Author Archives: Susan Illene

About Susan Illene

Susan Illene served in the US Army for eleven years and worked as a human resources specialist and an Arabic linguist. She served two deployments to Iraq, and after leaving the army, she studied history at the University of Oklahoma. She currently lives with her husband and two sons.

Playlist for Darkness Taunts

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I know some people are interested in what music an author plays to help inspire them while writing a novel. For anyone who wants to know which songs I’ve been listening to as I make my way through Darkness Taunts, the list is below. It’s a rather eclectic mix of genres because I like a little of everything.

Do keep in mind that not all of them relate to the story, but help set a tone for a scene. A few have key lines that resonate with me while the song itself doesn’t actually fit. Some do not pertain to the main character, Melena, but to other characters and their side stories.

They are in no particular order and all song titles are linked to iTunes:

1) Savin’ Me by Nickelback

Favorite lines-

“Heaven’s gates won’t open up for me, with these broken wings I’m fallin’”

2) How You Remind Me by Nickelback

3) All You Wanted by Michelle Branch

4) Always by Bon Jovi

5) Gotta Be Somebody by Nickelback

6) It Matters to Me by Faith Hill

Favorite line-

“Baby tell me where’d you ever learn to fight without saying a word.”

7) Skinny Love by Birdy

Favorite lines-

“Who will love you? Who will fight?
And who will fall, far behind?”

8) You Belong With Me by Taylor Swift

9) No Surprise by Daughtry

Favorite lines-

“There’s nothing here in this heart left to borrow. There’s nothing here in this soul left to say.”

10) No Love by Eminem (featuring Lil Wayne)

Favorite lines-

“I don’t go around fire expecting not to sweat.”

11) Not Afraid by Eminem

12) Tourniquet by Evanescence

13) Love the Way You Lie by Eminem and Rihanna

14) Too close by Alex Clare

Favorite line-

“And it feels like I am just too close to love you.”

(Love the beat to this song and it fits a very specific scene)

15) No Church in the Wild by Kayne West and Jay Z (feat. Frank Ocean)

16) Down by Jason Walker

17) In the End by Linkin Park

18) Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner

19) You Make Me Sick by Pink

(This is actually the ringtone I use for when my husband calls, but it works for the book too)

20) Naseny El Donia (Translation- Make me forget the world) by Ragheb Alama

Darkness Haunts updates

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I’ve been working hard on writing Darkness Taunts. It’s turning out even better than I expected. I hope to put out an excerpt in the next month or two for those who are interested as well as the official synopsis. It will take place in Alaska again, though parts of the story will be in Juneau this time. If you have any particular questions, check out the FAQ page. The answers may be there or you can feel free to ask.

The giveaway on Goodreads was a great success. I was really pleased with the turnout. 871 people entered, though only three could win signed paperback copies. I’m in the process of mailing those out to the winners this week. If any of them are reading this, I’ll be messaging them soon with the shipping number so they can track their packages.

For those who didn’t win in the giveaway or are just hearing about the novel, I am offering a chance to get a free ebook copy (Kindle or Nook). All you have to do is leave a comment below with the following information:

1) Tell me where you first heard about Darkness Haunts.

2) List your three favorite paranormal/urban fantasy authors.

Make sure you enter a valid email address in the field where it asks for one. On March 20th I’ll conduct a drawing to select three random people who will receive copies. If there is a large enough turn-out, I may even increase the number who can win. Don’t worry if your comment doesn’t show up right away, I’ll approve it within a few hours and it will count as an entry.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Darkness Haunts is available in paperback…plus a giveaway!

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As of yesterday, Darkness Haunts is available on Amazon. You can see the design used for the full jacket copy of the novel below. I’m excited with how it turned out!

For those who want the hard copy version, you can purchase the novel here or you can try for a chance to win one of three signed copies on Goodreads (US, Canada, UK only). The contest is open until March 5th. The widget below will take you there, but you must be a member of the site in order to enter.

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