

























It’s been said that a novel is a story about things that never happened to people who don’t exist. And now, apparently, a novel can also can be read and talked about by people who don’t exist.
Here’s a podcast episode with a twist! In it, the two “hosts” are discussing my latest book, Murder on a High Note. The twist: It’s completely AI-generated, meaning the two hosts don’t really exist. Even so, they’re remarkably accurate in what they say about the book–so much so that I had to go through and remove spoilers throughout the conversation, lest they ruin the story for others. And I had to correct a few mistakes–like they misunderstood the year in which the story’s set (1916, not 1925) which happens to matter.
Anyway, if you give it a listen, let me know what you think. Cool? Creepy? A little of both? That’s where I’ve landed. I’m impressed by the technology but a little apprehensive about how easy it is to fool people like me into thinking things are real that aren’t. (By the way, the ghostly tin-can voice that pops in now and then is me, correcting things and removing spoilers.)
Join me as I discuss the oh-so-vintage habit of writing in a five-year diary, and also share the first chapter of my new historical cozy mystery, MURDER ON A HIGH NOTE. The e-book and paperback are available now; the audiobook and large-print editions will release soon.
This is the five-year journal I use and love. There are many others, or you can make your own by writing the month and day at the top of each page, then dividing the page into five sections, one for each year.
Here’s a little treat for your ears . . . a short story from 1925 called “Three Who Stole at Christmas Time” by Temple Bailey.
Correction: For more information about the author, Temple Bailey, I may have referred to last year’s story, “A Candle in the Forest” and given an incorrect episode number. I should have said Episode 39.
There’s still time to pre-order Murder on a High Note (e-book version). It will also be available in print and audio editions on January 15, 2025.
Always In My Heart by Iola Goulton — Broke solo mother Maya Allen is raising her daughter, Sarah, as well as her dead best friend’s daughter … who just happens to be her own daughter’s half sister (thanks, cheating college boyfriend). When her lowlife landlord doubles her rent, she realizes it’s time to make a new plan and return to New Zealand with her children. First she has to do the unthinkable: make contact with her ex and compel him to relinquish his parental rights so they can legally leave the country … and not let her still-strong feelings for Trent get in the way. Trent Thomas is an intern competing for a role in a prestigious Seattle law firm known for their family values. He figures he’s got the job sewn up when his firm sends him to his hometown of Trinity Lakes to research a dodgy property deal under the guise of offering the townsfolk pro bono legal services. After all, no one will know the ins and outs of small-town Trinity Lakes gossip better than a lifelong resident. But he hadn’t bargained on Maya, Sarah, and Kacey stealing his chance to get his dream job, stealing his opportunity to leave Trinity Lakes behind forever, or stealing his heart. (Contemporary Romance, Independently Published)
Nutcracker Cottage by Stephanie Guerrero — Telling prima ballerina, Cynthia Andrews she could no longer dance haunted Dr. Zachary Newcomb, but when a surprise encounter pulls them together, her can-do attitude, hard work and faith in Christ cause him to lose his footing and his heart. (Contemporary Romance, BubbleBath Fiction)
A Very Chapel Falls Christmas by Amanda Lauer — An epic breakup finds a world-famous musician back in his hometown at the same time his ex-fiancée comes back home, making for a holiday with its share of surprises, calamity, laughter, and love—if the two of them can learn from the mistakes that drove them apart in the first place. (Contemporary Romance from Feminine Genius)
Kept for Her by Joy L. Melville — Two people clinging to secrets and plans, unaware how God will use both to further His plans. (General Contemporary, Independently Published)
River of Life by Carol Ashby — When a young Roman and his Greek best friend travel up the Nile in pursuit of their dream career, a Christian Egyptian woman rescues them from certain death, and their time with her opens their eyes to more than they ever imagined. (General Historical from Cerrillo Press)
Even If We Cry by Terrie Todd — Nina’s one task is to keep her family together while a world war threatens to rip them apart. (General Historical from Mountain Brook Ink)
