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?

Goodreads / Amazon

—

99¢ today only!

—

BOOK TRAILER:

—

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.

Website / Goodreads / Facebook / Twitter

GIVEAWAY!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Book Review for American Girl on Saturn by Nikki Godwin

American Girl on Saturn

By: Roberta Capizzi

  4 stars

Reviewed by:Tonya
Format:Kindle

Published: Nikki Godwin
Source:Purchased Gene: Young Adult/Contemporary

About Book

The summer after graduation is supposed to be that first real taste of freedom - but not for eighteen-year-old Chloe Branson. Just as that breeze of freedom is making its way into her galaxy, her secret-service-agent dad drops a meteor-sized bomb of bad news on her and her sisters. An attempt has been made on the lives of Canadian boyband, Spaceships Around Saturn, during their USA tour, and the guys have to go into hiding ASAP. The only problem? In the midst of the crisis and media frenzy, their dad volunteered to hide the guys...in their house.

Six-year-old Emery is as ecstatic as any self-proclaimed Saturnite would be, but Chloe and her seventeen-year-old sister Aralie watch their summer plans crash and burn like a falling star. The SAS guys aren't happy with the situation, either. Bad boy Jules picks fights with Aralie about everything from his Twitter followers to his laundry, and heart-throb Benji can't escape Emery's fangirlisms for more than three minutes.

But after the super-cute Milo kisses Chloe during a game of hide-and-seek, she finally understands what Emery means when she talks about SAS being "out of this world." If this is what Saturn feels like, Chloe doesn't want to come back to Earth.


My Thoughts

Two teenage sisters being put on lockdown in their home with a boy band that their 5 year old sister is just head over heals with – now that is summer torture if I ever heard of it. Okay well maybe not completely. I mean when they finally meet the band and oh that hottie Milo (okay, okay I know he is only 20 but come on I was young once lol). I found myself laughing throughout almost this entire book. Especially all the antics and stuff that 5 year old Emery puts the adorable Benji “Bikini” Baccarini through. That poor guy can’t get a break from her infatuation but does an awesome job handling her.

And I found a new description for the smell of cigarette smoke “crushed ladybugs” LOL leave it to a 5 year old. Or what about describing guys as colored scarves so your little sister doesn't catch on. Joke was on Aralie and Chloe on that one, never assume because they are 5 they don’t know what is going on – boy does she out everyone and the fall out is absolutely comical I laughed so hard thank goodness I was on my lunch break.

I give the author props on this one for taking a boy band, girlfanatic child, teenage girls and all the works and including someone out to maybe hurt one of the band members and a summer of being locked up under one roof to bring out the drama on both a girls side and guys side. Oh boy it was fun reading these guys. Milo ever so mature and serious (but a real hottie), Jules another cutie but the bad boy of the bunch (or so you think). Noah always a wise comeback and great best friend for a girl, or Tate now that one is just funny loves to always say it was “someone else” ROFL. Tate and Noah though great cover guys those two.

This is an absolutely phenomenal Young Adult book with a look into the lives of a family full of girls being forced into lockdown with an internationally famous pop band and all the sacrifices and changes they have to go through, and the realizations that they come to. Blossoming romances, torturous little sisters and just down right humor. A+++ for this book. I even sort of hope there is another one I would love to see what becomes of Aralie and Jules and of course Chloe and Milo.