Paperback: Wherever you go, go with all your heart. - Confucius
Chicago 1980. Li-an Donohue’s luck changes the instant she meets a mysterious Italian businessman in the Drake Hotel. Hearing her play, he offers her a job in Macau on the spot.
She is there in a heartbeat. From a drab Chicago winter to swimming pools, Sémillon Blanc and lobster. It seems perfect. Li-an has her own private pavilion on the estate of a colonial gothic mansion. But easy livin’ is harder than she thought. She is homesick. Lonely. And beginning to think it might not be all it seems.
Until she meets slick New Yorker DJ, Ben. He is the ring-a-ding, the daddy cool of the club scene who shares her passion for – her obsession with – music. An island in China isn’t fun when you’re desperate to cut a recording deal, make it big in disco, he says. Ben has a secret plan. But it sure does not sound like music to Li-an’s ears.
Heart of Glass (2018) is published by Unbound, a publishing company set up by three writers, Dan, Justin and John.
About the author: Ivy Ngeow was born and raised in Johor Bahru, Malaysia. A graduate of the Middlesex University Writing MA programme, Ivy won the 2005 Middlesex University Literary Prize out of almost 1500 entrants worldwide. Her debut Cry of the Flying Rhino won the 2016 International Proverse Prize. She has written non-fiction for Marie Claire, The Star, The New Straits Times, South London Society of Architects’ Newsletter and Wimbledon magazine. Her short stories have appeared in Silverfish New Writing anthologies twice, The New Writer and on the BBC World Service, Fixi Novo’s ‘Hungry in Ipoh’ anthology and most recently the Fixi 2020 Anthology. Ivy won first prize in the Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition 1994, first prize in the Barnes and Noble Career Essay Writing competition 1998 and was shortlisted for the David T K Wong Fellowship 1998 and the Ian St James Award 1999.
A highly-accomplished multi-instrumental musician since childhood, Ivy won fifth prize (out of 850 entrants) in the 2006 1-MIC (Music Industry Charts) UK Award for her original song – Celebrity, when she formed her own band, Satsuma (2005-07). Her songs are funky, modern and eclectic, with strong urban grooves and lyrics. Satsuma has played headlining gigs at top London venues such as: The Marquee Club, The Troubadour Club, The Water Rats, The Betsey Trotwood, Plan B and Clockwork. She lives in London.
Rating: 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment