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Music

BOOK FEATURE: “Guessing at Normal”

June 8, 2015 Leave a Comment

GuessingAtNormalCoverPic

“Guessing at Normal” by Gail Ward Olmsted

Blurb: Jill Griffin has mastered the art of being invisible, so when she falls in love with sexy rocker James Sheridan, at first she is content to live in his larger than life shadow. Building a ‘normal’ life together under the glare of the media is challenging and further complicated by constant touring, James’ partying and the mixed signals she gets from James’ twin brother Alex.

When her poems and journal ramblings become the songs on James’ best-selling album, Jill has to step out of her comfort zone and figure out how to live her life in a spotlight all her own. With no road map to follow, she struggles to navigate her way in her search for happiness. As her professional success threatens her relationship with James, Jill questions whether she can make a living writing love songs without the love of her life.

EXCERPT

2009

Preface

I met James Sheridan in a motel lobby almost twenty years ago. When I gave him change for cigarettes, I cautioned him about the perils of smoking, but I was just messing with him. What did I know? It was a fluke- I should have gone home almost an hour earlier, but the guy who was supposed to relieve me was late, so there you go. Those cigarettes changed the course of my whole life and James’ too! A few years later, his hit song Jericho Road (from the bestselling album Guessing at Normal) climbed the charts on its way to the #1 song on America’s Top 40 for a record 23 weeks. At the time, there was a great deal of speculation about the title of the song and its origin. I’m here to finally set the record straight, because I wrote the damn thing. Jericho Road is not a song about salvation. I’m sorry if the title was misleading. For some, ‘Jericho’ is where the Israelites returned from bondage in Egypt, but for me? It just happens to be the name of the street where I grew up and lived until I was eighteen years old. They say you can’t go home again, but I wouldn’t know. I never really tried.

Carly thinks I should share my story, so here goes.

1990

Chapter 1 – What I Got

“Those things will kill you.” Those were the first words I ever spoke to James Sheridan. He was waving a five-dollar bill as he asked, “Can you change this? I need quarters to buy some smokes.”

I wasn’t surprised by his sudden appearance in the deserted motel lobby that night. I’d heard the hum of the elevator just moments before he appeared. I worked behind the front desk from 3:30 p.m. to midnight Monday through Friday. I was supposed to get two fifteen-minute breaks and another half-hour for dinner, but there was rarely anyone to cover for me. It was a pretty boring job, with long periods of inactivity, punctuated by a flurry that would keep three people busy. When I wasn’t at work, I spent a lot of time reading and writing in my journal. I usually slept late on weekends and hung out with my best friend and her new baby. That was me, livin’ the dream!

So yeah, I heard this guy approaching before I looked up. We got some pretty sketchy folks most nights, and at first glance, he fit right in. Tall and lean, he had longish dark hair that looked like it could use a good washing. I pegged him to be in his mid-20s, but it was hard to be sure. He was barefoot (yew!!) and was decked out in a pair of baggy knee-length gym shorts and a black wifebeater. As he got closer, I could see a number of tattoos up and down his pale arms. He had a pair of bright blue eyes that were probably his best feature, but they were ringed in red and featured bluish shadows. He was a really good-looking guy, but probably a stoner. I was more attracted to the preppy types with short blonde hair and golden tans from days spent on the golf course or tennis court. The kind of guy who would never give me a second glance.

This guy was definitely glancing. From the corner of my eye, I could see him checking me out as I hit the buttons and rang a ‘no sale’ to get the cash register to open. That’s when I uttered my snappy line. I hadn’t said a single word out loud for more than two hours and I croaked it out, so I think all he might have heard was “kill you.” He held his hands up in protest.

“Hey, sorry. I can’t sleep and I’m out of cigarettes. So sue me.” Yikes, touchy! But something about him was vaguely familiar. I had heard that voice before. It was deep and rich and almost velvety. Maybe…

“It’s no problem,” I assured him. “I was just messing with you. Smoke all you want. I just want to get out of here.” I placed four singles and four quarters on the counter in front of him.

“What time do you get off?” the blue-eyed mystery man asked me.

“Gee, if I had a dollar for every time one of you guys asked me that,” I said with a smirk. He slid a dollar bill back towards me.

“You’re way too cheap,“ he told me with a grin and wandered off to the far corner of the lobby in search of his cigarettes. Moments later with his mission accomplished, he disappeared down the hall. It would bug me. I knew it would. I’m lousy with names, but faces and voices usually stick with me. Lost in thought, I jumped when Fran the night auditor came rushing up to the desk. He was in his early thirties, a big hulking guy who sounded more like a middle-school girl when he recounted his ongoing problems with his long-suffering girlfriend. I had never met Doreen, but she would have to be part saint to put up with Fran.

“Christ, Fran, you’re late,” I complained. “Again.”

“Come on. Don’t you bitch me out too,” he whined. I slipped into the adjoining office and opened the door that led out to the lobby. The damn thing locks automatically when it closes, and I can’t even count the number of times I had to shimmy over the counter to get back into the inner sanctum after sneaking out to the bathroom off the lobby. I can drop trou, pee and rinse off my hands in less than a minute, which was a good skill to have when nature called and I had to leave the registration desk unmanned.

“Oh, you big baby,” I volleyed back at Fran. “Are you two fighting again?”

“Yeah,“ he told me with a hangdog expression on his flushed face. “She’s really pissed that…”

“Save it for someone who cares, Fran. I’m off the clock.” I grabbed my car keys, my bag and the journal that I carried everywhere and took off through the lobby. Oh, wait. Don’t be such a bitch. “Good night, Fran,” I called out. “Full house tonight. See ya.”

“Jill, I’m sorry,” Fran called after me. “I’ll come in a half-hour early tomorrow night. I promise.”

“Make it forty-five minutes,” I hollered back and raced out the front door and smack into the blue-eyed smoker himself.

“Christ, you really do want to kill me,” he protested.

Oh man, I do not have time for this. Actually, I did have time as I had nowhere to be for the next fourteen hours or so until my next shift began. But still. “Sorry. I don’t really want to kill you,” I assured him.

“Well then, why don’t you come to my room and make it up to me somehow?” he teased.

“Now I do want to kill you. Hey, it’s been real. Got to go.” I race-walked across the parking lot towards my car. I was supposed to park out back and leave the prime spots for the paying guests, but I’d run late that afternoon and the back lot was pretty creepy in the early morning hours when I got off work. The mystery man quickly caught up to me, as his long strides easily outdistanced my short ones. “Do I have to call security?” I threatened, only half-seriously.

“No, I’m actually pretty secure,” he assured me. “But thanks, anyway.” Hmmm, cute and funny. “So do you have a name? Do you want a cigarette? Fresh pack.” He wiggled them at me.

“Yes, I have a name. No, I don’t want a cigarette. Any more questions?” I wiggled my car keys at him. “Good night, okay?” He dropped back and let me pass. I tried to unlock my car door, but the lock sometimes caught and you had to fiddle around with it. He came up from behind me and placed his hand over mine, steadying me long enough to actually accomplish the task.

“I’m James,” he told me. “I’m in a band.” Okay, loosen up, girl.

“I’m Jill. Wait, you’re James? James Sheridan from Nomad? Oh my God, I love you guys,” I gushed. I might have liked my guys preppy, but I like my rock music hard-core with a hint of grunge, just like Nomad delivered on their first album.

His eyes lit up. Maybe it was the well-lit parking lot, but they actually glittered.

“You like us, yeah, really?” He grinned at me, and I was finally able to place his good-looking face. It had been staring out at me from the cover of the album I’d purchased nearly six months before.

“You’re staying here?” I asked. “Well, of course you are. They never tell us anything.” Like management should have sent out a memo or something.

“Yeah, we played the Palace. Tonight was the first of three big nights,” he added sarcastically.

Hmmm. The Palace for three nights. That couldn’t be a good sign, touring to support a newly released LP, playing at a second-rate venue in a second-rate town like mine for not one, but three nights. I tried to work up to my earlier enthusiasm, but failed.

“Cool,” I responded weakly.

“Yeah, the tour has been pretty tough,” he admitted sadly. ”Ticket sales are slow and getting airplay is nearly impossible. We had to reschedule…”

I cut him off. He did not need to apologize or explain himself to me. He was a musician and a good one.

“Well, I bet you guys stormed the Palace tonight. Did you have them rockin’ out in the aisles?” I asked tentatively.

“Yeah. They liked us, I think. We got called back for an encore.”

“What song?”

“Over You.”

“Oh, I love that one,” I told him.

He started humming the opening chords, and then broke into the chorus. “I’m already over you.” Oh my God! James Sheridan of Nomad is singing to me in the parking lot at one in the morning. Wait till I tell Beth! This is amazing. I could be in big trouble here, I realized, if I didn’t have a hard and fast rule about not fraternizing with motel guests.

* * * * *

Jill Griffin has her own playlist…everyone should!

What I Got by Sublime

Say My Name by Destiny’s Child

Friday, I’m in Love by The Cure

Got My Mind Set on You by George Harrison

I’ll Be Missing You by Puff Daddy

Baby, One More Time by Britney Spears

I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing by Aerosmith

Every Rose Has Its Thorn by Poison

Two Princes by The Spin Doctors

Bitter Sweet Symphony by The Verve

Only Wanna Be with You by Hootie & the Blowfish

Torn by Natalie Imbruglia

Hard to Handle by The Black Crowes

Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.

Walking on the Sun by Smash Mouth

Right Here, Right Now by Jesus Jones

You Get What You Give by New Radicals

Linger by The Cranberries

Crash Into Me by Dave Matthews Band

Come As You Are by Nirvana

(Everything I Do) I Do It for You by Bryan Adams

Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Losing My Religion by R.E.M.

One Headlight by The Wallflowers

Something to Talk About by Bonnie Raitt

One Week by Barenaked Ladies

Un-Break My Heart by Toni Braxton

When I Come Around by Green Day

All I Wanna Do by Sheryl Crow

More Than Words by Extreme

You Oughta Know by Alanis Morissette

The Boy is Mine by Brandy & Monica

I Try by Macy Gay

Give Me One Reason by Tracy Chapman

One by U2

Daughter by Pearl Jam

Killing Me Softly by The Fugees

Ray of Light by Madonna

I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly

What’s Up? by 4 Non-Blondes

Lose Yourself by Eminem

End of the Road by Boyz 2 Men

Closing Time by Semisonic

Truly Madly Deeply by Savage Garden

* * * * *

GailWardOlmstedPic**About author, Gail Ward Olmsted:

Gail Ward Olmsted is a professor in the School of Business & Information Technology at Springfield Technical Community College in Springfield, MA. She was the recipient of the Deliso Endowed Chair Award and was recently recognized by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s Department of Higher Education as one of “29 Who Shine”.

Olmsted’s first visit to Sedona, AZ prompted her to start writing JEEP TOUR, her first novel. A few years later, her second visit provided the incentive to complete it. Her 2nd novel is Guessing at Normal, a rock and roll romance. She is currently working on a sequel to JEEP TOUR, which will be based in Ireland. A hopeless romantic, she is married to the love of her life, is mom to two young adults, and enjoys her three cats, reading, music and travel.

**Contact Gail: Email   Amazon – Author Page   Facebook   Twitter

Filed Under: Guessing at Normal Tagged With: Books, Chick-Lit, Contemporary, Fiction, Gail Ward Olmsted, Guessing at Normal, Music, Romance

George Strait Songs That Have Inspired My Next Book

March 28, 2012 4 Comments

HERE is just a  little part of why I love King George!

While I might live in the city, deep down I’m a country girl and am proud of it!  I’ve never written a complete MS based upon a country girl, so this is a fun challenge.

About fifteen months ago, George’s song, Somewhere Down In Texas, came on and it sparked something my imagination for a book that was based on the song.  Cool, I got this, I thought, but as time has gone by, I find myself using more songs by George, to help create certain scenes in the book.

In alphabetical, but in no particular order for the book, here is the long list of songs I find myself listening to over and over in my head.

Thanks, George, for helping me create my first country girl Chick Lit book:

Amarillo By Morning

Baby’s Gotten Good At Goodbye

Cowboys Like Us

Don’t Tell Me You’re Not In Love

I Ain’t Her Cowboy Anymore

I’d Like To Have That One Back

If I Know Me

Oh, What A Perfect Day

She’ll Leave You With A Smile

Texas

The Man In Love With You

Today My World Slipped Away

What’s Going On In Your World

When Did You Stop Loving Me

You’re Something Special To Me

Filed Under: Isabella Tagged With: Books, Chick-Lit, Country, George Strait, George Strait music, Images, Isabella, Link, Love, Music, Random, Romance Books, Somewhere Down In Texas, Songs, Texas, Writing, Writing help

It’s Fun Friday

January 13, 2012 2 Comments

When we think of cowboys, don’t we think of boots, jeans and sexy music?  The following sexy make my heart beat fast each time I see them.

Kenny Chesney, #10

The first time I heard Kenny Chesney sing All I Need To Know, I was hooked on him.  It was a song that was recorded on his second CD, which came out in 1995.  When I saw the video, I remember watching it over and over.  His smile made me swoon, and his voice was a major turn on.  Since then, it seems that Kenny’s music has transitioned into sounding more and more like Jimmy Buffett, hence his song No Shirt, No Shoes, No Problem, but that’s okay because he’s still got that sweet smile that can melt a woman’s heart.

Chris Young, #9

 My brother introduced me to this amazing, talented, and handsome new country singer.  His hits include Drinkin’ Me Lonely, Voices, and Tomorrow.  When I saw him in concert over the summer, he hit the notes perfectly, and of course he look great while doing so.

