To celebrate the paperback release of Shattered Souls it is my pleasure to welcome Mary Lindsey to Book Angel Booktopia today with this months Song of the Month.

Title: Shattered Souls
Series: Souls #1
Author: Mary Lindsey
Publisher: Speak
Publication Date: 6 Dec 2012

Synopsis from Goodreads

Lenzi hears voices and has visions – gravestones, floods, a boy with steel gray eyes. Her boyfriend, Zak, can’t help, and everything keeps getting louder and more intense. Then Lenzi meets Alden, the boy from her dreams, who reveals that she’s a reincarnated Speaker – someone who can talk to and help lost souls – and that he has been her Protector for centuries.

Now Lenzi must choose between her life with Zak and the life she is destined to lead with Alden. But time is running out: a malevolent spirit is out to destroy Lenzi, and he will kill her if she doesn’t make a decision soon.

Shattered Souls was inspired a photograph from the Great Storm of 1900, but the song, “Death Came and Got Me,” by Rosie Thomas, defined the protagonist and atmosphere of the book. I don’t recall how I came across it, but the mood and lyrics really matched Lenzi Arnold’s initial outlook on her life. The hopelessness made me ache. The lyrics are as follows:

“Death Came and Got Me”

I can’t
I can’t stop crying
Every day I’m so afraid
Afraid of dying

 Death already came and got me
Cause I’m not living
I’m not living anyway

And who am I supposed to be?
Everybody seems to see except for me
Who cares anyway?
Cuz when it’s over it’s all over
And what you gained you throw away

 When will love ever find me?
All my life all I have craved is to be seen
Who cares anyway?
Cuz when it’s over all that matters is the love you gave away

Since the song is pretty obscure, here’s a fan posted video:

I love the old, tinny-sounding piano and the overlapped voice effect, reminiscent of my main character’s past lives.

The complete Shattered Souls playlist can be found here along with lines from the book: http://marylindsey.com/shattered_souls/playlist.php

Thank you so much, Emma, for having me on your blog today!