TEMPTATION RAG
by Elizabeth Hutchison Bernard
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This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. The author will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner via Rafflecopter. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.GENRE: Historical Fiction
The world of ragtime is the backdrop for a remarkable story about the price of freedom, the longing for immortality, and the human need to find forgiveness. Seventeen-year-old May Convery, unhappy with her privileged life in turn-of-the-century New York City, dreams of becoming a poet. When she meets the poor but talented Mike Bernard, an aspiring concert pianist, she immediately falls in love. But after their secret liaison is discovered, neither is prepared for the far-reaching consequences that will haunt them for decades. From vaudeville's greatest stars to the geniuses of early African American musical theater, an unforgettable cast of real-life characters populates this richly fictionalized historical saga.
Read an Excerpt
Giving himself no further opportunity for remorse, he forced his fingers to the keys and broke into the hit song “After the Ball,” easily navigating the simple melody, augmenting it with rich chords and lush arpeggios. Following several rounds of verse and chorus, he seamlessly transitioned to a second popular tune, calling upon every musical device of the masters to transform the rather pedestrian refrain into something closer to grand opera.
He picked up the pace. The music became a locomotive barreling down a straight track, the left hand pounding a steady bass, the right weaving intricate variations on a theme. In a moment of daring, he lifted his backside off the bench, half standing as his fingers scurried up and down the keys, faster than rats in a dark alley. He heard a cry of delight from someone in the crowd, and his excitement spiked. On and on he went, switching songs like he was switching hats, for each one inventing a new sound effect, a new gimmick. While he might dress up a melody any way he wanted, in the end it had to sound familiar enough to touch that special place in the listener’s heart where music works its most powerful magic. And that was precisely what he set about doing. He captured his audience like he was reeling in a giant fish. Slowly, painfully, with every ounce of strength he had. Afraid to stop. Afraid to let go of this brash new persona that it seemed must have always been lurking beneath the surface, beneath the façade of everything he thought he was or wanted to be.
About the Author:
https://www.amazon.com/Temptation-Rag-Elizabeth-Hutchison-Bernard-ebook/dp/B07HYJMTXX/ref=sr_1_1.
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