These past ten days since the election have been brutal, certainly those of us who worked and hoped hard for the more joyful, optimistic outcome. For many, the results cratered their forward motion, and left them fighting to even stay afloat (see How to Survive a Rip Tide … and live to see another election). At the end of the day, creativity is what keeps me sane, for many reasons. And because I know art has the power to lift us up, I’m shifting my focus at this moment from election madness to my latest creative project:
Writing has always been a balm for me. Whether pounding out letters I never sent, winding my way through the puzzle of song lyrics, crafting essays and op-eds that spoke my mind and heart, or taking on the heft of a novel, immersing myself in the art and craft of writing has truly, without hyberbole, kept me sane.
My latest novel, Chick Singer, has been signed by Sibylline Press, and will be released (in print, audio & ebook) via their Sibylline Digital First imprint in March 2025, and that is something that not only cheers me greatly!
The story was birthed from one of those random “what ifs?”, the kind that sticks; the kind you can’t stop thinking about, that tickles your brain until you follow the thread to some ultimately satisfying fruition. In this case, it was a prompt based on my wild, rollercoastering, exhilarating years in rock & roll, and went something like this: “What if somebody secretly posted your old ‘80s music online and it went viral?”
I remember laughing, thinking that would, indeed, be random, but the idea sparked a bigger idea, one that carried me into the world of “Libby Conlin”—her band, her family, her life, her dreams, her secrets—all of which led to Chick Singer. It’s a story that has percolated through various iterations, engaging the input of many wonderful readers, consultants, editors, and advisors, all of whom contributed to a “satisfying fruition” in novel form. To give you a snapshot of its story:
Logline: A former ‘80s rock singer is forced to excavate her mysterious past when her boomeranging adult daughter secretly—and successfully—posts her old music online.
Rock & roll stardom is something you dream about when you’re young, and for Libby Conlin the ‘80s and all their wild promise are ancient history. What pulls her attention now is the unexpected arrival of Bridget, her newly divorced daughter who’s home again despite their historically fractious relationship and the chaos it inspires. And, as if predestined, life quickly turns upside down when Bridget’s application to a local art school involves anonymously posting Libby’s old music online, music that’s good enough to garner the attention of industry gatekeepers. When Libby’s mysterious past—and all its dark secrets—comes roaring into the present, the reconfiguration of everything and everyone in her orbit is both bittersweet and life changing.
When fascination with rock & roll remains a never-ending draw, CHICK SINGER steps onto that stage with its raucous exploration of a complex mother/daughter relationship set against a backdrop of music, dreams, and love—and the art of redefining all three.
If you’d like to keep up with the process as it moves toward publication, you can tap its page on my website, and of course I’ll be posting pertinent updates from time to time here and on my socials.
| Rock+Paper+Music | 