Decades: A Journey of African American Romance
The 1920s
signaled a time when women embraced new freedoms, aside from conventional roles
in the home. The number of working women increased, dress hems rose and arms
were left bare. My heroine, Leigh Jones is one such woman. Born from my
imagination (okay, and maybe a little from the fact that I love to sing),
she escapes an arranged marriage and flees her southern hometown for
Harlem's vibrant jazz scene in pursuit of her dream to become a singer.
Leigh possesses just enough sass and the determination to turn her
aspirations into a reality.
The hero
is a different story. Anyone who knows me well knows that my favorite musical
artist is Will Downing (oh, that voice). He has a song that talks about a man
leaving a woman whom he loves. Of course, I asked Will why the man was leaving
if he loved her and would never find another love like theirs. He told me the
man was a musician with restless feet. Being the romantic at heart that I am, I
said he needed a happily-ever-after. Will’s response: write it. Can you see me
smiling? Meet the hero, Miles Cooper. Though he isn’t one for putting down
roots or staying in one place for longer than a season, memories of Leigh's
sultry voice, beauty and sass make him long for the life and love he forfeited.
Having walked away once, but never again, Miles sets out to prove he’s a
changed man. And I have the privilege of sharing their story in the backdrop of
one of my favorite subjects—music.
I. Love.
Jazz. From the fast-paced infectious rhythm of ragtime and swing that has me up
on my feet and the mid tempo fusion of jazz and blues that makes me bob my
head, to the slow, sensual wail of a saxophone that has me longing to cuddle
with my husband, I love it all. So, it’s no wonder when I was asked to
participate in the Decades: A Journey of African American Romance project that
I chose Harlem 1920s. During that time, Harlem rose as a focal point for this
new sound and helped create a shift in African American culture. Jazz broke the
rules of music by favoring improvisation over composition. What moves me is the
sound. In all its elements, jazz is about the freedom of expression, telling
the authentic story of our life’s journey through slavery, reconstruction, Jim
Crow and beyond. Just like no one person’s journey is the same, each piece of
music has its own fingerprint. The same can be said about the hero and heroine.
Both tell their stories, Leigh from the lyrics she belts out from her soul, and
Miles from the notes he plays as his fingers float over the piano keys. But
it’s the melody that they create together—the music of their hearts—they have
to find. I enjoyed writing their story and hope you’ll enjoy it as well.
2 comments:
I love Jazz too, Sheryl. The way you describe it takes me back to a visit to Chicago in the mid 1980's for business. I was there two weeks and on the last night after all the business projects were done, I went out all night with friends to the amazing Jazz clubs. Even after crawling into bed at 3am, I was still singing in my head.
As I don't know Will Downing, you really need to give us a link so we can hear the voice you love. Your story sounds amazing. I must check it out.
Sheryl, I'm not into music but your post is music in and of itself. Thank you for sharing how "Love's Serenade" came to be. Leigh and Miles certainly earned their HEA!
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