Love in Store by Penny Zeller McKenna Chapman would prefer to be anywhere but the backwards and uncivilized town of Hollow Creek, Montana. Life has not been easy as of late, and this latest turn of events doesn’t help matters. She especially could do without the obnoxious, but handsome, Sheriff Beringer. For what type of lawman insists on traipsing into the boutique in search of criminals? Does he not know the first thing about proper etiquette? When Clayton Beringer was elected sheriff of Hollow Creek, he knew he might have to capture dangerous criminals on the lam, but he never figured he would have to contend with an uppity, and unfortunately, beautiful, clerk at the boutique. While unexpected circumstances draw McKenna and Clayton together and force them to realize their growing attraction toward each other, a true crime is being committed in Hollow Creek. Will they come to terms with the fact that they love each other—and catch an outlaw in the process? (Historical Romance from Maplebrook Publishing)
Once Upon a Christmas by Penny Zeller — It’s Christmastime in Poplar Springs, Wyoming. Will Sheriff Ambrose Miller Eliason have the courage to ask the girl he’s always loved to court him? Take a break from the hustle and bustle and settle into this short heartwarming story. (Historical Romance from Maplebrook Publishing)
Tracking the Missing by Sami A. Abrams — A search for three abducted teens…and a K-9 on the case. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired Suspense [Harlequin])
Corralling the Cowboy by Elle E. Kay — A widow placed into WITSEC gets to know a famous author while he masquerades as a cowboy to research his latest novel, but her past catches up with her endangering her newfound love. (Romantic Suspense from Faith Writes Publishing)
Ambush on the Ranch by Tina Wheeler — A cowboy deputy sheriff must safeguard an amnesia victim and her twin sister from an art thief who is murdering witnesses. (Romantic Suspense from Love Inspired Suspense [Harlequin])
The Mysterium by Jerry Schultz — Arthur Gilchrist travels to a prestigious island school, only to discover that students are being trained to suppress an ancient order whose beliefs and powers he shares. (Young Adult, Independently Published)
Plus check out these recent additions to Fiction Finder published within the past month:
Lewis: The Beloved by Lauren H. Brandenburg — Lewisia Anna has returned to the Amharclann with a new chapter in her Story—a chapter she doesn’t want the citizens to hear. As Lewis tries to figure out how to delay the writing of her Story, she realizes a lot happened in the Amharclann while she was in the Mines. (Middle Grade Chapter Book)
A Civil Murder by Joan Hetzler — Derek and Megan, a married couple with a knack for solving mysteries are on the case again. An elderly law school professor and his wife go missing, unintentionally leaving their little Snickerdoodle dog with Megan and Derek. (Cozy Mystery)
Cornered by Lynn H. Blackburn, Lynette Eason, and Natalie Walters — Prepare for three times the thrills with these nail-biting page-turners from your favorite romantic suspense authors! (Romantic Suspense)
Line of Fire by Taylor S. Newport — On the run from a relentless enemy, a mercenary must protect a life-saving narcotic coveted by a spy. (Military Suspense)
Who Touches that Mountains by Deborah Raney — How can you ever be sure if the one you’re falling in love with is the right one—the one God intends for you? (Contemporary Romance)
Powhatan’s Power by Ora Smith — From a friend helping Pocahontas establish peace to an indentured and orphaned nobody, Thomas Savage yearns to make his own way in the world. (General Historical)
Fragments by J.A. Webb — A thrilling Christian epic fantasy adventure- “They’d do anything to seek the truth . . . the Order will do anything to stop them.” (Speculative Fantasy)
An Amish Thanksgiving by Beth Wiseman — As two romances blossom, Catherine finds hope in her circumstances, and an opportunity to have the Thanksgiving she’s always wanted. (General Contemporary)
The Choice by DL Wood — When Sadie Miles receives a mysterious letter, she’s drawn into a high-stakes journey aboard a luxury yacht, where fortune and deadly secrets await—and she must survive the treacherous waters and dangerous company to uncover the truth about her past. (Psychological Suspense)
Show Notes:
Murder on a High Note is available for preorder. It’s scheduled for release in e-book and paperback in January 2025.
Here’s a link to the complete text of “How We Kept Thanksgiving in Oldtown” by Harriet Beecher Stowe.
I’d never heard of Marlborough Pudding Pie before, so I looked it up. Here’s a recipe if you’d like to try it. Sounds . . . interesting!
I was also unfamiliar with the hymn the family sang. I looked up the tune of “St. Martin’s” and it’s still unfamiliar to me, but might ring a bell for you. Listen here.
Happy Thanksgiving to all our U.S. Sparklers. And to all my readers and listeners, no matter where you live, I’m very thankful for you all!
