About Striking Out
Publisher: Firefield Press (July 14, 2015)
Page count: 261
Sharon Jackson is forced to leave her childhood home in Western Australia after her turbulent personal and professional lives collide, leaving her singing career in ruins. On the run, she moves to Perth with an empty bank account, determined to prove her past wrong by becoming a star. She signs with Des, the sleazy agent who wants more than a ten percent cut of her earnings to prop up his ego as his own life unravels.
Survival doesn’t come easy in the macho world of rock-‘n’roll. Shazza works as a roadie for Des’s top band, Maverick, and falls in love with the enigmatic lead singer. But Todd moves in more prestigious circles, and Shazza’s efforts to get close to him throw her off balance. Desperate for cash, she finds work teaching taekwondo at a local dojo, where she meets Kevin, the handsome martial arts expert who’s got more than his own share of problems in the aftermath of a marriage breakdown.
Shazza’s pursuit of a new life is threatened when her past follows her to Perth, while her dreams of becoming a star seem increasingly out of reach. With no home to go back to, and a devastating critique from Des to contend with, she embraces a new genre in a desperate bid to save her career. Her make-or-break opportunity arrives when she’s booked to perform in an upmarket hotel. With Des in the audience, poised to cast his deciding vote on the fate of her career, Shazza faces the crowd and sings for her life.
In the back of the darkened bar, a man stands watching. Shazza must make a decision that will define the course of her future, and time is running out.
Advance Praise:
‘Shazza arrives in the big smoke to seek her fortune as a rock musician, but finds her biggest obstacles in the men she chooses – and in herself. She is a rambunctious character who will capture your heart with her warmth and your imagination with her spunky adventures. Scarlet Bennett has given us a debut novel with a memorable voice, and a thoroughly contemporary heroine with real balls.’ Jo-Anne Richards, South African novelist and journalist whose work has been published internationally.
‘Fame and fortune for a ballsy and brassy broad; easy isn’t it? Not when you’re escaping a small town dragging a past full of demons. It might be a long way to the top, but Shazza is not afraid to grab the bull by the horns. Striking Out records the journey of a rock chick kick-starting her dream in an industry of wanna-bes, coulda-beens, never-weres and rolling with the punches to reclaim her life. A rockin’ good read.’ David Cook, Renegade.
‘A page turner filled with an array of captivating characters…more adventures please!’ Sally-Anne Russell, Classical recording artist.
‘Written with a warmth and wit, Bennett serves up a cast of characters who quickly make their presence felt. Shazza leaps from the page with a flying axe-kick, the all-singing, all-fighting tough-talking heroine who battles the world around her and her own worst tendencies with equal vigour and spunk. Musicians, in particular, will encounter some familiar faces in these pages; the dodgy agent, the peacocking front-man, the flamboyant singing coach. All are presented with flair, humour and an eye for truth that gives Bennett’s style real spark.’ Kanen Breen, Strange Bedfellows.
‘Scarlet Bennett has a way of writing that is natural, colourful and unpretentious. I enjoyed it very much.’ Emma Matthews, Opera star and recording artist.
For more information about STRIKING OUT, visit the publisher’s website HERE.
Purchase Link
Amazon
About Scarlet Bennett
Scarlet Bennett spent her formative years in regional Western Australia, and it shows. Years of city living have softened her broad accent, but the slang she’s stuck with. After earning a Masters degree in Psychology, the colourful characters of her childhood – and that irrepressible Aussie spirit – found their way onto the page. She is a graduate of Allaboutwriting’s mentoring program, and lives in Canberra with her husband, kids, and far more animals than can reasonably fit on a suburban plot.
Connect with Scarlet at her website, HERE.