Archive for the 'News/Announcements' Category

14
Aug
09

Soon to be released: Devil’s Trill, by Gerald Elias

violinDevil’s Trill will be released on August 18th.

About the book:

From concert violinist Gerald Elias comes this debut set in the classical music world about the theft of a priceless violin.

Daniel Jacobus is a blind, reclusive, crotchety violin teacher living in self-imposed exile in rural New England. He spends his time chain-smoking, listening to old LPs, and occasionally taking on new students, whom he berates in the hope that they will flee.

Jacobus is drawn back into the world he left behind when he decides to attend The Grimsley Competition at Carnegie Hall. The young winner of this competition is granted the honor of playing the Piccolino Stradivarius, a uniquely dazzling three-quarter-size violin that has brought misfortune to all who possessed it over the centuries. But the violin is stolen before the winner of the competition has a chance to play it, and Jacobus is the primary suspect.

With the help of his friend and former musical partner, Nathaniel Williams, his new student,Yumi Shinagawa, and several quirky sidekicks, Jacobus sets out to prove his innocence and find the stolen Piccolino Strad. Will he be successful? The quest takes him through the halls of wealth and culture, across continents to Japan, and leads him to a…murder.

Devil’s Trill gives the reader a peek into the world of classical music, with its backstabbing teachers and performers, venal patrons, and shady violin dealers. It is the remarkable beginning of a wonderful new series.

About the Author
A graduate of Yale, GERALD ELIAS has been a Boston Symphony violinist, Associate Concertmaster of the Utah Symphony since 1988, Adjunct Professor of Music at the University of Utah, first violinist of the Abramyan String Quartet, and Music Director of the Vivaldi Candlelight concert series.

30
Mar
09

Press Release: FourEver Friends, By Erica Miner

foreverFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 2009
Carlsbad, CA

FOUREVER FRIENDS: will they become Sex and the City sirens or Desperate Housewives?

This coming of age novel transcends time to satisfy the Boomers’ yearning for the Sixties and curiosity of Generations X, Generation Jones, and Generation Y about how growing up really was back in the good old days.

Boomers lived in a time of social revolution. Young people today think of the Sixties as a bygone era, a time to be relegated to history books and their parents’ cocktail party conversations. But, there is much to learn about those outrageous days.

In her new novel, FourEver Friends, Erica Miner takes the reader back to the days when JFK gave hope to a new generation at a time when the Internet didn’t exist, when telephones were just changing from rotary dial to touch-tone, when the Jet Age was giving way to the Space Age, when cars guzzled gas, had tailfins, and two-tone paint jobs. Women’s Lib was just discovering the freedom offered by the Pill, and midnight curfews were becoming a thing of the past. Now, the Boomers are retiring. They and their offspring are a huge audience for this first in a series novel about four teenage girls set in 1960s Detroit.

The challenges facing adolescents of that era are very much the same those teens face today. The friendship of the girls portrayed in “FourEver Friends” links them not only by their keen devotion to each other but also by their shared passion for classical music. Their inner city Detroit high school is a cultural melting pot where students are judged by their intellect and talents, not by the color of their skin or religious background. Two forces compel the girls: their intense drive for perfection in performing music and the constant pull of hormonal angst.

Erica Miner followed her musical passion as a young woman and logged twenty-one years as a violinist with the Metropolitan Opera. She writes what she lived, and with an authenticity that is appealing to every reader. Whether these four friends grow up to reflect the values of “Sex and the City,” or become “Desperate Housewives” will be revealed in the next novels in the series.

Go to http://www.ericaminer.com, for excerpts, testimonials and to buy the book.

“The characters and the story reach into your heart and nestle there, staying with you long after you turn the final page.”
~ Dallas Woodburn, Author

FourEver Friends ISBN: 978-1-933449-73-9 ($15.95) Trade Paper
Author: Erica Miner
Published in 2009 by Nightengale Press

16
Feb
09

Recently discovered: Molly and the Sword

molly

Blurb (from publisher’s website):

What a great opportunity for Molly.

She is about to play her violin in the most famous concert hall in all the world. But she’s extremely nervous – so nervous that she’s afraid to go on stage.

Years earlier, when she was very young, she had shown great courage. At a dangerous time, she had gone in search of water for her family. Back then, an officer in an enemy army had saved her from harm.

Now, at the concert hall, the officer suddenly reappears. Who is he? Can he help Molly regain her courage? And what important lessons do he and Molly teach each other?

Look for my review of this book as well as an interview with the author coming soon!

