Making A Choice and Getting Off A Curse
First
of all, just let me say ‘Thank You’ for joining my first ever blog tour. It’s a
strange feeling being asked to talk about my own book, but it’s great. It’s
quite overwhelming to be frank about it
but in a good way. Being here with you today is all at once flattering
and scary. Now for The Way You Look Tonight.
TWLT
is the second instalment to The Standards series. The first one, What A
Difference A Day Makes found here on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/What-Difference-Day-Makes-Standards-ebook/dp/B00U6DZKS8,
was published more than a year ago as part of an anthology. When I got the
rights back, I re-edited then self-published it. Both these stories are based
on lyrics to the same titles of Standard music. The lyrics inspire and set the
pace of both stories.
One
difference between WADADM and TWLT is with the song choice. For the first book,
I was locked in on the song and had no doubts. For TWLT, I debated between this
title and using My Way. The latter song came up several times in the story when
I first drafted it and initially had a bigger influence on the story itself and
on Jamie’s character. However, I didn’t want to get stuck with a curse.
I
have said that the love of Karaoke in the Philippines has reached great heights
it’s now considered a national pastime. In fact, it competes with boxing or
playing and watching basketball. Take it this way: no Pacquiao fight is
complete without karaoke.
So
what has that got to do with the title? Well, the song, My Way, is in the story
and I truly love it. In fact, it used to be my father’s favourite as sung by
Frank Sinatra. However, Karaoke and My Way = Curse. You could get killed
singing the song on karaoke and because of the deaths, My Way has been banned
from any and all karaoke song lists here in the Philippines. I didn’t want that
curse to extend to my story so had to make a decision and cut it to the minimum
mention and that’s it. One reworded phrase only. By the way, My Way is the key
to the tragedy in the story.
I
had to make a choice. Stick with The Way You Look Tonight and write a sweet
May-December romance or use the cursed song as title, allow it to set the pace
of the story and turn it into a morbid tragedy?
(Standards
#2)
Published
12th February 2016 by Wayward Ink
Novella
ǀ 122 pages
Contemporary
‘May/December’ Romance
As
a member of a wealthy and influential family, Jaime “Jamie” Abello had his life
mapped out. Being shipped off to LA with an insurance scam linked to his name
was not part of his plan.
It
had seemed so simple: pass the Philippines Medical Board Exam; practice in the
family-owned and -controlled hospital; join the Board by age forty; and find a
partner with whom he could settle down and be himself.
Instead,
his father supplies him with a surfeit of money and dangerous secrets and sends
him to a strange country.
The
Pediatric Residency Program Jamie applies for brings him face to face with
untouchable Program Director, Miles Kwon, whom Jamie soon finds to be a man of
integrity and vision.
When
tragedy strikes, Jamie finds himself falling deeper into depression.
Unexpectedly, it’s Miles who helps him work through his pain.
Will
Jamie ever experience a life with a loving partner, or will his father's
secrets cause him to lose everything he’s gained?
LINKS
Others in Series
What
A Difference A Day Makes
VIDEO TRAILER
Excerpt
The
rhythmic beat of the song begins. I start stomping and clapping along with the
track, and again, the crowd are right there with me. I don’t really hear my own
voice sing out the lyrics, not with the way the crowd is so into the beat. It’s
fun, though. I always feel free when singing in front of a crowd, and is a
great stress-reliever. I look to where Miles is sitting with my friends and am
surprised to see him clapping and singing with them. Huh. Maybe he needs
karaoke night as much as I do. I make a mental note to take him out more often.
Maybe that will erase some of the frown lines.
The
crowd roar their approval when the short song ends and I take another bow. “All
right folks, I chose this last song because shit’s been happening and I just
don’t want to think about it. English Town.”
I
hear the crowd groan. Yeah, it’s a slower song and notas upbeat as the first
two I’d chosen. However, the lyrics hold a special meaning and relevance. As
the song starts, I see Miles sit back down, arms crossed. Damn, his frown is
back. I don’t want to see that. Does he think I can’t reach the notes? I’ll
show him.
I
begin to sing, and unlike the first two songs, this time the audience sits and
listens. I love to sing, and the lyrics of this song hit just the right chord
in my heart. It helps that, yes, I do have a good voice. Far from an Adam
Lambert, but I can sing. And sing I do, especially the chorus, straight from my
soul.
I
sing the final ohs and stop, allowing the last notes to fade. I look up when I
hear nothing but silence. Oh well. I shrug and prepare to leave the stage. I
nearly fall off the stool I had been sitting on when the crowd roars its
approval. Suddenly self-conscious, I stare down at the dirty wood floor, sweat
dripping from my face. I wipe a hand across my eyes when I feel some of it get
into them, making me blink rapidly at the sudden sting. It’s only then I
realize it’s not sweat. It’s tears
GIVEAWAY
Author(s)
JO TANNAH
is a wife, mother, and blogger by day, writer by night. It can be
difficult to say the least but it is a challenge that keeps
her on her toes.
She grew
up listening to folktales her father and nannies spun to either
entertain the children or send home a message. These narratives stayed
with Jo until she finally decided to write them down in a
journal way back when she kept one. Years later, going through junk led to
finding a long forgotten box and nestled within it was the journal.
Reading over the stories of romance, science fiction, and horror that
she had taken time to put to paper all those years before brought to light
the realization that they were tales she’d never come across in
her readings.
The
tales Jo write are fictional but all of them are based on what
she grew up with and still dreams about. That they have an M/M twist is
simply for her pleasure. And she hopes, yours as well.
Thanks for having me :D ~jo~
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