It's Raining Books: Chasing Harmony by Melanie Bell

Thursday, September 21, 2023

Chasing Harmony by Melanie Bell

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Melanie Bell will award a $20 Barnes and Noble gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Welcome to It's Raining Books. Why do you write in your genre? What draws you to it?

I write and publish in multiple genres. Coming-of-age stories like Chasing Harmony appeal to me because writing about growing up is a good way to tap into emotions. When you’re experiencing things for the first time, you experience them in technicolor.

What research is required?

It depends on the book. For Chasing Harmony, I researched the lives of geniuses and prodigies, and drew on firsthand accounts from musical prodigies I’d met. I read coming-of-age novels, especially those focused on art and music, and I interviewed a teacher at a music school.

Name one thing you learned from your hero/heroine.

I learned hope. Anna goes through a lot, but discovers that she can rewrite her story in a new way.

Do you have any odd or interesting writing quirks, habits or superstitions?

You don’t have to write alone! I do plenty of writing at home by myself, but I also like to participate in writing groups – some in person, some virtual – where several people write at the same time and chat afterward. It’s supportive, fun, and encouraging!

Are you a plotter or pantser?

I’m a hybrid – a “plantser.” When I first started writing, I went by the seat of my pants, making things up as a went along. As a result, my stories usually stopped around chapter 5. I tend to start out with an idea for the ending, but without planning, I didn’t know what was supposed to happen in the middle! I learned to write brief outlines with bullet points for different chapters or sections. I also keep a lot of notes for my stories. I leave room for flexibility, and the story usually changes as I tell it.

Look to your right – what’s sitting there?

I’m sitting in an easy chair next to the window. To my right is a view of the Victorian houses and gardens on my street in Brighton, England. I’m lucky that it’s sunny today and not raining!

Anything new coming up from you? What?

My poetry collection The Heart Decided to Move is coming out in 2025. It’s an honest look at my experiences moving to the UK and adapting to a new culture. I’m also working on a fantasy novel that I first conceived of as “feminist Amadeus with magic.” It’s about a composer who channels magic through her music and ends up working for the devil.

Do you have a question for our readers?

What story would you like to write – and why aren’t you writing it now? 😉

A refreshing YA debut from Canadian author Melanie Bell, perfect for fans of Rainbow Rowell, Becky Albertalli, and Nina LaCour.

Melanie Bell has created a compelling coming-of-age story, featuring a bisexual protagonist, for those that can relate to the search for untapped potential. Told in alternating timelines on Prince Edward Island and Vancouver, Chasing Harmony reminds us of the exhilarating feeling that comes with hearing your heart’s song.

Piano prodigy Anna Stern is used to having all eyes on her. As she becomes a teenager, Anna struggles to find her identity without the soundtrack of sonatas and concertos. There’s also the worry that comes with the crushing expectations of her musical gift and her parents’ imploding marriage.

Anna finds refuge in her best friend, Liss, who is full of magic and escape plans. However, now their relationship is changing and Anna is starting to fall for her. Adding to the complicated status is new kid Darien, who is always vying for Anna's attention.

As the haunting spectre of burnout lurks close by, an upcoming performance with Liss will determine both of their futures. With everything building to a crescendo, what follows is an authentic life in the making.

Read an Excerpt

Liss’s violin, marbleized wood luminous as eyes. Her foot’s proximity. Liss outshining her. An inch between sole and polished body. Liss so satisfied. Hesitation. Liss’s lips touching her, Liss’s gifts untouchable. Impact before she realizes there’s been an impact. Hideous cracking sounds. Again, again, encore.

There is a sense of cold grandeur in Anna’s eyes. In the keys of every piano are salamanders, scorpions, grass snakes, rats. Anna is made of piano keys. The violin is on the floor and the pinchy flat of her right foot is through it and touching the uncolorful speckles. The music room has windows but they’re high and hard to see through. Anna’s pulse is doubled where the veins stick out. Beethoven is a musical negative. Everyone had loved them. Past is a negative sometimes set to music. The violin is in two main pieces with a hole scrunched in the middle and assorted splinters. The violin is back in the case on the shelf. It has a name on it. Adrenalin has Anna’s veins alight. Liss now owns two halves of a violin. The splinters would be hers too but Anna has picked them up and thrown them on top of the lint and pizza box in the garbage. A piano is too big to stomp through. Love? She shudders. A splinter is lodged in Anna’s index finger just below the nail.

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