As summer turns to fall, Jennifer suggests some ways to incorporate vintage jewelry, scarves, hats, and shoes into a modern wardrobe.
A Sparkling Vintage Life, Episode 42: Timeless Elegance
Links:
Lumberjacks and Ladies historical romance anthology
Jennifer discusses her latest novel, LOVE’S GRAND SWEET SONG, set in the world of grand opera in Chicago during World War I.
SCROLL DOWN TO READ A TRANSCRIPT
Links:
Love’s Grand Sweet Song e-book
Love’s Grand Sweet Song softcover
JENNIFER’S FAVORITE ARIAS:
“Un Bel Di” from Madama Butterfly (Puccini)
“Habanera” from Carmen (Bizet)
“Song to the Moon” from Rusalka (Dvorak)
Thank you for all your kind messages and prayers concerning my Amazing Eye Adventure (if you’re new here, I was diagnosed with ocular melanoma last fall, a rare form of cancer. My right eye was removed in November and I received a prosthetic eye in January. I’m adjusting well to mono-vision. I can pretty much do everything I did before, including driving, and of course, reading, writing, and editing. Pouring liquids can be a challenge. So can fitting keys into locks and plugs into sockets. And don’t get me started on stairs! Walking up is fine; walking down looks like a toboggan run. Even so, my depth perception is getting better all the time. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself.
I love my new prosthetic eye, which I’ve nicknamed “Iris”! Check out these photos to see the progression:
Transcript:
Welcome to A Sparkling Vintage Life, where we talk about all things vintage and celebrate the grace and charm of an earlier era. I’m your host, Jennifer Leo, and it’s March 18, 2024 as I record this. And we’re at episode number 40.
In writing and publishing news, I’ve just released Love’s Grand Sweet Song, which is now available in ebook and softcover formats on Amazon, and also on selected retailers as an audiobook. I’ll put links in the shownotes at jenniferlamontleo.com.
Love’s Grand Sweet Song is set in the world of grand opera in Chicago in and around World War I. It’s the third in the Windy City Hearts series, but is really a standalone book, meaning you don’t have to have read the other books in the series to enjoy this one. The Windy City Hearts series is loosely connected by the Chicago setting, the early 20th century time period, and each book features a strong female protagonist overcoming hardship through the help of faith, friends, and family. This means that you can read the books in any order, as the stories themselves aren’t connected. So you can start with Love’s Grand Sweet Song, or with Moondrop Miracle, or with The Rose Keeper. If you enjoy them, and I hope you will, I’d appreciate it if you’d leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads or wherever you get your books. Reviews are pure gold to authors in terms of getting our little books noticed in the ocean of books available. So thanks in advance for leaving a review.
As I mentioned, Love’s Grand Sweet Song is set in the world of grand opera in the nineteen-teens. The main character, Francie, is a waitress in a small Midwestern college town. Born into poverty, she doesn’t have much going for her except for a glorious singing voice. And from that brief description you can probably guess the trajectory of where the story’s going. I promise you, it’s a tale of dreams come true and dreams crushed, of romance and heartbreak, of serious missteps and second chances. Above all, it’s a story of faith, and what it means to be a Christian trying to make a living in the demanding world of the arts, specifically opera.
I’ll admit, I get a fair amount of eye-rolling and nose-wrinkling when I tell people what the story’s about. Some people ask, “Why opera?” Well, for one thing, I happen to like opera! Some of it, anyway. Some of the beautiful arias, especially. My parents loved opera, so I grew up listening to it on records or on the radio (shout out to WFMT in Chicago). On many a lazy Saturday morning, I woke up to a blast of opera from the stereo if my father thought I’d slept in long enough. For my birthday one year–I couldn’t have been more than 8 or 9 years old–I asked for and received a recording of Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado. I played it over and over and pretended to be the character Yum-Yum. If you don’t know it, look it up. And don’t judge.
Another reason I set the story around opera is that, in the time period of the book, opera was in the public eye much more than it is today. In those pre-Hollywood, pre-television days, some opera stars were like the Kardashians of their day, up to all sorts of hijinks and drama offstage as well as on. So it was fun to write about that world and some of its larger-than-life personalities.
