Finding the Pure Note

Author's Note

This is a story about addiction. Addiction to escape, from stress, people, expectations. Addiction of a lovestruck heart, a lifelong friend willing to forgive any and all sins to be with the one he loves. These characters have joy in their hearts, but also pain. Everyone is dealing with their own darkness, their own voids, doubts... Pretty much, what so many of us experience, and keep hidden.

Clay is gonna be frustrating at times. And that's okay. Many protagonists in the wider world of books are. Far so more than any I've written. Trust me, I've read about miserable, cynical farts that make me want to put the book down. Not all characters are going to suffer, or respond to that pain the same way. Clay is a good kid. But he is crushed under the expectations of a world that expects so much from him, and he's just a teen. He's trying to navigate teen life. That's a familiar struggle. But Clay falls into vices easily. He craves an easy out. Yet he's also a musician, and he wants to bring joy to people. The road to that dream is long and full of bumps. I hope you can weather those hurdles and make it to the other side.

This isn't a depressing story, I hope. Testing, messy, but not devoid of redemption. Clay will struggle, will stumble, but he isn't so hopeless and downbeat as to treat the world too cynically. This is a story with heart and humour, innocent, naive love, and the power of friends who will keep on trying to bring their best mate out of the darkness, as many times as he might stumble down that road. They are stubborn as hell, and that kind of persistence is what saves us in our worst moments. I want this story, and any story I write, to be about not casting aside those who make mistakes, who break your heart, but finding the light, trying even when it would be easy to just give up.

Clay's story is one of hurdle after hurdle, but it is also a story of finding his identity, understanding how important his ties to others is. Clay is joined by a colourful assortment of characters, from the strong and determined Chelsea, to his best friend Fletcher, a character I guarantee you will find hard not to fall in love with.

So if you have made it this far, I hope that you enjoy the story in these pages, and returning to rewrite this Author's Note, I can happily confirm a sequel is out now. More on that at the very end. ;)

So this story is for all those who doubt, who struggle with who they are, and those who have a dream that sounds stupid to others, but means the world to them. I've written about broken characters before; now comes the time to tell the tales of characters who are on the verge of breaking, but with a little help, can come a long way. The pure note may be a metaphor, but it is a goal I hope you all strive to achieve. Here lies a tale of love and friendship, of course, and more than that, the purpose one finds in life from something they love. Just as Clay strives to find the pure note, I hope that you too find such passion in your lives.

Thank you.

Disclaimer: This book contains moderate coarse language, some sex scenes and deals with issues of addiction, depression and self-worth.