Collaboration and Friendship

Life gives us countless opportunities to engage other like souls. This was the case when I met Cole Armocida on Facebook a couple of years back. By coincidence, she happened to read my first novel, Faithful Service, Silent Hearts. Meeting her introduced me to her music and I became a reciprocal fan. We struck up a fast friendship, realizing that we had our hometown and many other things in common.

I like to use musical references in my stories to place the characters in a certain place and time. When I started writing Rebound I had this idea to ask Cole permission to use some of her music in the story. My way of asking was to have Conner listening to her favorite rock ‘n roll artist while working out. I sent the excerpt to Cole, without telling her the purpose, just to see what she’d say. She called me to say she loved it and I was thrilled.  Over the next few months, we discussed the story and characters. I guess somewhere along the way, my very talented musical friend was inspired to write an original song, aptly titled, Rebound. When we talked about producing a video trailer, my nephew, Chris got into the mix, providing us some great film footage and shots to use. Today is the culmination of the collaborative efforts between songwriter, disability advocate, and author. I cannot say how much I love this project and the people who made it possible. Rebound, the novel and the song, is about persevering against all odds and never giving up.

Rebound will be available this Friday, February 14th in print and eBook, from Sapphire Books Publishing. The eBook will include hyperlinks that allow you to listen to an excerpt from Cole’s outstanding song, Rebound. I hope you will join us for the journey.

Thanks for reading and listening~ LM

Watch Rebound Trailer Here