05
Feb
09

Currently reading…

violin1

I read this book years ago, before I started playing the violin. Now that I’ve been playing for 5 years, I’m sure I’ll be able to appreciate it better. There are beautiful passages about music and violin playing in this novel. Anne Rice wanted to be a violin virtuoso when she was a child, and this desire really shows in her prose. Her descriptions of the violinist playing in the story are dark and passionate.

Look for my review coming soon!

04
Nov
08

The Magic Violin Trailer

magic_violin-cvr6x150Hi all,

For some reason my book trailer doesn’t want to show here. Too see it, please visit my children’s fiction blog, MayrasSecretBookcase. It’s right on the left sidebar. Make sure your volume is up so you can hear Vivaldi’s “Winter”!

Thanks!
Mayra

14
Feb
08

Ten reasons why you love your violin…

If you can come up, eloquently enough, with ten reasons why you love your violin (or viola), you may be eligible to win a Bobelock music carrier.

The contest, sponsored by SunMusicStrings, is open to people of all ages and skill levels.

For full details, please visit the following links:

ESSAY CONTEST
http://beststudentviolins.com/Contest.html

Good luck!

Mayra

25
Dec
07

And the winner is…

Hello everybody,

First of all, I would like to say THANK YOU to all the people who made The Magic Violin virtual book tour a success!

Thank you to all the nice people who took time out of their busy lives to host my tour and leave comments on my tour stops. I really appreciate it! Some people commented on every stop–really, I’m so very grateful and wish I could send you all gifts!

And now, the winner of the $20 Amazon gift certificate is………………….

lisalmg !!!!!!!!

Have a WONDERFUL Christmas, everybody!

Mayra

01
Dec
07

Win a $20 Amazon Gift Certificate on Christmas Day!

Dear Book and Violin Lovers,

To promote the release of my Christmas picture book, The Magic Violin, I’m going on a virtual book tour during the month of December. The tour will begin on December the 1st and end on December 25th, when I’ll be giving away a $20 Amazon certificate to one lucky winner!

To be eligible, all you need to do is leave a comment under this post or on one of my tour stops–that’s all there is to it! You don’t need to leave a comment on all the tour stops, but the more comments you leave, the higher your chances of winning.

The winner will be announced here on this blog on Christmas Day.

This will be my virtual book tour schedule:

December 1 – Interview at Shari Soffe’s blog, Out of My Mind
December 2 – Review of The Magic Violin at YABooksCentral
December 4 – Interview at American Chronicle
December 5 – review of The Magic Violin at Reviews and Other Stuff
December 6 – Short essay on the author/illustrator relationship at Cachibachis
December 8 – Review of The Magic Violin at Muse Book Reviews
December 10 – Interview at Sue Eves’ blog
December 11 – Interview at Cynthia’s Attic
December 12 – Review of The Magic Violin at Armchair Interviews
December 13 – Interview and review at Beverly McClure’s blog
December 15 – Short essay on violin and inspiration at Blogcritics Magazine
December 17 – Interview at Kim Baccellia’s blog
December 22 – Review of The Magic Violin by Kim Baccellia

*I’ll be updating daily in case of changes.

17
Nov
07

My First Guest, Erica Miner, Coming Up Soon!

Hello Violin and Book Lovers,

Erica Miner, former professional violinist later turned author, poet and screenwriter, has agreed to an interview, which I will be posting here soon. Erica’s story is both sad and inspiring. After winning the coveted position of violinist at the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York City, Erica had a tragic accident which forced her to say goodbye to her violinist career forever. It was then that she turned to writing. But I won’t say anymore, as I don’t want to give too much away before her interview!

Her website is www.ericaminer.com

On another note, today I bought an EMI Classics cd–The Brahms concerto played by Izthak Perlman. I really needed this one for listening in my car. I have the Ida Haendel DVD where she plays this concerto, but I didn’t have the cd. I just LOVE the first movement. I love the combination of passion and forcefulness with pure sweetness.

My daily practice is going well–today I added a few short musical pieces (from Suzuki 2) just for fun. They left me a bit ‘unmoved’ though. I better start playing some nice Christmas pieces now that the holidays are approaching…

Mayra

16
Nov
07

Violin/Music Shops Selling my Book

Hi all,

I was pleasantly suprised this morning when I opened The Violin Case Newsletter and discovered that Julie is selling my children’s book, The Magic Violin, in her online shop.

I want to thank all the violin shop owners who have ordered copies of my book for the Christmas season. It was time consuming to contact close to 200 shops across the US, but it was worth it. I hope they’ll sell the copies quickly so they may order more :-)

Best,
Mayra




The Magic Violin

A little girl learns the mysterious power of self esteem in this children’s story which combines violin music, magic, Christmas, and the charm of Europe. Now on Amazon, B&N, and from your local bookstore!