Blurb:
Scott Yonge exploded onto the
national consciousness at the 2001 Garrett Awards and quickly rose to legendary
status on the wings of his music and his whirlwind romance with independent
film actress Michelle Zoe. What should have been a perfect life was interrupted
by an ultra-right wing militant group called the American Freedom Force and its
leader, Colonel Randall, who forces Scott to choose between his life and that
of his son. After his heroic sacrifice, his family is left to pick up the
pieces and forge ahead to a future in the vacuum he left behind.
Now, in 2021, his son Hedley inherits music for himself, becoming a star in his own right as technology gives new life to the medium. Scott's daughter, affectionately known as Soup, throws herself into unravelling the mysteries of her family's history. Michelle commits herself to keeping them all together and trying to make sense of life without the one she loves. Through it all, the AFF looms in the shadows, threatening to resurrect the pain they have just begun to overcome.
Now, in 2021, his son Hedley inherits music for himself, becoming a star in his own right as technology gives new life to the medium. Scott's daughter, affectionately known as Soup, throws herself into unravelling the mysteries of her family's history. Michelle commits herself to keeping them all together and trying to make sense of life without the one she loves. Through it all, the AFF looms in the shadows, threatening to resurrect the pain they have just begun to overcome.
Excerpt:
The dream wakes him, the same
one. Hedley’s whispered words “Bye birdies, bye” still ring in his ears as he
achieves consciousness. Sound of a different source soon intrudes: that of
music playing through the PA system. It’s late, he realizes, and jumps to his
feet. He can feel more than hear the rustle of people filing into the arena,
bringing with them a sense of tension that will build until show time, then
burst like a stick dam before a raging river with the first note. It’s 7:10 PM;
an hour and twenty to go. A shrill knock comes to the door, followed by Del’s
voice.
“You in there, dude?”
“Si,” Scott replies. All the
years of the road, sharing the stage, and the music are audible in Del’s simple
words. They don’t have to speak to talk; they’re on the same wavelength.
The show, the focus is the show.
Whatever lies with tomorrow lives with tomorrow; they live for tonight. “I need
a shower, I stink. I’ll be along soon.”
“Cool, dude, don’t forget your
pants.”
He hears cowboy booted footsteps
receding on the concrete floor.
A new, unidentifiable tension
floats to the surface as Scott showers, rising from the dark side. It has an
ominous feel about it, winding like a creeping vine around Scott’s confidence,
bringing with it a sense of fear, and worse, a sense of defeat. The wariness
settles on him again, draining his energy and his will. He shivers
uncontrollably as coldness sets in, and he wonders if he can go on. Then it
occurs to him as he cranks the hot water that this is all part of it. The plan
all along was to isolate him, weaken him bit by bit, reducing him to a shell of
what he is. By show time, they would see Scott as the colonel wants them to see
him, a weak and ineffective fool incapable of sustaining a mission of any
substance. “You will not break me,” Scott whispers. He leans his head against
the cool tiles of the shower stall. “I will not give you that.”
Hello everyone. I am an author and a musician. I started writing this series in early 2002. It has really been a hobby of mine until
family intervened! When my niece Candy
came on board, we shot a series of videos at Bedside studios in Winnipeg, to
explain questions such as “Who is Scott Yonge?” or “Soup Instructions” to
explain the interactive aspect with the music.
We also did interviews such as “Travis and Candy”, “Lenny and Travis” as
well as music videos for some of the songs.
The Video “All OF YOU” has
pictures of Candy and my family. Check
out the videos on the YouTube site. We
had so much fun getting them together, we hope it gives you some enjoyment as
well.
Author Bio and Links:
Travis Haugen was born and raised in the
prairies of Saskatchewan, lived in Calgary for over 25 years and presently
lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Travis has spent forty
years of his life touring on the road as a musician and has spent hundreds of
hours in recording studios. Travis spends much of his time writing songs,
writing stories, playing music and spending valuable time with his family and
close group of friends.
Where Soup Is Sold:
Who is your favorite character from your book?
ReplyDeleteThey are all my friends, but the character of Michelle Zoe, the matriarch. tops the list. She is the anchor of the Yonge family. and of Scott Yonge himself. I believe she ties the story together throughout the entire series. I must admit, I've fallen a little bit in love with her. lol.
DeleteGood morning. Thank you for hosting our blog today!
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping in, Shelly. I hope you check us out. If you are into e-books, that format is the best for the interactivity aspect of SOUP, although it works just fine with the printed versions too!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThank you Rita. Hope you enjoy the book.
DeleteThank you, Victoria. Although the story is set in the year 2021, this particular excerpt takes the reader back to 2009 and Scott Yonge's run-in with the colonel, during the Scott Yonge and the Zone comeback tour.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the excerpt! It looks interesting =)
ReplyDeleteThank you. The book does have its twists and turns. It bounces back and forth through time, sometimes telling the story in reverse.
ReplyDeleteThe book sounds great and I appreciate getting to hear about it. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteAnd we appreciate you dropping by. Thanks, James, for participating in our tour.
DeleteHi Folks,
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by on our tour. On behalf of Candy, and myself, we'd love to wish you a magical summer in 2019!