Love, Music, Madness by Tabitha Rhys Blitz & Giveaway

Love, Music, Madness 

Tabitha Rhys 

Published by: Soul Mate Publishing

Publication date: April 25th 2018

Genres: Contemporary, New Adult

Songwriting partners Lawson Harper and Jessa Warlow’s musical ambitions are derailed when their so-called relationship ends disastrously. However, neither Lawson nor Jessa are willing to give up on the album’s worth of soul-searing songs they wrote together—songs they’re sure are good enough to change both their lives.

Will the chemistry that fuels their creativity drive them to make the record of a lifetime, or only to absolute madness?

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BOOK TRAILER:

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EXCERPT:

I opened up the program Tim favored and selected a file I had created in the days since our meeting at Musso. A slamming four-on-the-floor beat filled the room. It was a simple starter beat I’d created for the first song Jessa and I had written together, from scratch.

Jessa turned to me, chin cocked, guitar at the ready. “What do I do?”

“Play Estrella. Jump in whenever you’re comfortable.”

Jesse took a deep breath and began to strum. In no time, she was locked into the beat. Clearly, she hadn’t abandoned our songs the way I had. She wasn’t rusty in the least.

When Jessa added her vocals, I shivered. I’d forgotten how full and warm her voice was. How it rattled with just a touch of gravel on the high notes. I had also forgotten just how good our songs were. All through the cold Gunther winter, Jessa and I had altered them and played them back over and over, making sure the flow was just right. The arc. The mood.

While Jessa strummed and sang, I made adjustments to the beat. I switched up the bass tone so it was even more thudding and added a ghostly echo to the snare. At first, I wasn’t sure how to approach the toms, but I ended up dialing them back by removing a few hits from the loop.

By the time Jessa hit the bridge, I was just listening. Layered over the beat, her voice took on a haunting quality. The result really was just as I’d imagined. A strange, but synergistic juxtaposition.

After Jessa’s last note, I hit the spacebar and halted the beat.

In the sudden silence, Jessa’s eyes widened. “Lawson. I can hardly believe it. That was our song. But it was so much more.” She shook her head.

“Should we try out a few more options? You know, keep searching for our sound?”

“Searching for our sound? Lawson, we just found it . . .”

Q&A

You used to tour as an indie musician. How much of the book is based on your experiences?

Although I have plenty of tour stories that I’ll tell someday, none of the situations in Love, Music, Madness actually happened. In fact, I started writing stories about early versions of the main characters before I ever wrote a song or performed on-stage. The characters have been with me so long that they feel like friends, especially the protagonist Lawson and his fellow songwriter Jessa. While I was on the road, I’d imagine their adventures while I was trying to get to sleep after a show in a strange place. In a way, their world was an escape. At the same time, I drew from my experiences making music throughout Love, Music, Madness. That’s how I was able to describe what it feels like to build a song from the ground up, get in sync with another musician, and, yes, feel inspired by somebody who might just be bad for you.

What was it like playing music on the road?

It was amazing! I poured out my heart at every show and got rid of some personal demons. Music for me at that time was cathartic, even healing. I also saw a lot of the United States and met fascinating people. I’ve heard it said that going on tour as an indie musician means looking at the inside of a bar or club every night and not much more. That wasn’t the case for me. I used couchsurfing.com to find hosts and stayed with generous, hospitable locals who gave me a proper introduction to the cities and towns I stayed in. I ate barbeque in Memphis, hiked along the crater lakes in Oregon, tasted wine at a festival in Sonoma County, and so much more.

You acted in your book trailer. 

How did you decide to take on the role of the main character’s sometimes-love interest, Jessa Warlow?

I’m not an actor and Jessa is very different from me. And yet, I felt like I could play her simply because I “know” her so well. Believe it or not, I invented her in middle school. She was the main character of many of my stories back then, mostly because I liked that she was bold and unshakable while I was timid and sensitive. Wardrobe helped with playing her too. To get Jessa’s look, I just skipped over my usual jeans and dug out the dresses in the back of my closet.

What is the song we hear in the background of your book trailer?

It’s called “California.” I wrote and recorded it especially for the trailer with my husband’s band, Stereium. We tried to make it sound like the songs I describe in the book. That, in itself, was an adventure.

Author Bio:

Tabitha Rhys is a writer and mom with a passion for music, misfits, and subculture. She grew up in the Philadelphia suburbs and now resides in Riverside, CA with her husband and son.

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