String Bridge Blog Tour and Other New Releases

aNo!

No, no, what am I saying?

I mean, yes, I'm doing NaNo and writing like a fiend in the mornings and trying to type it all up at nights, but that's neither here nor there.

Jessica Bell's String Bridge comes out this month!

"Greek cuisine, smog and domestic drudgery was not the life Australian musician, Melody, was expecting when she married a Greek music promoter and settled in Athens, Greece. Keen to play in her new shoes, though, Melody trades her guitar for a 'proper' career and her music for motherhood. That is, until she can bear it no longer and plots a return to the stage -- and the person she used to be. However, the obstacles she faces along the way are nothing compared to the tragedy that awaits..."

There's no way to read an intense book like this and not take sides. Jessica does an amazing job of luring the reader in and, even though the story is told from Melody's point of view, every character's background comes through.

First you're on Alex's side, then on Melody's, then... Well, by that point you're so caught up in the emotional whirlwind that there's no turning back.

The sights and sounds - and smells - of Athens are strongly evoked, and the lyrical imagery puts the reader right there on the streets, in the homes, at the dinner tables. Each chapter could almost be a short story in itself, as Melody works through her fears, reaches a plateau - and then meets the most difficult challenge of all.

And of course there's rock 'n' roll. How can you resist?

Here's a glimpse of the trailer:

Jessica's not only an author, musician and poet - she's also hosting a writers' retreat in September 2012: the Homeric Writers' Retreat and Workshop on the Greek island of Ithaca, home of Odysseus.

If you'd like to participate in the String Bridge chart rush - and get a free copy of the soundtrack! - do so on 11 November on Amazon.com, and Amazon.co.uk.

If you can't wait, the book is out now via Lucky Press - and don't forget Jessica's contest to win a signed String Bridge paperback, signed String Bridge soundtrack Melody Hill: On the Other Side, signed copy of Jessica's poetry book Twisted Velvet Chains, and random book off her bookshelf.

So many ways to celebrate - congratulations, Jessica!

Two other releases this month:

Susan Kaye Quinn's latest release, Open Minds - the first book in the Mindjack Trilogy - is now available!

Jennifer Hendren's By the Pale Moonlight is out in paperback!

And finally, a propos of nothing except last weekend's post, Tuesday was the anniversary of the first performance of Shakespeare's The Tempest, on 1 November 1611.