Tell us a little about your latest or upcoming release.
My most recent novel and first contemporary, Heavy Metal Symphony, is about a metal band, a relationship in trouble, and a woman finding her voice. When we first meet Ava Tomei, our protagonist, she has been in a relationship with Killian Sterling, the keyboard player and lead composer in their band, Handel’s Messiah, for around six years, and things between them are going wrong. The story unfolds in two timelines, showing us the past and how Ava and Killian met and embarked on their rock star romance, and the present, where the band is hitting the studio to record their new album and Ava and Killian can no longer hide the cracks in their relationship from themselves or their bandmates. Early on in the present timeline, Ava writes a song where she is painfully honest with both herself and Killian about their relationship, and that drives the events of the story as they move forward.
Is there a theme or message in your work that you would like readers to connect to?
As I mentioned above, Heavy Metal Symphony is very much about a woman finding her voice, as both a person and an artist. Early on in the book, Ava is very nervous to play her song for Killian, because she’s afraid of what doing so will mean for their relationship. But she’s far, far more afraid of never being heard, and so that’s what spurs her on. I think maybe that’s the message I’d like people to take from it: do the thing that’s important to you, even if it scares you, because oftentimes never doing it, never taking the chance, would be worse.
When you’re not writing what do you do? Do you have any hobbies or guilty pleasures?
I read a lot, which probably isn’t surprising for an author! I’m also a huge music buff and love going to live shows, playing music no matter what I’m doing, and adding to my vinyl collection. I also recently learned to crochet, which has been a lot of fun – I’ve never been particularly crafty, so it’s been fun to learn to do something like this. There’s a (semi) instant gratification to it as opposed to writing a book, where it can take years before you can hold the finished product in your hands – with crochet you are creating this physical thing that exists with every row you add. It’s cool!
Is there a genre(s) that you’d like to write that you haven’t tackled yet?
I’ve had a contemporary horror novel kicking around in my head for about a year now that I’d like to find time to write. It’s one of those ideas that won’t leave me alone, and I love the idea of stretching and expanding my skills as a writer by trying out a new genre.
Of all the characters you’ve ever written, who is your favorite and why?
This is a tough one. My gut is to say Charlotte Jansen from The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel – I had so much fun with her as she’s this wonderful witchy character, she’s a great friend, and she plays an important role in the plot in multiple ways. She’s a secondary character, though; of my protagonists, I do think Ava, from Heavy Metal Symphony, might well be my favorite. She shares my love of music and singing, and I’m just so proud of how far she comes over the course of the book.
What is next for you? Do you have any scheduled upcoming releases or works in progress?
My next historical novel (under the name Alyssa Palombo) is entitled The Assassin of Venice and will be out on June 18th, 2024 from Crooked Lane Books. It’s about a courtesan in Renaissance Venice who doubles as an assassin for the Council of Ten and who is told she must kill the man she loves and must find a way to save him. I’m so excited for it to be out in the world!
What is in your to read pile?
Since it’s October, I’ve got lots of horror on my TBR pile for this month! Some of the books I’m particularly excited about are All Hallows by Christopher Golden, The Spite House by Johnny Compton, The Nightmare Man by J.H. Markert, and Delicious Monsters by Liselle Sambury.
A.K. Palombo
Genre: Women’s fiction (contemporary)
Date of Publication: August 15th, 2023
ISBN: Paperback: 9798218175207
Ebook: 9798218178628
Number of pages: 334
Word Count: 100,500
Cover Artist: Jennifer Hark-Hameister
Book Description:
"I hope you never reach a day where you have to choose between your band and your relationship."
Ava Tomei seems to have it all: she's the lead singer of Buffalo-based symphonic metal band Handel's Messiah and is in a committed relationship with the band's keyboard player and brilliant lead composer Killian Sterling. But as the band hits the studio to record their fifth album, Ava and Killian can no longer hide the cracks in their relationship from their bandmates-or from themselves.
What started as an artistic collaboration between Ava and Killian six years before quickly bloomed into a passionate romance. Then, when the original lead singer of Handel's Messiah-and Killian's ex-girlfriend-leaves the band right in the middle of the band's world tour, Killian calls on Ava to fill in. Ava is plunged into the pressures of stepping in to front one of metal's biggest rising bands amidst fan disappointment, skepticism from her new bandmates, the physical demands of a world tour, and sexism in the metal scene.
But she also has the chance to fulfill her wildest dreams, and to do it at the side of the man she loves. Still, as Ava's desire to express her creativity comes to a head with Killian's artistic dominance, they are forced to confront whether what they have can be repaired-and what will happen to their band if not.
Told in alternating storylines that show Ava and Killian's seemingly fairytale past and their fraught present, Heavy Metal Symphony is a novel of rock stars, ambition, creative control, finding your voice, and, of course, heavy metal.
A.K./Alyssa Palombo is the author of four historical novels from St. Martin’s: Griffin: The Violinist of Venice, The Most Beautiful Woman in Florence, The Spellbook of Katrina Van Tassel, and The Borgia Confessions.
She graduated from Canisius College with degrees in English and creative writing, respectively. In addition to her love of heavy metal, she is also a classically trained mezzo-soprano. She lives and works in Buffalo, New York, and when not writing she can be found at metal shows, listening to records and adding to her vinyl collection, lost in a good book, or planning her next travel adventure.
Website: https://alyssapalombo.com/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/AlyssInWnderlnd
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