Guest Post: Hushed author: Kelley York (Blog Tour)

Hushed is available from Entangled Publishing!

Synopsis: He’s saved her. He’s loved her. He’s killed for her.

Eighteen-year-old Archer couldn’t protect his best friend, Vivian, from what happened when they were kids, so he’s never stopped trying to protect her from everything else. It doesn’t matter that Vivian only uses him when hopping from one toxic relationship to another—Archer is always there, waiting to be noticed.

Then along comes Evan, the only person who’s ever cared about Archer without a single string attached. The harder he falls for Evan, the more Archer sees Vivian for the manipulative hot-mess she really is.

But Viv has her hooks in deep, and when she finds out about the murders Archer’s committed and his relationship with Evan, she threatens to turn him in if she doesn’t get what she wants… And what she wants is Evan’s death, and for Archer to forfeit his last chance at redemption.

Doing guest posts is fun, but it's especially exciting when I'm asked to talk about something I absolutely love—and something I love? Music. HUSHED has its very own play list that inspired various scenes. Some are songs I put on repeat for two, three hours at a time while I hacked away at a chapter, needing it to fuel on the mood I was trying to achieve. I do this with all my stories. My play lists tend to be constant works-in-progress, never really being complete. (Because even now, sometimes I'll hear a song and thing--"Oh, wow, that works for HUSHED." Onto the play list it goes. But I do always keep a list of songs I actually used while writing, because those were the songs that helped me make it through the story. I won't throw my entire play list at you, but I thought I'd share a few of the most important songs that played a huge part in shaping HUSHED and its characters.

Splender - Spin





"You had a hard day of pushing me away, please don't push, I fall easily" This song has been a favorite of mine for many years, so the fact it fit for Archer and Vivian and gave me an excuse (as though I needed one) to listen to it on repeat? Pretty awesome. So much of the lyrics fit them exactly. "You're not there, and I don't want you back."

Safetysuit - Life Left to Go




"Alone as you walk through a crowd and it's awkward like nobody sees, and you can't help but wonder, would anyone come after you if you'd leave?" One of the quieter songs on the play list would naturally be one from Evan's point of view. Everything about Evan is softer, gentler, and calmer than Archer's erratic and often frantic mindset. "And the failures you see, don't seem failures to me here at all" sums up Evan and Archer's relationship so perfectly.


Death Cab for Cutie - What Sarah Said




"Amongst the vending machines and year-old magazines, in a place where we only say goodbye" In HUSHED, there's one very specific moment that I would say is the absolute turning point of everything. Archer's feelings, Evan's, Vivian's. The defining moment takes place in a hospital, a little less than halfway through the book. (If you've read it, you know what one I'm talking about...right?)


Limp Bizkit ft. Chester Bennington - All That Easy (I Wish)




"In the clouds, all the grey, I'll stay if you go away" I know, I know. Limp Bizkit?? I'm not a fan of their stuff (though I do love Chester), but this song, for as short as it is, blows me away. In a minute and a half it captures everything about Archer in melody that I tried to capture with words on a page. Muted, melancholic, disjointed, and haunting. I love my play lists!

Thanks so much for letting me share a few songs. Enjoy the music.

'Kelley York delivers in this impressive debut. I was at the edge of my seat waiting to see what would happen next! Bottom line, this was unputdownable!!!' --- YA Fantasy Guide ---

Kelley's Bio:

Kelley was born and raised in central California, where she still resides with her lovely wife, daughter, and an abundance of pets. (Although she does fantasize about moving across the globe to Ireland.) She has afascination with bells, adores all things furry - be them squeaky, barky or meow-y - is a lover of video games, manga and anime, and likes to pretend she's a decent photographer. Her life goal is to find a real unicorn. Or maybe a mermaid.

Within young adult, she enjoys writing and reading a variety of genres from contemporary with a unique twist, psychological thrillers, paranormal/urban fantasy and horror. She loves stories where character development takes center stage.

Find Kelley Online:

Website/Blog | Twitter | Facebook

Purchase Hushed Online:

Amazon | Barnes and Noble

Thank you SO much for stopping by today Kelley! It was great to hear all about some of the music you were inspired by while reading Hushed. I really enjoyed hearing all about it. Also thank you to Stacey at Entangled Publishing for asking me to be part of this tour.

*I am not compensated at all for any of the links within this post.