Ok, we’re at Thursday evening and I’ve been chasing my tail all week, trying to get myself up to date and organised to write and post this week’s blog.
Not happening…. there are only so many hours in a day. There are only so many post-work hours in a day too. (Yes, I work full time in the “salt mine”.)
It’s this blog that has been stealing my time for the past week…sorry. Call it research for future book babies. 😉
Confession…I’ve been to three gigs in the past week which meant three lots of photos to edit and three gig reviews to write and type plus for two of them there were videos to upload to You Tube too.
So, having been out three times in a week and then spending the remaining time writing up those shows, I really haven’t had time to come up with a proper blog for on here this week.
There nearly wasn’t a blog post this week…. a certain diminutive green haired teenager has been taking up all my spare time. Yes, you guessed it- Riley!
Some of you might have noticed that I shared my pre-order links for the e-book edition of Riley a couple of weeks ago but I’ll let you in on a secret…. Riley still looks pretty much like the picture above. Yes…I’m still typing furiously to get it all done. There’s about 3000 words still to be typed so not too much.
I’m also in the thick of proofreading and editing. My wonderful Infamous Five have been reading and giving me their feedback for the past few weeks. I seriously couldn’t do it without the love and support of those guys. Things are on track though so all is well…so far.
I put the feelers out this week to some book bloggers to see if they would be interested in receiving an eARC copy mid-October and reviewing Riley for their own blogs/websites. So far so good on that front too. If you are a book blogger and are interested in reviewing Riley then please drop me a message in the comments below.
There is one aspect of this tale that I do want to be transparent about right from the start. This book differs slightly from my previous book babies. I’ve included a scene of self-harm. There is also a smattering of social media bullying woven into the tale. (Trying not give any spoilers here) I wholly appreciate that these are sensitive topics and could put some readers off but I didn’t want to hide them and accidentally cause anyone distress. That is not my intention here.
I hope once you get your copy of Riley safely downloaded to your kindle or the Amazon courier delivers your paperback copy that you fall in love with this young lady as much as I have. Sometimes as an author you create a character that steals a piece of your heart. Riley is one of those…well to me anyway. I’ll let you make your own minds up in due course.
I’ve set myself the realistic target of 25 ebook pre-orders. Sorry to those who prefer a physical copy, there’s no pre-order available. So far as I type this, I’m at 7. So, if you’d like to pre-order, the links are below.
I’ll love you and leave you here for now. Work to be done to ensure Riley looks like the photo below by 18 November 2022!
When will Riley be released? …. That’s been the question from many of you.
As today’s my birthday, it seemed like as good a day as any to answer that question.
And the answer is…… 18th November 2022
There will be pre-order details for the kindle edition available nearer the time.
And to keep you going until 18 November, here’s another little sneak peek inside.
“I have one last song for you,” began Riley. “I hope you’ve enjoyed yourselves tonight. I’d like to say a few thank yous. Huge thanks to Dr Marrs, to the guys from Silver Lake, to my record label, to each and every one of you for making tonight magical. This really is a dream come true. A Firefly Dream. I have one final extra special huge thank you for Garrett for hosting this party and for giving me a chance, a job and a home. Garrett, I love you.”
As the cheers died out, Riley continued, “This last song was inspired in this very place. I’d never seen a real four-poster bed before Garrett invited me to stay here. You can work out the rest of the story. Folks, it’s been amazing. I’m going to leave you with Jumping On The Bed.”
The light-hearted song was the perfect choice to end the show with and left everyone in a buoyant mood as the lights came back up and the caterers began to circulate with trays of drinks and canapes. Not quite sure what to do, Riley stayed in the alcove tidying up her guitars and her lyrics folder. Suddenly, she felt two strong arms wrap round her. The hint of a familiar exotic spicy aftershave tickled her nose. Without a second’s thought, she spun round and wrapped herself round Todd.
“You were sensational, girl!” he declared before kissing the top of her head. “Awesome set.”
It’s no secret around here that I love my rock music, Myles Kennedy and Alter Bridge (AB) in particular. One thing I have really missed this year is my AB family.
Rock/metal fans get a bit of a rough press at times. There’s a misconception that its all big hairy greasy leather-clad biker guys with chains and piercings and tattoos by the dozen. Yeah, sometimes it is but these are music fans with hearts of gold. Male or female, young or old, the people I have met at the numerous rock shows I’ve attended look out for one another. Rock fans take care of each other all the time.
2020 has been rough on us all in one way or another and, personally speaking, I am really missing queuing out in the cold for hours before sharing the rail with my music family. Throughout the year, the AB family have found new ways to stay connected – weekly Facebook Live parties where we all watch a recording of a set show, messenger check-ins to check we’re ok etc. And, when one of our own needs or deserves a little extra helping hand, that’s when the hearts of gold shine through.
A couple of wonderful people have put together a fundraiser to help one of our treasured AB family members, who is currently going through an arduous cancer journey. It’s a raffle with some awesome and totally unique prizes. ALL proceeds will go to the AB family member. (The costs of running this have been absorbed already) This it totally fan run and not directly linked to Myles Kennedy or Alter Bridge or endorsed by them – just to make that bit clear.( Don’t want to get in trouble from Tim!)
In the interests of sharing the love and the opportunity to contribute to a great cause, I thought I’d share the link and offer each of you the chance to join in.
While the adults chatted, Becky used the kid’s entertainment pack to keep herself amused. After a time, Lori noticed that the little girl was quieter than usual.
“What are you drawing?” she asked softly, leaning over to take a look.
“Daddy and my Silver Lake uncles,” replied the little girl seriously. “But I can’t draw the music.”
With a flash of inspiration, Lori showed the little girl how to draw a variety of music notes. Soon the page and several napkins were covered in their doodles.
“Having fun, girls?” enquired Rich, lifting one of the napkins.
Lori laughed, “Yes. Do you want to keep that one?”
“A Lori original,” he teased grinning mischievously. “Will you autograph this original artwork please?”
Without realising what she’d done, Lori signed her flamboyant Mz Hyde signature and passed it back. Rich looked at it, then at her then at Jake.
“Mz Hyde?” he asked, eyes wide. “THE Mz Hyde?”
Lori smiled and nodded slowly.
“Jesus!” cried Rich. “You did our album artwork!”
“Yes,” replied Lori. “I did. That’s what you do to help out a friend or to say thank you or both.”
“I paid a fortune for a signed print of your last album artwork!”
“Well, you better take good care of that napkin, then, Rich,” said Lori softly, mischief twinkling in her blue eyes. “It’s an original.”
If you want to read more then check out the Silver Lake series today
Coral McCallum 