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In development

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BRAVADA

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(Fictional novel. Genre: drama and suspense, family saga supported by historical events, in Russia, Yukon Territory, and New Orleans. Timeline: 18th-century to present-day. Comparison: "Legends of the Fall")

In the end, Bravada will discover what has long been plundered, extorted, and carefully hidden. Then dare to outwit and yet live to defy the Russian mafia. A fictional story of the vory "thieves-in-law" that built an empire in Russian America. Inspiration: working in Alaska, observing, and researching the peoples and events of these areas and eras. Some of the people, historic places, and sites in the Alaskan Gold Rush territories are still standing. Others are abandoned, neglected, and derelict to the elements, and days gone by. 50,000 words completed.

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A History of Jazz 

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An untitled revisionist history of jazz project. Currently searching for investors and production talent to develop the last manuscript of revered jazz historian, Christopher Pirie (b. 16th January 1930. d. 15th September 2019) into a documentary.  Pirie was a musicologist of international renown and directed much of his expertise in the field of 'Jazz' and 'Swing' (Big Band) music from the US. Frank Sinatra and Shorty Rogers both wrote forewords to two of his books. In addition, he was a personal friend of Stan Kenton and became his chronicler and archivist ('Artistry in Kenton', et al). Pirie's passion for listening to and collecting Jazz and Swing music began when he was 14 and continued throughout his lifetime. He ultimately became a record producer under his own 'First Heard' label and was a master at 'cleaning up' old recordings for re-issue, long before computer programs made it a relatively simple task. An author of several authoritative books on jazz, including his last work (in raw manuscript form, at present) regarding the true history of this world-changing music genre that needs to be told.

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He also had assembled an immense collection of recorded music, books, photographs, and other related artifacts. His collections include early Jazz 78's, Wartime 'V' discs and other wartime military issues, disc masters, 16" transcription discs, test pressings, and a vast collection of 12" vinyl. Almost all of his collection was of American music, so much so, that several of his contemporaries called his collections an 'authoritative history of American 20th-century music.' As far as I can ascertain (I am not an expert) there are many very rare, and possibly unique items in the collection. If you're interested in developing the project, please contact me (see Contact tab). 

My personal connection to this is a love of Big Band music. My parents, both born in the 1920s. Although from Central America, they were massive fans of the genre. (In The Mood was my mom's favorite song. She was a great ballroom dancer.) Especially since it had become global and was Pop music of the time. My mother was raised on classical music and hymns. But, she dreamt of being an opera singer, naturally having the range and power for it, although she had a slender physique. She had a bright soprano voice, that you could her singing above a crowd of 3,000 people without amplification. She was lead singer in a band that toured and played Showtunes and Swing music, in her home country of Honduras from the mid-40s-50s. When my parents immigrated to New Orleans in the mid-50s, they had even greater access to Big Band music and iconic popular singers and musicians of the time. So, in vitro, my brothers and I knew and loved their favorites, Nat King Cole (my mother got to see him perform in New Orleans), Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra (The Way You Look Tonight, was my dad's favorite), and The Mills Brothers. Love of Swing was a proud tradition that also got passed down to the third generation.  My love of Swing music and dancing that my parents passed down and growing up in New Orleans, lead me to expand my appreciation for other forms of Jazz music other than what my parents knew. Having grown up in the US as second-generation Americans, R&B, rock n' roll, Motown, doo-wop, funk, disco of the 60s & 70s, were also the soundtrack of my youth. But, I can't count how many nights, as a schoolgirl, I snuck out of bed to watch Big Band and Jazz legends perform on The Tonight Show. When my mom side-eyed me, all she could do was, make space on the sofa.