For me, writing and music have always been inextricably linked. Heck, I started writing books in the first place because of someone I met in band camp. But I also listen to music while I write my stories, and think about where it needs to go.
As I’ve been starting 2021 with a renewed vigor for life (read my 2020 reflections HERE), I’ve also been thinking about how I want to continue the sequel to my time-travel coming-of-age book, Forgetting What I Couldn’t Remember.
This book is a challenge, because while the first book was about claiming justice for bullying and other struggles, the second book is about forgiveness. And that’s something I’m still working on in real-time too. Granted, writing these books have made it a lot easier to forgive, having finally laid it all bare for the world to see. But I’ve decided that I’m finally ready to let go. Holding on to this stuff isn’t doing me any good – and I’m finally expressing it (and myself) the way I’ve always wanted to.
As I continue to plug away at my draft of the second and final installment of The Rewind Duology (Forgiving What I Couldn’t Change), I’ve been putting myself in Vera’s shoes. She’s angry, frustrated, and about a hundred other things that like me, she struggles to articulate. That’s why I love this song by Tonight Alive (my favorite line of which, is the title of this blog post).
It’s all about knowing yourself, where you want to go in life, and being brave enough to take the reins and get yourself there. That’s where real success begins, and wanting it isn’t enough – you have to be willing to use setbacks as strengths too.
If you like friends-to-lovers romance, coming of age, and getting even with middle school bullies, I think you’ll love this book as much as I loved writing it.
“I know I will survive this, I’ll be the strongest person I know.”
– Tonight Alive
As for my character Vera Bartlet, she’s got to forgive others and forgive herself for falling prey to her own struggles as ling as she did. It’s a tough journey, but I have a feeling she’s going to break through very soon. If you want to “meet” Vera for yourself, you can find Forgetting What I Couldn’t Remember on Amazon HERE.
Listen to “World Away” by Tonight Alive HERE.
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Angelina Singer Author Updates 