An Interconnected Musical Literary Universe
From a community music school in Lower Manhattan, to an internationally recognized summer music festival in the mountains of Vermont, to an elite conservatory in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, this music-driven universe connects major and minor characters across a five-book series with overlapping timelines. Each story can function independently or as a companion to preceding novels. Differing themes—from addiction and trauma processing to institutional tokenism and abusive private musical studio practices to neurodivergent advocacy—are told through the lens of somatic realism, showcasing music as a path to healing and personal sovereignty.
Completed Titles
Book 1: When May Is Rushing Over You
Fifty-one-year-old Georgie balances managing a music school, playing viola, and raising her autistic son, Joey, in New York City. Facing traumatic events and her unresolved personal history, she must face her past to find inner strength using her viola and her voice to move forward with her life.
Book 2: Adagietto
Nevaeh, a seventeen-year-old harpist from Crown Heights, Brooklyn, is selected for the prestigious summer festival at Vermont's fictional Moss Glen Falls International Music Center. As she prepares for her first concerto performance, she must navigate an intense environment of privilege and tokenization unlike anything she has ever experienced.
Titles in Active Production and Development
Book 3: The Snow Sounds Different Here
Nineteen-year-old Ilya Moroz, a Ukrainian refugee and clarinetist, navigates the competitive undergraduate program at Pittsburgh's fictional Allegheny Conservatory of Music where he discovers deep-seated inequities within the system.
Book 4: Black Scuffed Case
After a near-death experience, cellist Pete battles alcoholism and the ghosts of his past. Though his road to sobriety is difficult, the support of family and friends helps him find solace in his music as he turns to composition to heal.
Book 5: All Aboard Ha Ha Ha
Joey, a sixteen-year-old with autism, struggles with his daily life. Navigating the overwhelming sensory landscape of high school, his day-to-day environment, and his first romantic feelings, New York City remains a puzzle to him. He finds a deep support network with his childhood rock band and fuels their creativity with his unique ideas and artistic vision.