Blue Notes Series Timeline

Ten days and counting until the release of Prelude! A few days ago, my good friend Thea Nishimori commented on my David Somers blog post and asked me to set out the chronological order of the Blue Notes Series books.   While I have to admit timelines are not my forte (just ask my Prelude co-author, Venona, to tell you how many times we revised the timeline in that book!), I thought it’d be a good challenge.

For those of you who have read the series, this may help to put together the puzzle pieces.  For those of you new to the series, this may be another way for you to decide which series novel to begin with.  And it’s also a great way for me to introduce my current WIP, Encore, which will be book five in the series.

So, here’s the list in chronological order.  Remember, each book is meant to be read as a standalone and in any order.  These are NOT sequels, although secondary characters often show up as main characters in later books:

1)  Encore – This is the story of Alex Bishop’s teacher, Roger Nelson, and David Somers’s mentor and former music director of the Chicago Symphony, John Fuchs.  The story, the oldest in the series, begins in the early 1970s and spans 40+ years.

2) Prelude – Alex Bishop and David Somers’s story (Alex and David appear in all of the Blue Notes books, including Encore).  Keep your eyes out for a scene toward the beginning of the book where you will meet Roger and John from Encore.  That same scene appears in Encore, but from a completely different perspective (and with a twist that got me all verklempt!).

3) Blue Notes – Jules Bardon and Jason Greene’s story.  We learn in Blue Notes that Jason was roommates with David Somers at the University of Michigan.

4) Aria – Aiden Lind and Sam Ryan’s story.  Cellist Cary Redding from The Melody Thief makes an appearance in this one as Aiden’s best friend. 

5) The Melody Thief – Cary Redding and Antonio Bianchi’s story.  There’s a scene in Thief with Cary and Aiden where Cary teases Aiden for being too happy with Sam.  There’s also a mention that David Somers tried to fix Cary and Aiden up at one point, but that the two men became best friends instead.

What’s next for the series?  I’m arguing with my muse.  I have several stories started, including a story featuring Jules Bardon’s little brother, Guy, and a story featuring Cameron, the cheating ex-boyfriend from Aria.  I’ve also got a chamber music group (trio or quartet) in the still-in-my-imagination stage.

Do you have a particular character from the series you’d like me to write about?  Or do you have a particular instrument you’d like to see featured in a Blue Notes Series story?  I’m definitely open to suggestions!  Leave me a comment or shoot me an email at shiraanthony@hotmail.com and my muse and I will duke it out. -Shira

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You can find all of the Blue Notes Series books at Dreamspinner Press, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AllRomanceEbooks, and other outlets.

Prelude is now available for pre-order from Dreamspinner Press! Release day is Monday, May 6th.

Want to read an excerpt from one or all of the books? Click on the “My Books” link and then on the “More” tab. Then just scroll down to the “Excerpt” tab. You’ll also find the playlists for the Blue Notes books there!

8 comments

  1. Andrea M - Reply

    If they’re works in progress, I vote for the one you’re closest to completing and I vote for a nice long novel. Both the characters are wonderful and needless to say, their stories have to be written and read.

    • Shira - Reply

      Thanks Andrea! You may get your wish for long, btw. Encore looks like it’s going to be the longest yet (I suppose that makes sense, since it spans a 40+ year period). XD

  2. Susan - Reply

    I did not like Cameron at all, so I would not read a story about him. Guy, on the other hand, definitely needs his story told.

    • Shira - Reply

      I hope I might change your mind about Cameron, Susan. There’s more to Cam’s story than meets the eye (although I’m sure to torture him thoroughly before he gets a HEA). There’s a reason he is who he is that I think will explain a lot. XD But I agree – Guy is far more sympathetic and he does need a story!

  3. Tali Spencer - Reply

    I actually forgave Cameron, sorta (he still needs to fully redeem himself by being wonderful to someone), so would enjoy his story. Hmmm… I would love to see the story of a percussionist. A drummer, the guy who does the cymbals…that kind of guy. Whenever I go to the symphony, I wonder about those guys and what it must be like because they are always supporting players. They may only do something once in a while. No one talks about a world-class classical drummer. Rock drummers get glory. The guy in the orchestra, not so much.

    • Shira - Reply

      Guy would be paired with Henri, the drummer and Jules’s best friend from the Blue Notes trio, so you’ll get your wish (although he doesn’t play in the symphony).

      And yes, Cam needs to completely redeem himself. He will. I promise. But not before he has to suffer the consequences of losing Aiden.

  4. Thea - Reply

    “spans 40+ years”??? We’ll have to start calling you Shira ‘James Michener’ Anthony! XD

    I agree with Susan that I’d be more sympathetic to reading Guy’s story than Cam’s, but I will insist upon your writing both! 😀

    I have a request for an instrument: the organ, the King of Instruments. I took lessons from a brilliant master all through college but had to give it up when I developed arthritis in my hands. I love the versatility of the organ, though — it can sound like so many different things at once.

    Here’s a cool intro by Carlo Curley — I got his autograph when I went to his concert. 🙂
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ryq4JNe8Hc

    • Shira - Reply

      Very cool! I know a LOT of gay organists from my singing days (and one in particular I’m still very close to). So that definitely could work. And yes… 40 years. Why do I do things like that to myself???? Why do I listen to the characters in my head???? Argh. It’s definitely a challenge, and a completely different kind of story from the other books. I guess that’s good – part of writing is about experimentation and getting better at our craft, right?

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