For me and my friends and family, music is a blessing beyond reproach. For me, personally, it’s so powerful, so integral, that I included lyrics from one of my favorite bands in my first novel. What really messed with my head was learning the legal landscape of including these lyrics in my book. Lyrics written by a brilliant man but owned by a corporate entity, created by others, to make a profit. Totally. Nuts.

I recently saw this band live in Chicago and it was one of the coolest days of my life. I got to give copies of signed book to the band members and they all signed a copy of my book for me. If that ain’t the coolest thing for a music, author geek like me, I don’t know what is. Believe it or not, that’s not even the best part.

You see this book was written to share the messages of hope, inspiration, unity and perseverance. It’s about facing your fear and not being afraid to ask questions. It’s about growing and understanding that you might not have the answers, but with faith, you can learn to face your challenges with confidence and, dare I say, enthusiasm.

At the live show, they opened with the first song off their new album Horizons/East. The song is entitled The Color of The Sky. It’s initial lyrics are, “my first and foremost memory is staring up in wonder at the wall. It circumscribed the city, they said beyond it nothing dwelt at all.”

If you’ve read The Gift of Samuel: Grey Dawn, you can understand why the first time I heard this song, I instantly thought of Joshua standing at the front gate of Caulfield. The song goes on to incorporate all the emotions of the book, up and down, fast and slow, to the point where I was in tears when the song ended. I had just seen the extended trailer to The Gift of Samuel series on Netflix (or was it Hulu) and it completely caught me off guard.

Read my book and listen to this song with your ear buds while reading along to the song’s lyrics. Think of Joshua’s journey – his triumphs, his loses, his desires, his fears, his family, his friends, and ultimately, his bravery. Think of the Thrice lyrics in the novel (or, read them again, because they are that good). Then, listen to the song one more time, envisioning parts of the story matched up against the lyrics and music of The Color of The Sky, and see that extended Hulu series trailer in your head with me. It does more than fit. It’s impossible.

Which brings us back to why we love music so much. Music gives us hope. It gives us triumph, loss, desire, fear, family, and bravery. What are the odds of The Gift of Samuel becoming a Hulu series, with The Color of The Sky serving as the extended trailer to the first season? Three million to one? So what should I do? Tell myself it’ll never happen? Convince myself it’s impossible? Never tell a soul? Or dare to dream big, publish the trilogy, and put myself out there, knowing I could die some day with the dream dying with me, never becoming a reality?

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