“If we lose our place, is it okay if we make stuff up?” Eugenio asked.
I held the scroll of my violin to my forehead. “This isn't jazz. Play the song the way Rachel and I wrote it.”
“But if we get lost—”
“In mariachi you only improvise if there's an emergency.”
Eugenio swung his bow on his little finger, which was a great way to wind up buying a new one. “What would qualify?”
I thought of my old mariachi restaurant in Southern California where emergencies had been triggered by a sudden loss of memory. Blanking out. Noisy customers. But my current charges were playing from sheet music. They had no excuse.
“Are we taking a break, Mr. Andy?” Memo asked.
The only break was going to occur in my eardrums. “Take it from the top,” I said weakly as I tucked my violin under my chin. “In F!”
Andy Veracruz routinely faces danger and betrayal, but none of his past experiences prepare him for his latest challenge—teaching! A skilled performer himself, he struggles to work with young musicians who are allergic to scales.
Andy becomes a teacher by accident. When he agrees to help his girlfriend mount a Vegas show featuring her original songs, he never expects to train junior musicians to accompany them. Nor does he expect Rachel to demand a surprising personal commitment. After the theatre manager is kidnapped, Andy loses what's left of his concentration. Despite aid from his lookalike brother and a quick-thinking cousin, how can he hope to put on a worthwhile performance?
Awards:
Global Ebook Awards, Silver, 2023
Arizona Author's Association, Third-Place, 2022
D.R. Ransdell has taught writing, literature, English, Italian, and violin. She relishes teaching— except when students refuse to listen or read directions! (She is particularly tired of AI essays. While correctly punctuated, they're boring.) She enjoys performing with the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra, but she prefers the chaos of mariachi gigs where anything can happen. www.dr-ransdell.com
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