Release Date: June 5 2014 (in eBook and Paperback)
Sixteen-year-old Lily has always dreamt of singing
professionally and being the first person in her family to attend college. Two
years into her four-year plan, she’s on track for acceptance into her dream prestigious music program at Berkeley.
That is until the school board holds an emergency
budget meeting and cuts her high school’s award-winning vocal program. So, Lily now
has the summer before her junior year to formulate a new strategy, or she can
kiss her hopes of getting into Berkeley goodbye.
Then there is Aiden--he’s broken and beautiful, and they become reluctant
friends in the summer when her family is on the verge of losing a generations-old family estate and ranch.
Suddenly her plan of attending Berkeley and her dream of being a star singer all seem irrelevant and selfish. All that matters
is saving her family’s home. Lily must now realize that stepping out of her comfort
zone and taking a risk may just be the key
to save the home she loves.
About the Author:
A true California girl, René Gilley is a young adult and new adult author whose home state is often the backdrop for her books. A mom,
a wife, and a breast cancer survivor--these three roles shape her writing identity and reveal what is most important in her life. René always uses a portion of her book profits to
support breast cancer awareness, research, and patient care.
Her visual inspiration for Just Sing can be found on Pinterest.
Website: Listen to Your Gut. Trust Your Heart.
Twitter: @ReneGilley
Facebook: Rene Gilley
Goodreads: Author Page
The Writer's Coffee Shop
Dear Readers,
With the popularity of shows like American Idol and The Voice, Gilley's Just Sing promises to bring high engagement to any YA reader who dreams of the stage, lives the stage, or enjoys the stage as a spectator.
But really, Just Sing will engage any reader who has high aspirations and goals set for after high school graduation. Lily, it seems, is ahead of the game, having fulfilled two years of her four year plan. She is doing everything she needs to do in school and in her academic life to get what she wants--enrollment at one of the most prestigious music programs in the nation, Berkeley.
As life would have it, though, unforeseen circumstances come to interrupt. From the loss of the vocal music program at her high school to the impending loss of a family estate, it seems to Lily that all may not turn out as she dreams.
And with her world seemingly turned upside down, there is no more room for any other mishap, much less a boy who at times gives mixed signals.
By the end, Lily and readers will understand that the best life is often the unexpected life. A life wherein you still meet your dreams but in a way you had not expected. The passion for singing, for writing, for dancing, for studying organic compounds, for whatever, never really leaves. The dream may change, the dream may have more than one avenue, the dream may seem to leave for a season, but in the end, whatever real dream is achieved may be better than the initial dream. For Lily, this means Just Sing.
P.S. This one is for my daughter! And her love of music and singing. I still remember her first talent show at F.D. Roosevelt when she begged to audition and was determined to prove to the world that a pint-sized kinder girl could memorize and sing a lengthy instrumental track for a favorite Christian song. Now 14, she is still singing the heck out of songs and waiting for that day when she too will Just Sing to thousands on the stage. She has done it here in our hometown and all over Youtube, but one day...
Fictionally Yours Siempre,
Minerva
