Author Name: Jay Northcote
Book Name: Imperfect Harmony
Release
Date: April 15, 2016
Blurb:
Imperfect harmony can still be beautiful…
John Fletcher, a former musician, is stuck in limbo after losing his long-term partner two years ago. He’s shut himself off from everything that reminds him of what he’s lost. When his neighbour persuades him to join the local community choir, John rediscovers his love of music and finds a reason to start living again.
Rhys Callington, the talented and charismatic choir leader, captures John’s attention from the first moment they meet. He appears to be the polar opposite of John: young, vibrant, and full of life. But Rhys has darkness in his own past that is holding him back from following his dreams.
Despite the nineteen-year age gap, the two men grow close and a fragile relationship blossoms. Ghosts of the past and insecurities about the future threaten their newfound happiness. If they’re going to harmonise in life and love as they do in their music, they’ll need to start following the same score.
John Fletcher, a former musician, is stuck in limbo after losing his long-term partner two years ago. He’s shut himself off from everything that reminds him of what he’s lost. When his neighbour persuades him to join the local community choir, John rediscovers his love of music and finds a reason to start living again.
Rhys Callington, the talented and charismatic choir leader, captures John’s attention from the first moment they meet. He appears to be the polar opposite of John: young, vibrant, and full of life. But Rhys has darkness in his own past that is holding him back from following his dreams.
Despite the nineteen-year age gap, the two men grow close and a fragile relationship blossoms. Ghosts of the past and insecurities about the future threaten their newfound happiness. If they’re going to harmonise in life and love as they do in their music, they’ll need to start following the same score.
Pages or Words: 66,000 words
Categories: Contemporary, Fiction, M/M
Romance, Romance
Excerpt:
Luckily there were still some parking
spaces outside the church hall where Maggie’s choir met. John made sure they
arrived a little early so Maggie wouldn’t have to walk too far. She was
managing well on one crutch, but she still tired easily. After he parked, he got
out and hurried around to help her out of the passenger door.
“Thanks, love,” she said, patting him
on the arm. “I can manage now.”
A vicious gust of wind whipped a
strand of hair into her face. It was dark, still sleeting, and probably
slippery underfoot. There was no way John was going to leave until she was
safely indoors. “I’ll just see you inside. Let me take your bag.”
Maggie let him have it without
argument, and he popped it over his arm. He hovered close to Maggie as she made
her way slowly to the double doors. He held one open for her and was hit by a
blast of warm air. Then he accompanied her inside as she crutched along the
corridor towards an open door. Yellow light flooded out, and the sound of a
tenor voice singing “I Can See Clearly Now” raised the hairs on the back of
John’s neck with its pure, clear beauty.
“I thought you said the emphasis was
on fun rather than perfection?” he said quietly. “He’s got quite a voice.”
“That’ll be Rhys, our choir leader,”
Maggie said with a smile. “Come and meet him, even if you’re not staying.”
Maggie paused when she reached the
doorway and put a finger to her lips. They listened and waited for Rhys to
finish singing. John peered over Maggie’s shoulder, hoping for a glimpse of the
man the voice belonged to. Rhys, John presumed, was alone in the room. With his
back to the door, he stood at a table pushed to the edge of the room, shuffling
through some papers as he sang. All John could see of him was that he was small
and slight, and quite young, based on the cut of his clothes. A hood covered
his hair.
When he finished, Maggie started
clapping.
Rhys wheeled around. “Oh my God! You
made me jump.” He pushed his hood down and his face lit up as he beamed.
“Maggie. How are you?”
John’s eyes widened as he took in Rhys’s
front view as he approached Maggie and gave her a careful hug. His hair, which
was shaved at the back and sides, was long on top and dyed peacock blue. His
eyebrow was pierced, his arms were covered with tattoos, and the front of his
T-shirt was emblazoned with a glittery equals sign in rainbow colours. All in
all, he was at least twenty years younger than John had expected and completely
unlike how John would have imagined a choir leader to look. In this dingy
church hall in their small market town, Rhys looked like a bird of paradise
that had accidentally ended up in a cage full of sparrows.
Buy the book:
Meet the author:
Jay
lives just outside Bristol in the West of England, with her husband, two
children, and two cats.
She
comes from a family of writers, but she always used to believe that the gene
for fiction writing had passed her by. She spent years only ever writing
emails, articles, or website content. One day, she decided to try and write a
short story–just to see if she could–and found it rather addictive. She hasn’t
stopped writing since.
Where to find the author:
Publisher: Jaybird Press
Cover
Artist: Garrett Leigh
Tour Dates & Stops:
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