Blog Tour, Playlist & Giveaway: Chasing Nirvana Ellyn Oaksmith

Chasing Nirvana by Ellyn Oaksmith is releasing next week on November 3rd and I am thrilled to be a part of the blog tour to help promote! In today’s post you will find all the book information, the author’s playlist, as well as a tour-wide giveaway! Be sure to leave a meaningful comment to be entered to win!

 

Chasing Nirvana by Ellyn Oaksmith

Category: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, LGBTQ
Publication: November 3rd, 2017
Purchase: Amazon

Fran Worth is just another girl trying to make it through senior year at Weatherwax High in Aberdeen, Washington. But it’s 1993 and Fran is gay. Her comfortably off the radar life turns vividly public when a student nominates Fran for prom queen. When confronted by angry parents Fran refuses to back down, promising to deliver her hometown heroes in hopes of winning prom queen votes.

Fran heads out on a 24 hour road trip to Daily City, California with four friends, including her crush who may or may not be gay. Their plan? To sneak backstage to ask Kurt Cobain and Nirvana to come home and play prom. No problem. Unless something goes wrong.

 

Want to check out a sample of Chasing Nirvana? Download a three chapter sample here: https://bookhip.com/HLLPLA

 

Guest Post – Author’s Playlist:

Ellyn Oaksmith’s Road Trip Playlist

Of course we’ll start out with Nirvana. Smells like Teen Spirit, Come as You Are, About a Girl and All Apologies, Sliver, Heart-Shaped box and Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge because even if that last one isn’t my favorite – it’s the name of my main character and the story behind the song is incredible. A local movie star who was institutionalized for being different. Something that would never happen today. Hopefully. From there I’d move onto another grunge band I love: Pearl Jam: “Jeremy,” “Evenflow,” “Better Man.” I saw them live for free right near the real Soundgarden in Seattle in Madison Park. My sister went into the mosh pit. From that band I’d choose “Black Hole Sun,” “Fell on Black Days” and “Pretty Noose.”

From there I’d toss in a little old school dance music: Soul to Soul, anything from “Club Classics Volume I.” This whole album is for serious roll down your windows, sing along, car dancing. The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill has “Zion” and “That Thing.” Also some of the intros to the songs with the school children are funny and heart-warming. I’d listen to Johnny Cash, Live at Folsom Prison. You gotta love the Man in Black singing to a bunch of convicts while the announcements about “report to cell block one” is made and the prisoners cheer like crazy at a song about a man shooting his wife while high on cocaine. Johnny Cash knew how to write a story in a few minutes that could break your heart. Likewise Freddie Mercury from Queen. I’d listen to their “Greatest Hits” album. “Purple Rain” by Prince. The whole thing. Also OutKast. “The Love Below.”

If my kids were along for the ride we’d listen to Taylor Swift, Pink (love her), Snoop Dog, Kanye, Beyonce (who is awesome), 21 Pilots (who I adore), and Bastille (who I also love.) I just heard a fabulous song with Logic and Halsey. Amazing lyrics. So that too.

I’d toss in some U2 of course. Joshua Tree. Some classic Beatles. I do love Oasis also. Champagne Supernova is just a lovely song. There are many songs by Muse that I’d add to the mix. September by Earth Wind and Fire is so fun. So let’s toss that in too. I’d probably want to sing along to the Bee Gees, Stayin’ Alive just for giggles.

Two artists are always in my car: Adele (every album) and Coldplay: Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head, X and Y, Viva la Vida, Ghost Stories and A Head Full of Dreams. Mylo Xyloto is their one album that just doesn’t speak to me. Everything else I can listen to endlessly.

Okay, I feel like we just drove from Seattle to Boston and I got to choose the tunes for the entire trip.

Thanks so much!

 

Author Bio: Ellyn Oaksmith

I graduated from Smith College and have a very expensive MFA from The American Film Institute. Some writers will tell you that their MFA was a waste of money. I won’t. It gave me great editorial skills and colorful, crazy experiences working as a screenwriter in LA. Cooking on fishing boats in Alaska paid my tuition. Screenwriting and working in the middle of the Bering Sea have a lot in common: hard work, unpredictability and occasionally both make you want to scream.

Besides my family and friends, I love rescue dogs, cats, cooking, baking, open water swimming, kayaking and reading, reading, reading, reading. Did I mention reading?

Links:

Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook│Instagram│Amazon Page

 

Giveaway:

Anyone who comments on any of the blogs during the tour is eligible to win one of 30 e-book copies of Chasing Nirvana!

Anyone who signs up for the Author’s newsletter during the blog tour at this link: http://eepurl.com/2ZfTP will enter to win one of 5 signed copies of the paperback.