G I V E A W A Y E N D E D
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Synopsis:
Three voices, one dream, and a chance to uncover the truth.
It’s 1978, and the glittering disco craze is sweeping across America. Identical conjoined triplets Elliana, Bellamona, and Gabriella have one shared dream: finding their mother, who vanished without a trace years ago. Singing is their only solace, and now they have a chance to take that passion to the national stage.
When they’re invited to compete in Your Shooting Star, a famous music competition, the teenage sisters see it as their chance to reunite with the woman they can’t remember but long to know. But stepping into the spotlight means facing their greatest fears. As the underdogs fight to stay in the contest, they must brave ruthless rival Twyla-Violet, a former child model determined to claim the coveted title at any cost.
While the four-round competition heats up, secrets, lies, and conspiracies threaten to tear their world apart. Can the triplets stand strong and use the power of television to reconnect with their past? Or will their dream shatter under the pressure of fame?
Author Bio:
Mark Workman toured the world as a road manager and lighting designer with many famous rock bands for 33 years. After leaving the music business in 2015, he worked at a major drug and alcohol treatment center in Malibu, California, for four years, where he earned his certification as a drug and alcohol counselor. Mark now spends his time reading, writing, and traveling. He grew up in Petersburg, Virginia, has lived in Greater Los Angeles for most of his adult life, and currently resides in the Las Vegas area. His estrangement from his late father since the age of six, along with his love for the music of the Bee Gees and 70s nostalgia, greatly inspired his debut novel, Forever We Dream.
Reviews:
“A thought-provoking and entertaining novel… resulting in gripping suspense
leading toward the book’s resolution.” – Foreword Clarion Reviews (5 stars)
“An emotionally charged exploration of family and identity… with enough surprises
to keep YA readers on their toes and rooting for a favorable outcome.” – Kirkus
Reviews
“Workman’s heartfelt debut dissects the uncertainty and self-doubt that can cripple
dreams… the end result testifies to the strength of the human spirit and the enduring
bond between siblings.” – BookLife by Publishers Weekly
“An original, emotionally compelling, skillfully crafted, and memorable novel… a fun
and fascinating read from start to finish.” – Midwest Book Review
EXCERPTS:
Excerpt 1
Carla gawked at the triplets, shocked by their wrecked makeup. “What have you done?”
Katherine stepped over to them. “Carla, I’ll take care of the girls.” She took in their disturbed faces. “Did Twyla-Violet do something to you again?”
Mona sniffed back her tears. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”
“Sixty seconds,” Carla announced behind them.
Katherine pulled the girls around her. “Don’t let that bully beat you. There’s no time to fix your makeup. You must turn this crisis into a tactical advantage. I want you to think of the one thing you want more than anything else and imagine how you’d feel if you couldn’t have it.”
Papilio stared up at her, six amber irises adrift in the pain-stained red sclera of their eyes.
“That’s how we feel now,” Mona muttered as another black tear dripped from her chin and soiled more of their white blouse.
“So put those painful emotions into every word you sing and note you play. Understand, Papilio?”
Appearing almost catatonic, the triplets nodded slowly.
Carla pointed at the stage. “Ten seconds!”
Gently, Katherine brushed a black tear from Mona’s soft jawline with the back of her fingers. “And don’t forget to sing the lyrics from a girl’s perspective. Make them personal.” She stepped back and gestured for Papilio to go.
“Thanks for everything,” Mona said as if it would be the last time they ever saw the coach they had come to admire.
An aching feeling in the pit of Mona’s stomach told her something awful was about to happen. She sensed the judges sharpening their axes, anticipating the metallic taste of blood, ready to exact their punishment on Papilio for being naive enough to think three homely zeros were good enough to become America’s Teen Shooting Star. Their wacko mother didn’t even want them—why would anyone else?
As the dimmed lights increased in intensity, Papilio joined hands, put their right feet forward, and marched onstage while being careful not to trip in their tall platform heels. Halfway there, Gabby lost her concentration. Her ankle twisted sideways, and she nearly fell before Mona, anchored by Ellie, pulled Gabby’s arm and helped her recover, preventing an embarrassing human avalanche.
Despite the triplets’ messy state, the crowd behind Twyla-Violet’s cheering section applauded loudly. The Empress fan club, still decked out in violet band T-shirts, filled the front row as if they were permanently cemented to the seats. Their jaws dropped when they saw Papilio’s sloppy makeup and ruined costume. The hecklers were so shocked by their disheveled appearance, they forgot to snicker.
Papilio’s die-hard fan from their school’s math club stood in the middle of the row behind the jeerers. She held a sign that read Go Papilio! Her metal braces glinted as she jumped up and down, black pigtails bouncing, cheering for the band. Two other calculators with her screamed even louder.
Papiliomania was becoming contagious.
Excerpt 2
Papilio watched Empress entertain the audience with their rousing rendition of the Rolling Stones’ “Tumbling Dice.” Two inflatable white dice, two feet square, with violet pips were onstage when the song began. Twyla-Violet stormed out and kicked them into the audience as if they were soccer balls, and the crowd fought for the souvenirs. Twyla-Violet’s backslappers in the front row earned their coveted seats through their cheers. Hob had buckled to Edward’s constant demands and reserved the middle section of the first row for Empress, given the tremendous amount of money the snollygoster was spending on promotions.
Twyla-Violet was gorgeous in her violet silk chiffon dress and ankle boots. The imitation white diamonds and violet sapphires in her tiara glittered under the shining stage lights, while her powerful voice thrilled the crowd. She crouched low like a panther, working the audience and commanding the stage like a seasoned pro. She made each member of the audience feel as if she were singing directly to them. Years of ballet lessons paid off when her Jagger-like moves mixed with precision pirouettes delighted the fans. Twyla-Violet’s all-girl band wore matching white pantsuits and played brilliantly behind her but were well out of her glorious spotlight. Twyla-Violet was the only member of Empress allowed to have blonde hair, and her band had been ordered to always wear identical outfits onstage. Empress finished their performance to the wildest applause yet. Twyla-Violet waved to her loyal subjects with a slight wrist twist of her vertical hand like an empress should. Her fan club then removed bouquets of violets from under their seats and hurled them at her feet. She grabbed one and held it triumphantly over her head. Twyla-Violet screamed into her mic, “Welcome to rock ’n’ roll history in the making, America!”
Edward and his famous wife, Lovisa Nordin-Higgins, stood on the opposite side of the stage, watching their daughter’s spectacular performance. Lovisa was a stunning former fashion model from Stockholm, and Twyla-Violet was the spitting image of her. Harper, Twyla-Violet’s sister, who resembled their father, stood beside her mother, holding Ivy, Twyla-Violet’s red-and-white Pembroke Welsh Corgi, on a leash. At ten years old, Harper was a sweet child with curly Shirley Temple hair. She loved to write stories and dreamed of becoming a novelist after earning an English degree in college.
Delirious with power, Twyla-Violet hurled the bouquet into the air like a student throwing a graduation cap and raced to her mother and sister, who hugged her lovingly. She tried to embrace her father, but he motioned for her to get back onstage. Twyla-Violet absorbed the all-too-frequent blow of rejection and returned to the stage to face the three smiling judges. Lovisa glared at her husband, but he ignored her contemptuous stare and supervised Twyla-Violet.
Mona observed the awkward exchange among the Higgins family. “No matter how much success Twyla-Violet enjoys,” she told Gabby and Ellie, “something tells me it’ll never be good enough for her dad.”
Ellie peered across the stage at Edward. “No wonder she’s so mean.”
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