Ah, summer. The time when music lovers can take their pick from the smorgasbord of festivals that colorfully dot the landscape. Appearing out of nowhere, raising hell and pulling out the next day like some traveling rock and roll circus. Connecting fans with live performances, with one other, and with nature.
Stretching my arms toward the sun, I observed the festival grounds waking up around me. From the second stage came the muted thump of sound check. Security was checking wristbands as fans flowed from the lots through the venue gates. One of the younger Marley brothers’ brand of reggae jingled cheerily over the PA, a perfect summer soundtrack. Blankets and lawn chairs already dotted the hill where music lovers would spend the day, and evening, watching the rotating lineup of bands. I smiled and squinted, allowing my eyes to fully adjust. I could tell the day was going to be a scorcher, both musically and meteorologically. Stagehands were already scaling the scaffolding like tanned monkey gods, while others took respite from the sun in bright-striped hammocks swinging beneath the main stage.
This was where my worlds collided.
~Danica James, “Courtship of the Cake”
If you are a book lover, summer is also the perfect time to walk across the grass barefoot with a new or old favorite, sit on your favorite chair or patch of earth, and connect.
Like my character Dani in the quote above, I am constantly observing the rock and roll world around me. Savoring the details for that quiet time that comes later, when it’s time to stop raging and time to start writing.
After a decade of working in the rock and roll business, a book began to form in my mind. It was a story I told myself at bedtime, an idea that had me waking up at night and sprinting down the hall to find pen and paper so I could jot it down and not lose a thing. That book became Louder Than Love.
This summer – hell, TODAY – I am so pleased to share with you the continuation of that story. It’s been almost two years since Louder Than Love but almost every day I get readers asking whether there will be more. Like music fans stomping in the dust, cheering toward the sky and demanding the band play “just one more” – how could I resist?
Louder Than Love has grown into the Love & Steel series, and today marks the release of Deeper Than Dreams, an e-book novella epilogue to Louder Than Love. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to escape into a book this summer, it’s the perfect quick fix!
For just $1.99, it’s cheaper than the Bomb Pop from the neighborhood ice cream truck, and it won’t melt all over your fingers.
Happy reading, happy summer!
