Category: Smokin’ & Cryin’ (Page 4 of 4)

Why I love my first bad review

The first bad review. It’s a milestone, an inevitability of putting your story, your hard work, into the world. I’d always wondered how it would make me feel, and quietly suspected it would be a terrible blow to my ego.

Shortly before publishing my first novel, State of Love & Trust, in August 2016, I was reading a lot of Brené Brown.  In one of her books (if I can remember which, I’ll update to reflect that—she has many and I’ve read them all) she wrote that in order to withstand criticism of your work, you must first separate your ego from it. That means bad reviews are about the work, not you. But also good reviews are about the work, and not you.Continue Reading Why I love my first bad review

Reviews, Reedsy and more

I’m now sharing Smokin’ & Cryin’ on Reedsy. This will allow serious reviewers to grab a copy at no charge. Why would I give my book away? Well, reviews are crucial to the success of any book, but especially books like mine which are independently published.

I appreciate each review my novels have received. If you’ve read my latest novel, Smokin’ & Cryin’, (or State of Love & Trust) and left a review, thank you! If you haven’t, I’m not here to make you feel bad. I only want everyone to understand how important reviews are to authors.

Where to leave reviews

If you’ve read Smokin’ & Cryin’ and haven’t reviewed it, please review it wherever you’re most comfortable doing so. You can even leave reviews here by clicking the review tab above.  All reviews help a book’s sales and visibility. In no particular order, you can review this novel at:Continue Reading Reviews, Reedsy and more

Smokin’ & Cryin’ – coming soon!

Tuesday Evening, 85°F and hazy
Listening to The Zombies—This Will Be Our Year

Smokin’ & Cryin’ – a novel

The Rise and Fall of Smoky Topaz

August 27, 1972. Robin Chelsea, teenage lead singer of Smoky Topaz, disappears into the Atlantic Ocean mere weeks before the group’s double album, Smokin’ & Cryin’, is released. Recorded over one blistering Savannah summer in the dungeon of an antebellum mansion, it’s threaded with candid snippets of the band members’ dirty secrets, bitter arguments, and deepest fears.

In the wake of Robin’s disappearance, Smokin’ & Cryin’ flies off store shelves and dominates radio airwaves to become the obsession of a generation of music lovers. But what really happened to Robin Chelsea?

More than four decades later, the discovery of Robin’s candid writings—juxtaposed with news clippings, legal documents, reviews, letters, personal notes, and interviews—make it possible to finally piece together the tangled truth behind this mysterious rock and roll legend.

I couldn’t be more excited to finally bring you my second novel, Smokin’ & Cryin’. It has been a long time coming.

Set in the early 1970s, it’s the first-person narrative of teenage rock vocalist Robin Chelsea and is interspersed with epistolary elements. It was a blast to write, and I sure hope you’ll find it a  blast to read.Continue Reading Smokin’ & Cryin’ – coming soon!

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