by: Melanie Bell
Genre: Young Adult LGBTQ+
Release Date: March 20, 2023
Publisher: Red Furiously
A refreshing YA debut from Canadian author Melanie Bell, perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Becky Albertalli, and Nina LaCour.
Melanie Bell has created a compelling coming-of-age story, featuring a bisexual protagonist, for those that can relate to the search for untapped potential. Told in alternating timelines on Prince Edward Island and Vancouver, Chasing Harmony reminds us of the exhilarating feeling that comes with hearing your heart’s song.
Piano prodigy Anna Stern is used to having all eyes on her. As she becomes a teenager, Anna struggles to find her identity without the soundtrack of sonatas and concertos. There’s also the worry that comes with the crushing expectations of her musical gift and her parents’ imploding marriage.
Anna finds refuge in her best friend, Liss, who is full of magic and escape plans. However, now their relationship is changing and Anna is starting to fall for her. Adding to the complicated status is new kid Darien, who is always vying for Anna's attention.
As the haunting spectre of burnout lurks close by, an upcoming performance with Liss will determine both of their futures. With everything building to a crescendo, what follows is an authentic life in the making.
2. Just because you aren’t athletic doesn’t mean physical activity isn’t for you. Try individual sports and fun things you didn’t have to do in gym class.
3. Friends aren’t necessarily forever. People change, and their relationships change with their life circumstances.
4. You need to develop the skills to seek out people you like and connect with.
5. Don’t underestimate yourself. You don’t know if you can do something until you’ve tried it – and usually more than once!
6. Success is a dance with failure. You try something and it doesn’t work out. You try something else. You persist along a circular path. Most of your efforts won’t yield an external result, but they build up your skills, and most people will only see the things that do work out.
7. What dimension are you comparing yourself to other people on? No matter who the person is, you always have something they don’t, too. And you can’t have everyone else’s positives!
8. Clean before things have time to get dirty.
9. Whatever you think is weird about yourself is shared by a lot of other people.
10. Be true to yourself and you won’t be so bothered by things you’ve missed out on.
She blows out the flame, crushes the poster into a ball as bits of ash flake off. She can’t let them catch this.
Another voice: “I swear I didn’t burn anything!”
She grabs the stack of old band posters from the file shelf and stuffs them in her bag. No one else working at The Green Staircase cares about these posters. It was Anna’s idea to keep them.
“Maybe it’s the radiator.”
All those bands, her pride and joy. Who was she kidding?
“I think it’s coming from over there—”
Quick! Into the alley, garbage bins reeking. What bin should burnt paper go in—recycling? Compost? She tosses and runs wildly down the street. Her shift is over. She’s done her job.
Out of habit, she stops at the community center on the corner. It’s late Friday evening, still open, no floor hockey games or beading club for underprivileged youth. No one at the pool tables or arcade.
She rushes to the piano.
No one is there to clap as she launches into the band’s last number, a tender little piece sung by Mustache Man whose burnt face now graces a compost bin. She hasn’t played it before, but that isn’t a problem. Her fingers relish the slick feel of keys, the quick acrobatics of motion. She riffs on the melody, improvises, and adds a solo section. For those lyrics she remembers, she sings along, not powerfully but perfectly in key.
Another voice: “I swear I didn’t burn anything!”
She grabs the stack of old band posters from the file shelf and stuffs them in her bag. No one else working at The Green Staircase cares about these posters. It was Anna’s idea to keep them.
“Maybe it’s the radiator.”
All those bands, her pride and joy. Who was she kidding?
“I think it’s coming from over there—”
Quick! Into the alley, garbage bins reeking. What bin should burnt paper go in—recycling? Compost? She tosses and runs wildly down the street. Her shift is over. She’s done her job.
Out of habit, she stops at the community center on the corner. It’s late Friday evening, still open, no floor hockey games or beading club for underprivileged youth. No one at the pool tables or arcade.
She rushes to the piano.
No one is there to clap as she launches into the band’s last number, a tender little piece sung by Mustache Man whose burnt face now graces a compost bin. She hasn’t played it before, but that isn’t a problem. Her fingers relish the slick feel of keys, the quick acrobatics of motion. She riffs on the melody, improvises, and adds a solo section. For those lyrics she remembers, she sings along, not powerfully but perfectly in key.
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Thank you for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome.
DeleteThank you for hosting!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteWho influenced you to be a writer!
ReplyDeleteMy mother was my first influence. Then there were all the library books. And I remember an author visit in second grade where I thought excitedly, "This person thinks like me!"
DeleteI like everything about this - genre title and cover!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing it.
Aww, thanks!
DeleteI love the cover art. It sets the mood for the book.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I feel the artist captured it well, too.
DeleteWhat age were you when you first started writing?
ReplyDeleteI was "writing books" (making up stories and drawing on paper) before I could actually write. :)
DeleteHow do you select the names of your characters?
ReplyDeleteI go with what feels right.
DeleteOK that makes sense!
DeleteIs it hard to think of names for your characters?
ReplyDeleteOnly occasionally. I ended up changing the name of Anna's mother after reading another novel where the names overlapped too much!
ReplyDeleteDo you have a certain writing schedule?
ReplyDeleteNo - it varies a lot! I do attend writers' groups regularly, and get some writing done there.
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