A Letter from Danielle for October ’22
Hi Everyone,
I hope you are hitting your stride as October begins, and you are enjoying the fall. I love October—the crisp, cooler weather and the pace that picks up as we settle into fall after the summer. We all need the vacation time we try to get in the summer, with family gatherings, bare feet at the beach, and downtime to relax and slow down for as many days off as we are able to take. And then we rev our motors up again in September—and for anyone with children in school, September is a mad dash to get them organized with their new school schedules and after-school activities. When my kids were younger, September was my busiest month of the year, until the kids settled in and carpools got set up to share all the driving to get them where they needed to be: everything from ballet classes to sports practices. And by the beginning of October, things were running smoothly and I could get back to my own projects and heavy writing schedule.
And then at the end of October, there was my children’s favorite holiday, Halloween, which was a major event—with costumes to organize, a “haunted house” we set up in a guest room (which made them squeal with delight), trick or treating, and all the fun things that went with Halloween. With nine children, you can imagine how busy and how much fun that was. It would take weeks ahead to decide on everyone’s costumes, and make them!!!
I’m very excited about my new hardcover coming out on October 11, The High Notes. It begins with an amazingly talented little 12-year-old girl with an astoundingly adult voice, a true gift. Iris Cooper grew up in Texas with a single father who exploits her talent for his own gain, has her singing in dusty bars, and he moves her from town to town, driving her hard into a singing career while still a child. In the midst of some tawdry people—and a few nice ones—her singing career leads her on to grueling tours organized by managers who exploit her too.
Iris maintains a rare kindness and innocence, touring the country, and eventually winds up in Las Vegas in her late teens. She has seen a hard life as her talent develops, and she ultimately becomes a big star and is an extraordinary person—and ends up with the enormous success she deserves and has paid dearly for. This book is a behind-the-scenes look at what a hard world the music business can be, starting at the very bottom and making it to the top after years of hard work, exhausting tours, living in bad motels on the road, and dealing with hard people and other singers and musicians who work long hours in brutal conditions. Lives are destroyed and major careers are made on that hard road to success.
I hope you fall in love with the star in The High Notes, as you follow her on her long road to the fame she deserves. The book is very dear to my heart—and I hope it will be to yours!!!
Have a great month of October!!!
Love,
Danielle