John Michael Montgomery, #8

When I heard I Can Love You Like That for the first time, I was in heaven.  JMM’s dimples are a guarantee way to any woman’s heart.  (Seriously, look at that cute face!)  I love his teddy bearish body — doesn’t it make you just want to cuddle up next to him?  We’ve not heard that much from him lately, but we’ll never forget his emotional and very sexy songs like I Swear, or especially the song I Love The Way You Love Me.

Toby Keith, #7

How could anyone not love Toby?  This honky-tonk bad boy has been known to carry a flask with him to award shows, not to mention be vocal about his political views.  Don’t we all love a man who speaks their mind?  His rugged bad-ass ways can charm any woman, and his smile can light up any room.  From Toby’s upbeat songs like How Do You Like Me Now and Should’ve Been A Cowboy, to the sweet heartfelt songs, You Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This and Me Too, it’s hard to say how I what side of him I like the best!  He’s just an all around American made man!  Isn’t that sexy?

Clay Walker, #6

When I first heard Hypnotize The Moon by the hot and sexy Clay Walker, I was in heaven.  Every time I heard it, it was as if he were singing directly to me.  His songs are filled with so much emotion, and isn’t that attractive?  Where Do I Fit In The Picture, Fall, and Love To Be Your Last are my favorite songs that he sings.  I love his dark eyes; I could literally fall into him!  What’s not to love about this HOT man?

Keith Urban, #5

This Australian born hunk looks like he could be in band (possibly a heavy metal), but instead, he’s his one man show — and what a show he puts on.  I’ve seen him on several interviews and what I love most about him is that he’s a down-home family man!  He love his wife (Nicole Kidman) and their two beautiful girls.  When I saw him in concert, he charmed the crowd, not only with his voice, but with his sweet smile.  I could listen to him sing and talk all day long in his alluring accent, and he’s pretty damn easy on the eyes…

Jason Aldean, #4

There is a special place in my heart for Jason Aldean.  When I saw him at the Texas Stampede a few years ago, Big Green Tractor, was a new song — one I loved!  It’s a sweet slow song about a tractor.  Silly, yes, but the song is adorable!  His upbeat song She’s Country, is one of my favorite songs — it truly a country song!  His Dirt Road Anthem and My Kind Of Party are just two highly popular songs that make him who he is.  Every CD release by him is amazing!  While Jason might look a little mysterious, there’s something about him that just makes me want him more and more!  I’d love to ride on a big green tractor with him…

Blake Shelton, #3

Oh, Blake, where have you been all my life?  This 6′ 5″ man is the whole package!  He’s funny, sensitive, charming, sarcastic, hard-working, sexy, and confidant!  He doesn’t hide anything, and that’s one of my favorite things about him, (he’s been known to tweet while he’s drunk).  This past May, he married the beautiful Miranda Lambert.  With songs like Some Beach, Nobody But Me, All About Tonight, and Honey Bee, it’s hard to not love anything he sings.  I love Blake because he’s true to himself, his fans, and more than anything, it’s obvious that he’s madly in love with his wife.  What could be more sexier?

Tim McGraw, #2

Women, don’t we wish we were as lucky as Faith Hill is to be married to this man?  Tim McGraw has only grown sexier with age.  Am I right?  From the moment I heard the song Don’t Take The Girl, I knew there was something special about him.  I’ve had the pleasure of seeing him in concert twice, and each time I fell more in love with him.  What’s not to love about this fun-loving, sweet, and talented singer?  I Like It, I Love It, Please Remember Me, and The Cowboy In Me are classic Tim McGraw songs.  He is truly a classic in the country music world!

George Strait, #1

King George is how most country music fans refer to my #1 man!  From his first number one hit, Fool Hearted Memory, to his most recent number one hit, Here For A Good Time (his 58th #1 hit), George Strait’s music hasn’t changed a bit.  He’s true to his roots, and that’s just one thing that his fans love most!  I loved watching him in Pure Country, where he introduced us all to one of his beloved songs, I Cross My Heart.  Along with some of my favorites, Drinkin’ Champagne, I Can Still Make Cheyenne, Does Ft. Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, You Look So Good In Love, If I Know Me, and I’d Like To Have That One Back, these are songs that will stick with me forever.  I met him once at a concert, and he was one of the nicest man I’ve ever met, not to mention attractive!  He is a true cowboy who wears his Wranglers very well!

Now tell me, who is your favorite cowboy?

I hope y’all have a very Happy Friday!

Filed Under: Fun Friday Tagged With: Blake Shelton, Chick-Lit, Chris Young, Clay Walker, Concert, Country, Friday, George Strait, Hot Men, Images, Isabella, Jason Aldean, John Michael Montgomery, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Link, Miranda Lambert, Music, Nicole Kidman, Sexy cowboys, Singers, Tim McGraw, Toby Keith, Writing

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