Spotlight & Giveaway: The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod

Posted May 19th, 2021 by in Blog, Spotlight / 29 comments

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Xio Axelrod to HJ!
Spotlight&Giveaway

Hi Xio and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes!

 

Tell us about the book with this fun little challenge using the title of the book:

S is for Swoonworthy, slow-burn, second-chance love story
T is for Talented women with agency and drive
A is for A glimpse behind the curtain into the music industry
R is for Rock and roll, baby!!
S is for the Start of something big. Follow the Lillys on this incredible journey.
 

Please summarize the book for the readers here:

The day after her 12th birthday, Antonia Bennette suddenly finds herself thrust into a new life. Her mother’s pursuit of fame has overshadowed her maternal instincts, such as they were, and young Toni is sent to live with her father – man she’s never met – in a tiny town she’s never even heard of.

Toni’s only consolation is her guitar and a local boy who shares both her pain and her passion for music. Toni and Seb make plans to escape their small town and take the music world by storm. But, when he turns 18, Seb disappears, leaving Toni behind to fend for herself.

Eight years later, Toni’s making a name for herself as a studio musician in Philadelphia. Despite playing frequently at her favourite local bar, she shuns the limelight. Her new dream is to own her own recording studio and to make music on her own terms. When a golden opportunity pops up to sit in with the hottest, up-and-coming band in the country, the Lillys. Toni is faced with not only the chance to fulfill her dream but to reunite with her childhood friend; the guy who had stolen her dream and inadvertently broken her heart.

Seb’s guilt over what happened all those years ago and Toni’s resentment come head-to-head, but they both will need to set aside past hurts in order to grab onto the futures they both want. As they get to know each other again, long dormant feelings stir.

The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes is a slow burn, second-chance, friends-to-lovers story, but it’s so much more. Toni falls in love with her own potential, and she also falls in love with the women in the Lillys and the family they’ve created. Ultimately, this book is a love letter to the power of music to change lives.
 

Please share your favorite quote from the book:

 

Fame. It was everything she hated about the music business. She had grown to appreciate the rush of playing onstage for an adoring crowd, but she’d never thought of herself as the kind of
girl to get stars in her eyes.

 

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

  • In order to make the band as real as possible, I am recording music as The Lillys. Their first single, I Burn, is available on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. – even on Instagram and Tiktok! – and there’s more to come.
  • Phactory Sound Studios is modeled after Philadelphia’s famed Sigma Sound, the studio that helped define the “Philadelphia sound” during the 1960s and 1970s. Artists like David Bowie and Elton John traveled to Philadelphia to record there and tried and capture some of that Philly magic.
  • The name, Toni Bennette, is an homage to people in my family with famous names; including a couple of Toni Bennetts, a Jesse James, and an Elizabeth Taylor.

 

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

I hope readers walk away with insights into the music business, as well as an appreciation for everything it takes for a woman to make a career in an industry that often sees them as a commodity. I also hope the story resonates with anyone who has a big dream and shows them there’s often more than one way to achieve it. Plus, I hope I’ve introduced people to some kick-ass music.

 

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

 

Giveaway: A print copy of The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod

 

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What musical artist, or genre, most defines the soundtrack of your life?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Book Info:

Growing up in dive bars up and down the East Coast, Toni Bennette’s guitar was her only companion…until she met Sebastian Quick. Seb was a little older, a lot wiser, and before long he was Toni’s way out, promising they’d escape their stifling small town together. Then Seb turned eighteen and split without looking back.

Now, Toni’s all grown up and making a name for herself in Philadelphia’s indie scene. When a friend suggests she try out for a hot new up-and-coming band, Toni decides to take a chance. Strong, feminist, and fierce as fire, Toni B. and the Lillys are the perfect match…except Seb’s now moonlighting as their manager. Whatever. Toni can handle it. No problem. Or it wouldn’t be if Seb didn’t still hold a piece of her heart…not to mention the key to her future.
 
 

Meet the Author:

Xio Axelrod is a USA Today bestselling author of award-winning contemporary romance, romantic fiction, and what she likes to call strange, twisted tales.
Xio grew up in the music industry and began recording at a young age. When she isn’t writing stories, she can be found in the studio, writing songs, or performing on international stages (under a different, not-so-secret name).
She lives in Philadelphia with one full-time husband and several part-time cats. She occasionally writes erotica under the name Xio Nin. Find her at www.xioaxelrod.com.
 
 
 

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29 Responses to “Spotlight & Giveaway: The Girl with Stars in Her Eyes by Xio Axelrod”

  2. Mary Preston

    None come to mind. My life is not flamboyant enough for a soundtrack.

  5. holdenj

    Great question! I think different sections of my life have different ones. But overall, maybe Prince and all those old Abba songs.

  15. Glenda M

    I am totally a child of the 80s who also had an appreciation for classic rock and pop.

  21. Irma

    My music taste is alternative: punk, rock, and I’m in love with the rock’n’roll – 50’s & 60’s.

  23. laurieg72

    The Moody Blues

    Question -college

    Your Wildest Dreams- college

    I Know You’re Out There Somewhere- met my husband my Senior year of college

    Nights In White Satin, The Voice, The Actor and Tuesday Afternoon- life before children

    The Story In Your Eyes, Watching and Waiting, Eyes Of A Child- 4 children and now almost 6 grandchildren (August)

    Candle Of Life- retirement

    Never Thought I’d Live to Be a Hundred, Never Thought I’d Live To Be a Million

    This Is the Moment- now, I wouldn’t change a thing my life’s been blessed!

  27. Pamela Conway

    Tough question! I love many genres of music starting with the 70’s/80’s. I’d say a combination of genres & definitely songs about being accepted for who are with no one trying to change you.