Title: A Song For Another Day
Author: Maria Imbalzano
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Book Blurb:
Gigi Jenson, an up-and-coming Broadway star, finds herself in Willow Springs, Vermont, for the summer as director of their first annual community revue. This sleepy town is worlds away from her vibrant and beloved New York City, but the experience she’ll gain will be invaluable to her career.
Jason Simmons has lived in Willow Springs his entire life. Working several jobs while writing music, he yearns for a contract to record his songs. The one chance he had to make it in Nashville he blew due to stage fright.
When Jason volunteers to help Gigi with the revue, sparks ignite but their dreams are taking them in different directions. Will their love for each other ever guide them to the same path?
Excerpt:
Gigi sipped at a glass of sangria as she tried to ignore the stares of everyone around her. She’d chosen the most casual clothes she brought with her, toning it down with the hope of fitting in, but the second she walked through the front door of Finnigan’s, she felt out of place.
She toyed with her silverware, waiting for the burger she’d ordered, while the smooth, baritone voice belonging to the shuttle driver unwittingly calmed her racing cells. She glanced over at him, and a feather of excitement tickled her skin. He was one good-looking guy, and his talent just added to his allure.
In an effort to ignore the uncomfortable vibes bouncing off her, she took out her cell phone and started making notes for her first day of work on Monday. If she’d been sitting at a bar in New York, everyone around her would also have their phones in hand as they scrolled and searched for who knew what. But here, people were talking, laughing.
“You found me.” A familiar voice came from her right.
She turned, and there was Jason, easing onto the stool next to her, a teasing smile playing across his very talented mouth.
“I wasn’t looking for you.” She softened her words with a grin. “I was hungry. This was the closest place.”
His smile disappeared. Oh no. She needed to put it back so he wouldn’t leave her to fend for herself amongst this group of staring strangers. She dared not think of any other reason she might want him to stick around. “I didn’t know you were a singer. Or a musician. You’re very good.”
“Thanks.” He held up his hand to get the bartender’s attention. “Hey, Sarah. Can I have a club soda, please?”
“You got it.” She winked at him, and he did smile at her.
“Sarah, this is Giselle. I believe she’s in town to direct the revue I didn’t know about.”
“Please call me Gigi.”
“I kind of like Giselle. Very formal. Just like you.” His lips quirked up in a semi-smile, causing her stomach to swirl in crazy spirals.
Sarah chuckled, as if knowing exactly how Jason’s lips affected her insides. “Gigi it is,” said Sarah as she turned to Jason. “How could you not know about the revue? It’s all everyone’s been talking about. The posters are in every store and restaurant window.”
“I must have blinders on.” He addressed Gigi. “What’s the deal?”
“Tyler Martinson, the executive director of the Willow Springs Playhouse, wants the opening night of the new theater to showcase the people of the town. He hired me to direct a revue.”
“Is that what you do in the city?”
“Nope. Not at all. I have a degree in fine arts from Julliard. I’m a dancer. And a singer.”
His cocoa eyes roamed over her body, sending flutters to her core. “That’s why you walk like a ballerina.”
A chuckle escaped. Who would have thought he’d even noticed? “I’ve been dancing since I was five, so I guess it’s in my bones.”
“Why did you take this job, then?”
A question she’d been asking herself. More because of the location than the experience. “I’m waiting to hear if I got a role I recently auditioned for. This opportunity was a good distraction and fit within the window of time I had available.”
He seemed to consider this for a few seconds. “What role is that?”
Angst returned. “Cassandra in the national touring company of CATS. It starts in September.”
“Is Cassandra a cat?”
She laughed. “All the characters are cats.” Hadn’t everyone in the world seen some version of this play? It had been around forever. “I know it’s a minor role, and I didn’t get it yet, but if I do, I’ll be singing and dancing in a Broadway play on tour. Which will hopefully lead to a role on Broadway.”
He nodded. “Sounds like a good plan.”
His lack of further comment pushed her to explain more. “I know it’s a stepping stone. But an important one where I’ll gain experience, show that I’m serious about my career, and be ready for the next role I audition for. On Broadway.” Her tone had taken on an icy edge—the same tenor she used with her attorney parents who continually questioned her choice of career—despite the fact he hadn’t said one negative word.
“You’ve got a lot of confidence. That’s the key to success. I wish I had that.” He swiveled off his stool, a shadow crossing his face, and climbed back on stage.
A mystery man. She liked that. Along with many of his other traits.
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What makes your featured book a must-read?
You will fall in love with Jason Simmons, the hero of this book. I know I did. He’s a sensitive songwriter who wants to break into Nashville. In order to support himself while working toward his dream, he is the shuttle driver for the Deerbourne Inn in his hometown of Willow Springs, Vermont. He also sings and plays guitar on weekends at Finnigan’s, the local bar. And he’s a model. How hot is that! When New York City born Gigi comes to Willow Springs for two months while awaiting word on her Broadway audition, their stars collide. “A Song For Another Day” is an opposites attract story where Broadway dreams and country music collide.
Giveaway –
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Open Internationally.
Runs April 6 – April 12, 2021.
Winner will be drawn on April 15, 2021.
Author Biography:
Maria Imbalzano is a retired matrimonial lawyer who now writes full time. Instead of drafting motions, legal memoranda, and briefs, although fascinating, she now spends her days creating memorable characters and taking them on their emotional journeys through her contemporary romance novels.
Her novel, “Unchained Memories,” won the Wisconsin Romance Writers Write Touch Readers’ Award and the ACRA Readers’ Choice Heart of Excellence Award. “Sworn to Forget,” the first of the four-book Sworn Sisters Series was a finalist for the illustrious RONE award as well as the Book Buyers Best Award.
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