Did I just stay up finishing this When I Was Summer by J.B. Howard about music and 
romance? Yes. Yes I did. It was all about Nora the bass player traveling on tour with her band and trying to find her birth parents. Of course, things don’t go quite as planned. And here’s the line that hit me like a ton of bricks: “I understand that he was one brief note in the symphony of my life, which will be composed of melodies I can’t yet imagine, melodies sweeter than anything I’ve heard or played before.”
Here’s the thing: I’ve been holding onto someone for far too long. I kept trying to get over it but I couldn’t, so I tried new tactics and angles to get his attention but it only worked up until a point. Then I got frustrated and confused when it all just kept stalling on me. And this went on for years – embarrassingly, over a quarter of my life so far. Heck, I even started writing to help cope with this. But you know what? I no longer care. I’m not even sad about it. Rather, I’m empowered to invest my time and energy into someone that will appreciate it. And this time, I’m not settling for anything less.
So I’m taking a cue from your beautiful and insightful novel, that helped me see my reality for what it was and even fuel my creativity for my WIP, @jbhowardwriter – and I’m going to view this experience just like Nora did. Just a boy, and just one fleeting note 🎸🎶
I’m finally feeling free from this boy who gave me just enough reason to think he cared about me, when in reality, he really didn’t. At least, not the way that I wanted him to. This book gave me the okay to cope with that. And after 6 years, I think I finally am.
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Angelina Singer Author Updates 