THIS IS BARBARA
As a lifelong professional musician, I'm able to create this high-action drama based on facts. Lots of them. Like the contents of the brick wall on the stage of Germaine's West, where Liz performs her monthly concerts with her band. For years, I'd heard about some interesting contents found in an infamous Chicago nightclub's brick wall years after its musical heyday. That story gave me a great idea for the scene in High Notes Are Murder when Germaine's owner, Sonnie Tucks, finally tears down the dilapidated brick wall behind his own stage. The findings are a surprise to the reader, just as they were to the owners of that nightclub years ago.
I try to use my musical experience for accurate purposes and to offer a bird’s eye view of the business. I want readers to feel that they've become friends with these memorable characters who do one important thing we all want to do: chase our dreams.
I always wanted to be a singer so I guess I've been chasing mine since I was a kid. I started out as a piano player so I could explore all things musical first. The more harmony you know, and the better instrumental player you are, the higher your chances of being a good singer. I wanted to be able to play the music, put my hands on it, build it around me--sort of bathe in it. Piano turned out to be the right choice for me, and it's been a great springboard for writing. The guitar is another good instrument for writing, but there were two things that made my instrumental decision for me. First, we had a piano in the house--what child doesn't love pounding away on the keys until the neighbors start putting For Sale signs on their lawns? And second, short, chubby fingers aren't usually the stuff good guitar players are made of.
About the soundtracks connected to each book--I call them Liz Hanlon's 'Live Concerts.'
Read about them in this review :
Great grooves and universal lyrics are the hallmarks of Reed’s music. Her styles incorporate the contemporary beats of commercial music plus a range of Pop and Jazz styles easily adaptable to storylines or dramatic situations. Her lyrics truly reflect the happenings of today’s world.
Listen to You Touch My Life With Gold:
