Guest Post from Glynis Astie re #Prince #TuesdayBookBlog @GlynisAstie & #Excerpt from her upcoming #newrelease

Welcome, Glynis, it’s great to have you here!

The Healing Power of Prince

I have a very wise friend who once told me, “There’s nothing a little Prince can’t fix.” I met her my freshman year in college and besides finding a roommate and a friend for life, I found a new appreciation for this musical master. I had heard of him, of course, but my meager knowledge was merely the tip of the iceberg. So she graciously took me under her wing, regaling me with facts, photos and an endless supply of music. By the time I graduated, not only had I earned a B.S. in Psychological Services, but a healthy appreciation for the brilliance of Prince.

When he passed away last month, the world lost a very talented and giving soul, but as my former roomie reminded me, we have his music to help us get through our sadness. Right after I hung up with her, I sat down and compiled a list of the songs which always seem to fix what ails me. It was substantially longer than the six I’ve listed below, but I thought you might appreciate a condensed version as you have places to go and people to see!

“Little Red Corvette”

When I’m in the car with the windows open, nothing makes me feel better than singing this classic from the top of my lungs. The melody is soothing, the lyrics are sensual and you can’t help but have a little swagger in your step once you reach your destination. I do, however, feel sorry for anyone in the immediate area while this song is playing. I love to sing, but my voice usually starts the dogs howling!

“I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man”

When I’m in the mood for dancing, nothing gets my booty shakin’ like this song. It’s actually rather sad if you listen to the lyrics, but it’s so catchy that you will most likely find yourself shakin’ right along with me. It was one of my later discoveries, but quickly became part of my Prince playlist. I found myself swept away by the addictive beat, the vocal harmonies and the masterful guitar solo. The depth of his talent never ceased to amaze me.

“Purple Rain”

When I’ve had an exhausting day, I like to nestle into the couch with a blanket, close my eyes and listen to this song. Prince’s voice was so rich and beautiful, emotion pouring from every word he sang. The instrumental at the end often takes me off to dreamland for a few blissful minutes. When it’s time to resume my regular activities, I have a little Prince Zen to take with me.

“Darling Nikki”

When I feel O-L-D, I put on my headphones (little ears don’t need to hear about things like masturbation and grinding) and relive my younger days. Images of hair and makeup sessions, dance parties, strong drinks and stolen kisses fill my mind. When the song is over, I often call one of my college girlfriends and we reminisce about the days when we did crazy things. I may even get lost in a few of my old photo albums. It’s always a nice reminder of the past, which makes me appreciate where I am now even more.

“Gett Off”

When I feel overwhelmed by the giant amount of work I have to do, you’ll hear this gem blasting from my speakers. (During the school day, naturally, since I’m not ready to explain certain elements—okay, the entirety of the song—to my boys yet.) Once I’ve found my groove, I dance my way through whatever is on my task list. Memories of some of my best days make the chores seem far less tedious. I play the song on a loop and let the smile take over my face. It’s a bonus that this song brings my husband out of his work cave to dance with his wife for a few minutes.

“When Doves Cry”

This is, hands down, my favorite Prince song. I had a serious problem with understanding song lyrics when I was younger, so I thought he was singing about “the most strikerious poses,” though I never had the courage to ask anyone what this intriguing word meant. (Kids today don’t have these issues. The internet reveals all!) Ridiculous childhood misunderstanding aside, I thoroughly enjoyed this song every single time I heard it. The passage of time has only made me appreciate this musical treasure more—the combination of guitar, synthesizer and heartfelt vocals make this song the perfect package. No matter where I am or what kind of mood I’m in, if I hear the opening bars of this song, I will be singing it and I will feel better when it’s over!

Well, there you have it—my go-to songs to invoke the healing power of Prince. Sometimes I still find myself wondering how one person could have been so incredibly talented. The truth is, I will never know, but I will never stop being grateful for his contribution to this world.

Just in case you’re curious, here are the remaining four songs in my top ten:

“Alphabet Street”
“I Would Die for You”
“Seven”
“Kiss”

Glynis’s new book, Gamer Girl, is scheduled for release on May 31st and is available for pre-order. 

Struck by tragedy at an early age, Meri Palmer escaped into the only world she understood. Within the virtual realm of online gaming, she lived a life filled with mythical creatures and thrilling adventures, where she was strong, powerful, clever, and beautiful—everything she believed she wasn’t in real life. As the years went by, her desire to cling to her cherished fantasy land only grew stronger.

But when Meri meets Morgan, equal parts gorgeous and goofball, she begins to wonder if the time has finally come to rejoin the so-called real world. Channeling the bravery of her fairy warrior alter ego, Meri slowly lets Morgan beyond the protective walls she’s built around her heart. Just as she finds a comfortable groove in an uncertain world, Morgan succumbs to insecurities of his own, leaving her lost and confused. Through her battle to regain her equilibrium, Meri will discover that even in reality, things aren’t always what they seem.