There’s a lot more to the story in Love’s Grand Sweet Song, including threads tied more directly to the Great War. But today I wanted specifically to talk to you about the opera part, in case you’re one of the nose-wrinklers. I want to encourage you to give opera a chance–not only in my book, but in real life.
The word “opera” is the Italian word for “work,” like a work of art. It’s simply an art form that tells a story through music and singing. Opera was born in the 1600s in Europe–Venice, to be exact–and so a lot of it is in the languages of continental Europe. Italian, French, and German, Czech, and others. There is not one single opera style–there are many styles, some light, some heavy, some romantic, some comedic, some tragic. You might love Puccini, for example, as I do, and dislike Wagner, as I do . . . or vice versa.
If you’re ready to give opera a try, I suggest starting by listening to an aria or two, rather than an entire opera start-to-finish. An aria is a song written for one singer or perhaps a duet. You can readily find some examples on YouTube by searching for “aria”. I’ll link to some of my favorites in the show notes at jenniferlamontleo.com/podcast, episode 40.
Read a summary of the story, so you can understand the gist of what’s going on. Then, as you listen, follow along with an English translation of the song, easily found on Google by typing the name of the aria and “English translation.” When you hit on an opera or composer you like, see if you can find the whole opera on video.
When you’re ready to attend your first live opera, you may be surprised that it’s a much less intimidating experience than its sometimes portrayed in movies and on TV. For example, many opera companies nowadays project English subtitles, so you always understand what’s being sung. You can also read a plot synopsis ahead of time, if you want to (and doing mind potential spoilers). And the rules are no more strict than they are for any live performance: sit quietly, pay attention, don’t play on your phone, and don’t talk to your neighbor or, heaven help you, try to sing along.
For fun, I looked up the “rules” for going to the opera in an etiquette book published in Boston in 1860. The book is “Ladies’ Book on Etiquette” by Florence Hartley.
“At the opera you should wear full dress, an opera cloak, and either a head-dress, or dressy bonnet of some thin material. Your gloves must be of kid, white, or some very light tint to suit your dress. Many dress for the opera as they would for the theatre; but the beauty of the house is much enhanced by each lady contributing her full dress toilette to the general effect.
If you go to the dressing-room, leave your hood and shawl in the care of the woman in waiting, whom you must fee when she returns them to you.
If you do not wish to go to the dressing-room, allow your escort to take off your shawl or cloak, and throw it over the back of the seat. As your opera cloak must be light enough to keep on all the evening, though you may throw it open, you must wear over it a heavier cloak or a shawl. Throw this off in the lobby, just before you enter your box. Your gloves you must keep on all the evening.
Avoid handling the play bills, as the printing ink will soil your gloves in a few minutes, making your hands appear very badly for the rest of the evening.
You should be in your seat at the opera before the overture commences.
[175]Never converse during the performance. Even the lowest toned remark will disturb a real lover of music, and these will be near you on all sides. Exclamations of admiration, “Exquisite!” “Beautiful!” or “Lovely!” are in the worst taste. Show your appreciation by quiet attention to every note, and avoid every exclamation or gesture.
In our new opera houses there are rooms for promenade, and between the acts your escort may invite you to walk there. You may accept the invitation with perfect propriety. He will leave the box first and then offer his hand to you. In the lobby take his arm, and keep it until you return to the box. If you have taken your cloak or shawl to your seat, leave them there during your promenade. Return to your seat when the gong sounds the recall, that you may not disturb others after the next act commences.
In walking up and down in the promenading saloon, you may pass and repass friends. Bow the first time you meet them, but not again.
If you meet your gentlemen friends there, bow, but do not stop to speak. They may join you for once round the room, then allow them to leave you. Your escort will feel justly offended if you allow any other gentlemen to engross your attention entirely when he has invited you to the entertainment.”
Sheesh! No wonder people think the opera is stuffy! Times have changed.
These days, although many people dress up for opening night, for most performances you can wear whatever you like. And you certainly don’t need to cling like a barnacle to the arm of your escort. In fact, you don’t even need an escort, unless you want one.
. . . you won’t want to miss this sweepstakes that includes a fabulous collection of Downton Abbey-themed swag, as well as an assortment of e-book novels that have that certain “Downton vibe,” whether time period or setting or other characteristics shared with the show you love. (My own LOVE’S GRAND SWEET SONG is included, a heartwarming, inspirational story set in the world of grand opera during the Downton Abbey time period.)
Buona fortuna!