by Shona Husk

The story behind Out of Rhythm started in 2013…yep 2 years ago. I love rock star romance but two things stuck out at me.

1. It was only guys having all the fun (Since 2013 I have discovered a few other female rock stars).
2. They were already successful millionaires.

To me that seemed to be missing a prime opportunity for angst (mmm love me some angsty romance) and drama and tension and struggles—all the good stuff. So as a challenge between other projects (I do this quite a bit as I like to play with ideas without the pressure of due dates and it’s fun to just write) I decided to write a female wanna-be rockstar, and because I was feeling extra adventurous that day I thought it would be a good idea to write my first lesbian love story.

As with any experimental piece, there were teething problems (it was also my first contemporary romance) and then I got busy with other works and Out of Rhythm languished on my laptop…but it didn’t leave me alone. I knew it was there and I knew what I needed to do to fix it. I just didn’t know what to do with it when I did fix it. So I let it sit a bit longer…

Last year I had a huge gut instinct to fix it NOW and send it to Escape. I have learned not to ignore those feelings. I changed the character names (maybe that’s just me, but it helps me get fresh perspective if I have to do big fixes). There was also a title change at the last minute (I was about to hit send and I decided that I’d change the title).

I’m glad I didn’t ignore that feeling as I am delighted that Gemma, Ed, Mike and Dan each get a story – hopefully they will also make it big, not get too drunk after the shows (you’ve got to keep your eye on Mike), find love, not screw up aforementioned love (not naming names…but it begins with D).

Book 2, Out of Place, is out May 8th so there isn’t long to wait before the next instalment which is Ed’s story 🙂 8th so there isn’t long to wait before the next instalment which is Ed’s story 🙂

They might be one of the hottest up-and-coming bands in Australia, but the members of Selling the Sun have a lot to learn about life, love, sex, and each other.

Coming off a successful Australian tour and prestigious industry award nominations, Gemma Field’s life should be perfect. Instead her parents want her to get a real job, the second album isn’t coming together, and her best friend, Kirsten wants nothing to do with her.

Falling for her best friend was never going to make life easy. After an almost accidental drunken kiss almost six months ago, they aren’t even talking. Gemma can’t even talk about it with anyone – not her family, not her bandmates, not even the one person she used to share everything with. Instead she lives in a space of indecision and pain, and it’s affecting all aspects of her life, including the band.

Kirsten Vincent missed Gemma like crazy, but did she miss her as a friend or as something more? She’s confused and Gemma is hurt, and the consequences of a bad decision will affect more than their personal lives. Will another kiss, a sober kiss, a kiss with intent, do more damage, or could it be the start of something more?

Every band is desperate for that first big break – but what happens after that?

Ed Vincent, front man of Selling the Sun, has a really bad case of second album jitters. Nothing he writes measures up to the expectations placed on him after the success of the first album. The tensions between band members are rising and everything seems to be falling apart just as they get started. Perhaps it wasn’t meant to be: not every band gets to write their name on the pages of history. But the band has always been Ed’s dream, and if Ed gives up, will he have any dreams left?

Chasing dreams is something that other people do. Olivia Doyle put her life on hold after a car accident killed her fiancé and nearly claimed her life. Now with a three-year-old son and a part-time job, she knows she is stuck in a rut, but has no idea how to climb out. Then she meets Ed.

He can’t have the distraction of a relationship, and she has no time for anything casual. On the surface, they’re in completely different places, but love has a way of finding middle ground.