To celebrate the release of Sing Like No One’s Listening by Vanessa Jones on September 1st, blogs across the web are featuring original content from Vanessa, as well as 10 chances to win a finished copy plus a grand prize giveaway!
A moving story of grief and healing - sure to be a pure joy for any musical theater aficionado.
Nettie Delaney has just been accepted into a prestigious performing arts school--the very same school her superstar mother attended. With her mother's shadow hanging over her, Nettie has her work cut out for her--and everyone is watching. To make matters worse, Nettie hasn't been able to sing a single note since her mother died. Whenever she tries, she just clams up. But if Nettie's going to survive a demanding first year and keep her place in a highly coveted program, she'll have to work through her grief and deliver a showstopper or face expulsion.
All may not be lost, however, when Nettie stumbles upon a mysterious piano player in an empty studio after class. Masked behind a curtain, can Nettie summon the courage to find her voice? Or will the pressure and anxiety of performing come crashing down?
All about finding and raising your voice, and not throwing away your shot, Vanessa Jones's well-crafted journey of grief and healing will pull readers along with its strong narrative voice and satisfying sense of mystery.
Two Truths and a Lie by Vanessa Jones
So, this is a game we like to play in drama that I’m sure you’re familiar with, and I thought it would be fun to do the same with Sing Like No One’s Listening, my novel set in a performing arts college. So, here are three facts about Nettie, Sing and also about me. Two of the three are true. Can you tell which one is the lie?
Nettie:
a. Nettie is named after a real-life famous ballerina.
b. Nettie’s mother was a famous dancer. Nettie plans to carry on the family tradition by becoming the world’s greatest ballerina. c. The first time she meets Fletch, she helps him to write a thrash metal song.
Answer (highlight to reveal):c. They write a song together about losing someone they love. It’s not thrash metal. Nettie is actually named after three famous ballerinas – Dame Antoinette Sibley, Moira Shearer and Sylvie Guilleme, a fact she’s quite embarrassed about. As far as following in her mother’s footsteps, Nettie doesn’t quite have two left feet, but she’s much happier singing. That is, she was happier, until her disastrous audition at Duke’s.
Sing Like No One’s Listening:
a. The original title for this book was The Ghost Singer.
b. Several characters’ names had to be changed because too many began with the letter ‘A’.
c. Cecile Duke is based on a real person.
Answer (highlight to reveal):c. Miss Duke isn’t based on any one person, although her name and face were lent to me by my good friend Cecile! I’m embarrassed to admit that some of my characters’ names had to be changed because they all began with the letter ‘A’. (What I didn’t tell my publisher was that I had already changed two for that very reason!) And an early idea for the title was The Ghost Singer, but it was decided that it sounded too spooky.
Me:
a. I have tap danced on the roof of Buckingham Palace.
b. I own a hairless cat called Rumpleteaser.
c. I once taught Royal Ballet prima ballerina Darcey Bussell how to do pick up time steps.
Answer (highlight to reveal):b. I do not have a hairless cat called Rumpleteaser. But I have tap danced on the roof of Buckingham Palace, and I did perform in a show with Darcey Bussell and during rehearsals would help her out with some of the trickier tap steps. She, in turn, taught me how to do triple pirouettes without falling over!
*****
“Jones’ novel has the expected Fame vibes that will delight any reader who loves stories of aspiring young stars learning their craft, but its exploration of Nettie’s complexities makes the story unique…. Jones offsets the narrative’s weightier
moments with light and quirky ones, making it a fast read with staying power.”
— Booklist
“Anglophiles, music and theater nerds, and those looking for some classic will-they-won’t-they romance will all find something to enjoy here. Jones writes her subject matter authentically, with obvious passion to balance the professional arts’ not-so-pretty struggles…. A touching portrait of healing after loss.”
To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win. I’ve got a few awesome giveaways for you. My tour stop giveaway and the grand prize giveaway! Fill out the first rafflecopter to enter my tour stop giveaway and the second for the grand prize giveaway.
1 winner will receive a finished copy of Sing Like No One’s Listening. Check out the other tour stops for more chances to win.
US/Canada only
Ends 11:59pm ET on 9/13
Grand Prize:
Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law.
VANESSA JONES trained at Laine Theatre Arts in Surrey, England and went on to be a musical theater actor on West End, performing in shows including Sister Act, Grease, Guys and Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, and Mary Poppins. She began her writing career with a stage play for a fringe theater and works as a freelance copywriter and editor. She lives in England with her fellow chimney sweep.
This sums it up.
YOU GOT 2
Eh, not so much
You may know what the theater is, and you might even know the name of a musical or two, but you’re definitely not a theater kid. No worries! There are plenty of other callings to explore even if pirouettes, soliloquies, and showtunes aren’t your strong suit.
Would you like me to consider your book for review? First, check out myReview Policy and fill out the Formor send me an email at Michelle.Bookbriefs@gmail.com
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Sing Like No One's Listening by Vanessa Jones 
Danielle Hammelef
My quiz results were “Eh, not so much.”
Debra Branigan
I am still waiting to Hamilton!
Debra Branigan
This sums it up.
YOU GOT 2
Eh, not so much
You may know what the theater is, and you might even know the name of a musical or two, but you’re definitely not a theater kid. No worries! There are plenty of other callings to explore even if pirouettes, soliloquies, and showtunes aren’t your strong suit.
bn100
the Lion King
bn100
got “Eh, not so much.”