Will Meri win the battle raging in her heart and summon the will to rescue her knight in shining armor? Or will she give in to the fear and find her game over?

Book Links ~ Amazon UK | Amazon US

Excerpt

Meet Morgan Chandler

I tossed a thumbs-up sign over my shoulder as I walked towards my doom. I glanced up to find Morgan beaming at my dorky gesture. Aces, Meri. Way to make an entrance.

I offered him a shaky smile in return. “Hi. I’m here about a package?” Despite our lengthy conversation, I still felt really nervous in his presence.

Morgan gestured to a coffee cup sitting on the counter in front of him.

In complete confusion, I stammered, “I didn’t order…”

“Consider it a thank-you gift.”

When my idiotic nature kept me glued to my current square of carpet, Morgan picked up the cup and brought it to me.

I barely succeeded in taking it without dropping it. “Um, you’re welcome?” I readjusted my grip, silently praying I wouldn’t dump hot coffee all over him. Humiliation of epic proportions wasn’t a good way to start the day.

He took a step closer and gazed directly into my eyes. I was instantly mesmerized by the sea green splendor before me. His eyes should totally be used as some sort of government truth serum. Those tiny flecks of gold that flashed when he smiled? They would ferret out every last secret.

“Remember? Last week you told me about the Adventure Easter egg?”

I grinned, pleased he thought the secret message from the game creator was as cool as I did.

Courtney snorted. “Easter eggs? I had no idea you were so lame, Meri. It’s September already.”

Instead of wasting my energy crafting a witty retort for our obnoxious receptionist, I fought the urge to touch the stray curls which had fallen across Morgan’s forehead. They were alarmingly close to obstructing my view of his incredible eyes.

I cleared my throat self-consciously. “Thank you for the coffee, Morgan. It was totally unnecessary, but much appreciated.” I raised the cup in a toast to him and turned to walk back to my desk.

“Meri, wait!”

I came to an abrupt halt and whipped back around. Please let this be over soon. The longer I remained in his presence, the greater my chances of saying something moronic–with Courtney as a witness. Just the thought of it made me shiver.

Concern flashed across his face as he gently rubbed my arm. “I was hoping you might feel sorry enough for me to drop a few more hints my way.” He paused dramatically. “I might even be willing to throw in some appetizers next time.”

Butterflies danced in my stomach. Between the goosebumps from his touch and the prospect of time alone with him, I was left speechless. I both wanted and feared this outcome more than anything in the world. I opened my mouth to say who knows what when I heard Courtney gasp.

She pointed at my chest accusingly. “Is that, like, a cow on your shirt?”

I peered down at my shirt, wondering if I had forgotten to change out of my Ben & Jerry’s nightshirt this morning. Thankfully, my eyes fell on none other than a black and white outline of Yoda, my favorite Star Wars character.

“Blind as a bat, you are.” I slapped my hand over my mouth, astonished my sarcastic comment was actually said out loud. I usually keep much better control of my biting wit.

Morgan collapsed into laughter, clearly understanding my Grand Jedi Master reference.

Fury alighting her delicate features, Courtney spat, “Don’t you have a test roster to develop?”

Panic struck my heart when I noticed she was caressing a stack of lime green paper as she said this. Dear God, not again. Images of Dan’s coveted presentation in fluorescent wonder flashed through my mind. I wouldn’t survive the backlash this time.

“Test roster. Absolutely.” I bobbed my head up and down so fast, my teeth rattled a little. I waved a quick goodbye to Morgan and ran off before he could make any other mention of extracurricular activities. Now was definitely not the time to incur Courtney’s wrath. I had a battle to win, which meant I couldn’t spend late hours in the office correcting her vengeful copying. My instincts told me it wouldn’t be long before the Black Army picked up my trail. 

Excerpt from Gamer Girl by Glynis Astie, Copyright 2016

About Glynis Astie

Glynis never expected in her wildest dreams to be a writer. After thirteen years in the Human Resources Industry, she decided to stay at home with her two amazing sons. Ever in search of a project, she was inspired to write the story of how, in only six short months, she met and married her wonderfully romantic French husband, Sebastien. The end result became her first novel, French Twist. As this was just the beginning of their epic love story, Glynis continued to chronicle their adventures in the sequel, French Toast, and the final installment in the series, French Fry. After she finished milking her life story for all it was worth, she decided to write straight-up fiction with Gamer Girl, which infuses her beloved chick lit with a hint of fantasy.

When Glynis is not writing, she is trying to keep the peace amongst the three men and two cats in her life, finding missing body parts (Lego pieces are small!), supervising a myriad of homework assignments and keeping a tenuous hold on her sanity by consuming whatever chocolate is in the vicinity.