Smokin’ & Cryin’, a novel by Grace Ombry
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—supplemented with news clippings, reviews, letters, personal notes, and interviews—make it possible to finally piece together the tangled truth behind this mysterious rock and roll legend.
- Excerpts from Smokin’ & Cryin’
- Reviews
- Paperback Edition at Bookshop.org (your purchase supports local book stores!)
- Paperback Edition at Amazon.com
- Digital Editions
