Exclusive Guest Post + Signed Giveaway: Laura Kaye on Hard To Come By

I’m a huge fan of romantic suspense, and of well-written sexy romance that makes me swoon delightfully . The Hard Ink series by New York Times bestselling author Laura Kaye is that perfect combination of sexy and heart, suspense and action! Her latest release, Hard To Come By is all about Derek DiMarzio, who is one of the men in the super-hot, super-skilled ex-Special Forces team on a quest to restore their honor. I’m so excited to host Laura Kaye today, as she talks about the musical inspiration behind this novel.

• Related Posts: My review of Hard As It Gets (#1), Love In Suspense: Interview with Laura Kaye and K.A. Tucker

Synopsis

Caught between desire and loyalty…

Derek DiMarzio would do anything for the members of his disgraced Special Forces team—sacrifice his body, help a former teammate with a covert operation to restore their honor, and even go behind enemy lines. He just never expected to want the beautiful woman he found there.

When a sexy stranger asks questions about her brother, Emilie Garza is torn between loyalty to the brother she once idolized and fear of the war-changed man he’s become. Derek’s easy smile and quiet strength tempt Emilie to open up, igniting the desire between them and leading Derek to crave a woman he shouldn’t trust.

As the team’s investigation reveals how powerful their enemies are, Derek and Emilie must prove where their loyalties lie before hearts are broken and lives are lost. Because love is too hard to come by to let slip away…

Laura Kaye’s Guest Post

The Musical Inspiration Behind Hard to Come By

I’m very excited to be here today to celebrate the release of my new book, Hard to Come By! This book is part of my super sexy and suspenseful Hard Ink series about the surviving members of an Army Special Forces unit investigating the suspicious circumstances that got them dishonorably discharged from the military. Hard to Come By is about amputee hero and team techie Derek “Marz” DiMarzio, who finds himself falling for the sister of one of their known enemies.

For every book I write, I find one main musical inspiration – something that well reflects the characters or mood or atmosphere or tone of the story. And I listen to that song on repeat over and over again for the entire book. For Hard to Come By, that song was Blurry, by Puddle of Mudd.

For this song, the melancholy and angsty tone of the music represented how the hero felt to me in my head. And the driving beat of it reflected the pace of the book, which is pretty much a non-stop thriller. But there were also lines of the book that served to inspire the characters, the romantic relationship, and even certain scenes.

Everything’s so blurry

and everyone’s so fake

and everybody’s empty

and everything is so messed up…

The opening stanza of the song reflects a lot about the situation that Marz and the team find themselves in at the start of Hard to Come By. Nothing’s clear, and they have more questions than answers. And the stakes are higher than ever.

You could be my someone

You could be my scene

You know that I’ll protect you

From all of the obscene.

I wonder what you’re doing

imagine where you are

there’s oceans in between us

but that’s not very far.

This felt a lot to me like how Marz felt about Emilie throughout a lot of the book. Finding solace in her, despite the fact that he didn’t know if she was trustworthy. Wanting to protect her from the dangerous activity in which her brother was engaged, because his instincts told him she wasn’t involved, even though he didn’t have proof. Thinking he couldn’t have her because of all of that, but wanting her anyway. There was a lot of push and pull in their feelings and the progress of their relationship. And then it goes on to say:

‘Cause I am lost without you

I cannot live at all

my whole world surrounds you

I stumble then I crawl.

This felt like that moment in the book when Marz realizes he’s become emotionally invested, but knows the lies he was forced to tell her may ruin everything.
And then the song ends on this note:

You take it all

You take it all away…

This pain you gave to me

You take it all away.

And that’s exactly what Marz—a man no one ever claimed—finds in Emilie’s arms.

I also included Sam Smith’s Stay With Me, which I listened to in the weeks before I started writing Hard to Come By. The first verse and chorus are so where Marz is at emotionally, and especially with his need to belong:

Guess it’s true, I’m not good at a one-night stand

But I still need love ‘cause I’m just a man

These nights never seem to go to plan

I don’t want you to leave, will you hold my hand?

Oh, won’t you stay with me?

‘Cause you’re all I need.

This ain’t love, it’s clear to see

But darling, stay with me.

If you’ve read the book, do these songs relate to the book for you? And how does music inspire you? Thanks for reading!

Laura Kaye

Reading Order and Purchase Links

Follow along with the four other blogs on this tour!

About Laura Kaye

Laura is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over twenty books in contemporary and paranormal romance and romantic suspense. Growing up, Laura’s large extended family believed in the supernatural, and family lore involving angels, ghosts, and evil-eye curses cemented in Laura a life-long fascination with storytelling and all things paranormal. She lives in Maryland with her husband, two daughters, and cute-but-bad dog, and appreciates her view of the Chesapeake Bay every day.

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