Shudder Blog Tour: Guest Post

Shudder by Samantha Durante 
Release Date: June 15, 2013
Synopsis: 
It’s only been three days, and already everything is different.

Paragon is behind her, but somehow Alessa’s life may actually have gotten worse. In a wrenching twist of fate, she traded the safety and companionship of her sister for that of her true love, losing a vital partner she’d counted on for the ordeal ahead. Her comfortable university life is but a distant memory, as she faces the prospect of surviving a bleak winter on the meager remains of a ravaged world. And if she’d thought she’d tasted fear upon seeing a ghost, she was wrong; now she’s discovering new depths of terror while being hunted by a deadly virus and a terrifying pack of superhuman creatures thirsting for blood.

And then there are the visions.

The memory-altering “stitch” unlocked something in Alessa’s mind, and now she can’t shake the constant flood of alien feelings ransacking her emotions. Haunting memories of an old flame are driving a deep and painful rift into her once-secure relationship. And a series of staggering revelations about the treacherous Engineers – and the bone-chilling deceit shrouding her world’s sorry history – will soon leave Alessa reeling…

The second installment in the electrifying Stitch Trilogy, Shudder follows Samantha Durante’s shocking and innovative debut with a heart-pounding, paranormal-dusted dystopian adventure sure to keep the pages turning.

Find/Buy the Book:

Amazon 
http://www.amazon.com/Shudder-Stitch-Trilogy-Book-ebook/dp/B00DE3MQDE/
Barnes & Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/shudder-samantha-durante/1115766383
Smashwords 
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/322553

Meet The Author:

Samantha Durante lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband, Sudeep, and her cat, Gio. Formerly an engineer at Microsoft, Samantha left the world of software in 2010 to pursue her entrepreneurial dreams and a lifelong love of writing. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania’s Jerome Fisher Program in Management & Technology, Samantha is currently working full time for her company Medley Media Associates as a freelance business writer and communications consultant. The Stitch Trilogy is her debut series. Learn more about Samantha at www.samanthadurante.com/ 






Guest Post:

On Music and Writing by Samantha Durante, Author of the Stitch Trilogy

For a lot of writers, music is a huge part of their craft.  They use it as inspiration for their story, motivation for a difficult scene, a living breathing backdrop to the imaginative world they’re weaving.  And I love music as much as the next person, but for me… writing and music are like oil and water.  They just don’t mix.

<Ducking for cover, as I’m sure a lot of you believe that last statement to be sacrilege.>

I know a lot of readers are just as into mixing music and books as writers are.  I’ve gotten countless interview questions about playlists to accompany my books, what music I listen to when I write, what songs inspired which scenes.  But every time I’m asked one of these questions, I have to disappoint.  I’m just not into this whole music+writing craze.

I know, I know.  I sound like a scrooge.  I’m sorry.  I understand where you’re coming from, I do.  Believe me, I watch a lot of movies and TV shows, and I know how absolutely essential music is to building the mood and setting up a scene.  (Nothing brought the beloved Harry Potter series to life for me quite like the enchanting music that debuted with the movies!)  But for some reason, when it comes to my own writing and my own stories, I just can’t seem to wrap my head around putting music to the words.

I think maybe on one level it’s because I just like music *too much* – if a song I like is playing, I can’t help but sing the words along in my head, if not aloud.  And the problem is, when I’m writing I need to do the same thing – I need to hear my voice in my head composing the story, and I just can’t do that with classic Backstreet Boys lyrics competing for volume in my brain.  (Uhhh… I mean… I listen to good music, promise!)

But the flip side of this handicap is that I’m able to appreciate readers’ thoughts on music and my books with a clear and unbiased mind.  I LOVE to hear what readers have to say about which songs they think would make the perfect soundtrack to my books, what music brings the story to life for them, what tracks are playing in their head as they experience each scene.

So if you have any suggestions, let me know!  Hopefully with your input, the next time I’m asked about a Stitch Trilogy playlist, I’ll have a good answer to share.  :-)

I hope you all enjoyed learning about Shudder and reading the guest post! I'm so excited to read this series! Be sure to check out the rest of the blog tour! http://www.samanthadurante.com/2013-shudder-blog-tour-schedule/