Porcelain Keys Blog Tour and
Guest Post with Sarah Beard
Blurb:
Aria's life is full of secrets--secrets about her mother's death, her father's cruelty, and her dream to go to Juilliard. When Aria meets Thomas, he draws out her secrets, captures her heart, and gives her the courage to defy her father. But when tragedy strikes and Thomas disappears, Aria is left alone to transform her broken heart's melody into something beautiful. Porcelain Keys is a captivating love story that will resonate long after the last page is turned.
Guest Post -- Music:
Do you
remember the song you first slow-danced to? I do. It was “Forever Young” by
Alphaville. What about that song you listened to over and over after your first
breakup? Mine was “A Thousand Hours” by The Cure. Ask me about any event in my
life, and I can tell you the music I was listening to. I can tell you when
there was no music because it caused too much pain, or when music was
constantly playing because it drowned out heartache. I can tell you when I
danced in celebration to it, or kissed to it, or ran a half-marathon to it.
Music is a
thread that runs through all our lives. It is a part of being human, the need
for rhythm and melody. It’s no secret that music is a universal language that
connects people all over the world. It has the power to express the
inexpressible, inspire and comfort, and amplify emotion. As Plato so eloquently
put it centuries ago, “Music gives a soul to the
universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything.”
On my sixteenth birthday, my parents bought me an
electric piano. I’d always been drawn to the neighbor’s piano, but we’d never
been able to afford a real piano or lessons. So I eagerly set up that electric
piano in my bedroom and played to my heart’s content into the wee hours of
morning. It was the greatest gift I’d received up to that point in my life.
Like a new voice that had the ability to say the things I didn’t know how to
say. I was going through a lot of difficult things at the time, and when it all
seemed too much to bear, I would sit down at that keyboard and let it all out.
Somehow my incompetent fingers would find the chords that resonated with my feelings,
and each one would open a little door in my soul and set something free.
In my novel, Porcelain Keys, my main character is a
seventeen-year-old pianist named Aria. Music is everything to her. It’s how she
makes sense of her world and how she identifies herself. And it is the one
thing that connects her to her musician mother, who died five years before the
story begins. So when her dad forbids her to play the piano, it’s very
difficult for her because music is such an integral part of her self-identity.
She feels trapped and hampered in her situation, and she’s biding her time
until she has the opportunity to set herself free. It’s not until she meets a
boy named Thomas that she realizes that sometimes we have to make our own
opportunities instead of waiting for them to fall into our laps.
Although the theme of music runs through the story,
Porcelain Keys mostly centers around the romance between Aria and Thomas. But
I would hope that the musical lens through which the story is told enhances and
intensifies their love story.
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Photo Credit: Heather Clark Photography
Author Bio:
SARAH BEARD is the author of Porcelain Keys, a YA contemporary romance. She has
a degree in communications from the University of Utah and splits her time between
writing and raising three energetic boys. She is a cancer survivor and a hopeless
romantic. She enjoys reading and composing music, and lives with her husband and
children in Salt Lake City, Utah.
You can follow Sarah:
* Links for purchase:
Reviews:
"Emotionally rich, elegant description, beloved characters--Sarah Beard delivers a fresh,
new novel that will go on my list of classics." --Stephanie Fowers, author of With a
Kiss.
"Aria is a heroine worth rooting for, and the plot is an emotional melody that weaves a
spell so potent, it can only be broken by reaching the end. And even then, I couldn’t stop
thinking about Aria and her story." --Heather Frost, author of The Seers Trilogy
"Emotionally gripping, this beautifully crafted young adult romance will pull at readers’
heartstrings from tragic beginning to happy ending. A must-read for fans of
contemporary romance, both young and seasoned. " --Julie Ford, author of Replacing
Gentry
"Porcelain Keys is a fresh, heart-wrenching take on boy-meets-girl. Using fantastic and
musical imagery to tell the poignant love story of Aria and Thomas, the author leads the
reader to a swelling crescendo as if we're part of the song—and what a beautiful song it
is." --Cindy C. Bennett, author or Geek Girl and Rapunzel Untangled
"A lyrical love story that will leave your heart singing. Porcelain Keys is a masterpiece
with emotional depth, young love, and family angst. Beard takes us on a journey of selfdiscovery,
second chances, and ultimately, sweet resolution." --Heather Ostler, author
or The Siren's Secret
