred times while writing WATERFELL. It just embodies Nerissa’s struggle of trying to run away from who she is while being pulled by an innate sense of duty. She wants nothing more than to escape her future by pretending to be human and living life without any care for anything but herself—this behavior is painfully obvious in the first few chapters of WATERFELL. 

Other songs like Stupid Girl by Garbage really helped me to get inside Nerissa’s mind—she’s very hard on herself, and she knows that she is selfish and flawed, pretending to be something she’s not: “you stupid girl, all you had you wasted.” Trust me, she’s smart enough to know that what she’s doing is wrong and isn’t who she wants to be. Going from this song to The Lonely by Christina Perri demonstrates Nerissa’s realization that she has to change: “I'm a ghost of a girl that I want to be most. I'm the shell of a girl that I used to know well.” These lyrics are incredibly profound. She’s looking at herself in the mirror and doesn’t like what she sees or who she has become.

Songs like Spitfire by Porter Robinson, Aural Psynapse by DeadMau5 and Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex embodied the fierceness and alien nature of the Aquarathi as well as the undersea world of Waterfell. Those songs were the inspiration for underwater sequences and fight scenes. And of course, there are a few romantic songs like Maybe I’m Amazed by Jem and I Love You by Sarah McLachlan that put me in the right mood to write the love scenes and underscore the intense relationship between Nerissa and Lo. Lastly, the song Arms by Christina Perri is where Nerissa realizes that she is falling in love with Lo and that she wants him to see through all her walls. Best line: “How many times will you let me change my mind and turn around? I can't decide if I'll let you save my life or if I'll drown.”

Overall, the WATERFELL playlist itself is a progression of emotions, and also the hallmark of Nerissa’s journey from a selfish alien royal who accepts human love and friendship to become the queen she was born to be. The playlist starts with Lights and end with a Bassnectar remix of Lights that has a touch of “other” to it—meaning that Nerissa has finally come full circle.

OFFICIAL WATERFELL PLAYLIST

Lights by Ellie Goulding           

Eyes Open by Taylor Swift       

Deep Blue by Arcade Fire

Underground  by Sneaker Pimps

Pieces  by Sum 41  

Stupid Girl by Garbage  

Yellow by Alex Parks      

The Lonely by Christina Perri   

You Can Go Your Own Way by Lissie        

Arms by Christina Perri  

Closer to the Edge by 30 Seconds to Mars      

Too Close by Alex Clare  

Spitfire by Porter Robinson       

Aural Psynapse (Original Mix) by Deadmau5       

Wake Up by Arcade Fire

The Reason by Hoobastank

Sink 'n Swim by Plumb  

Maybe I'm Amazed by Jem (Jaime says great remake btw!)

I Love You by Sarah McLachlan        

Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex 

Lights (Bassnectar Remix)        

Thansks so much Amalie that is an awesome playlist :D 

A rising star among young adult writers, Amalie Howard developed a loyal following after releasing her debut book, “Bloodspell,” in 2011. Now, she is returning with five new books that are sure to excite her devoted fans and catch the attention of new readers.

A bookworm from the beginning, Howard grew up on a small island in the Caribbean with her nose buried in books. When she was just 13 years old, her poem “The Candle” was published in a University of Warwick journal, marking a sign of great things to come. Howard immersed herself into other cultures, globetrotting through 22 countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. After moving to the United States, she earned a bachelor’s degree in international studies and French from Colby College in Maine. She also holds a certificate in French literature from the Ecole Normale Superieure in Paris, France. Traveling around the world, Howard has lent talents as a research assistant, marketing representative, freelance writer, teen speaker, blogger and global sales executive.

Howard is a recipient of a Royal Commonwealth Society award, an international youth writing competition. She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

Howard’s first book, “Bloodspell” (June 2011, Langdon Street Press) earned rave reviews and was named a Seventeen Magazine Summer Beach Read. Readers will hear more from Howard as she releases a pair of two-book series, “Waterfell” (November 2013, Harlequin TEEN) and “The Almost Girl” (January 2014, Strange Chemistry), as well as “Alpha Goddess” (March 2014, Skyhorse/Sky Pony Press) over the next two years.

Howard lives in New York with her husband, three children and one willful feline that she is convinced may have been a witch’s cat in a past life.

Author Website/Twitter/Facebook/Goodreads/Amazon