{"id":140,"date":"2013-06-26T12:30:00","date_gmt":"2013-06-26T12:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestfantasynovel.com\/2013\/06\/26\/look-inside-jl-bryans-fairy-metal-thunder\/"},"modified":"2013-06-26T12:30:00","modified_gmt":"2013-06-26T12:30:00","slug":"look-inside-jl-bryans-fairy-metal-thunder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/2013\/06\/26\/look-inside-jl-bryans-fairy-metal-thunder\/","title":{"rendered":"Look Inside JL Bryan’s Fairy Metal Thunder"},"content":{"rendered":"

I’m excited to join five other amazing fantasy authors in a new collection, Faery Worlds<\/a>. For the rest of the week I’ll be featuring the other novels you can find in this ebook full of magic, love and fae.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/div>\n

JL Bryan’s<\/a> Fairy Metal Thunder<\/h4>\n

A teenage garage band steals instruments from the fairy world and begins enchanting crowds, but their shortcut to success soon turns them into enemies of the treacherous Queen Mab.<\/p>\n

“Fairy Metal Thunder has the same feel that the movie Labyrinth has, this wondrous fantasy world that you’re desperate to have at least a small part of, even to the point of stealing.” — Review for Fairy Metal Thunder, Bending the Spine<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/h4>\n

<\/h4>\n

Chapter One<\/h4>\n

After school, Jason rode his bicycle across town to Mitch’s house for band practice, with his guitar case strapped to his back. His palms coated the handlebars with nervous sweat. He’d spent the whole day ignoring his teachers while he furiously scribbled lines of the new song, crossed them out, and rewrote them. He’d accumulated three notebook pages’ worth of jumbled, blotchy words, plus ink stains all over his fingers.<\/p>\n

During sixth period Social Studies, he had very carefully copied these bits of song onto a single page, using the most legible handwriting he could muster. He’d titled the song \u201cAngel Sky\u201d and then hesitated a minute before writing \u201cFor Erin\u201d underneath the title. Then he’d folded it into neat squares and tucked it in his pocket, where it now burned like a handful of hot coals.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

He paused at the top of Mitch’s street. He could see Mitch’s house, four doors down, the garage door open and waiting for him. He could hear Mitch warming up on the keyboard, the fake piano sound echoing through the tree-lined neighborhood.<\/p>\n

Jason’s nerves were rattling. He’d never shown the group any of his songs. Erin was the singer and the songwriter of the group. Like Jason, she was a junior at Chippewa Falls High. Unlike Jason, she was actually talented at writing lyrics.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, little kid, need a ride?\u201d a girl’s voice asked. He jumped in surprise and nearly fell from his bike. While he was lost in thought, Dred had pulled up alongside him in her beaten-up ’97 Chevy van. She snickered at Jason. Dred was a year older, close to graduation. She was a broad-shouldered girl who liked Doc Martins and ragged plaid shirts.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re hilarious,\u201d Jason said.<\/p>\n

\u201cRace you!\u201d Dred stomped her gas pedal until she was halfway down the street, then slammed her brakes and twisted into Mitch’s driveway.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, that’s fair,\u201d Jason muttered as he pedaled down the street. Dred\u2014or \u201cMildred\u201d if you wanted to get punched in the face\u2014was the band’s drummer. She was a senior like Mitch, a year older than Jason and Erin. Her van was perfect for transporting the band to gigs. Hopefully, they would actually have a gig one day.<\/p>\n

Jason turned into Mitch’s driveway and parked his bike just outside the open garage. Dred was already there, juggling her drumsticks as she sat down behind her drum kit.<\/p>\n

\u201cYo, Jason!\u201d Mitch said. He sat at the keyboard, his long hair unleashed from the plaid driving hat he usually wore, and he pushed his John Lennon-style glasses higher on his nose. His t-shirt depicted ghosts chasing Pac-Man through a maze. Pac-Man’s thought balloon read: \u201cThis is a stupid way to live.\u201d<\/p>\n

Behind Mitch hung a poster of pop star Claudia Lafayette, in concert, wearing a pink dress and a headset with a microphone, pointing straight out to the audience while she sang. Mitch claimed the poster of the cheesy singer, whose bubble-gum songs could stick in your ear and repeat themselves all day long, was supposed to be ironic. He said the same about his Claudia Lafayette T-shirt.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s up?\u201d Jason asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust stoking the flames.\u201d Mitch resumed playing his keyboard, switching it to a deep electric organ sound. \u201cMaking the magic happen, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason sat in a lawn chair and took his guitar out of the case. He plucked a few chords and tried to tune it, but couldn’t hear anything over the keyboard.<\/p>\n

When he looked up, he realized Erin had arrived, and his heart skipped. He gave her an awkward smile and tried not to stare. He thought Erin was beautiful, with her intense green eyes and blond hair dyed with blue and green streaks. Her hair was long and usually hung down all over her face. Jason always wanted to brush her hair back behind her ear so he could see her better.<\/p>\n

He waved to her, but she’d already turned away to hang her jacket on a hook over the workbench.<\/p>\n

\u201cAbout time!\u201d Mitch yelled over the noise. Then he realized he was the source of the noise and stopped playing the keyboard. \u201cWhere have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cZach had to drop off a couple other people first,\u201d Erin said. \u201cChill out, Mitch.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s Mick,\u201d Mitch said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can’t be Mick. Mick isn’t short for Mitch,\u201d Dred said. \u201cIt’s for Mickey, or maybe Michael\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon’t tell me what nickname I can be\u2026Mildred,\u201d Mitch said. \u201cIt’s a free country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon’t call me Mildred!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon’t tell me I can’t be Mick!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOkay, kids,\u201d Erin said. \u201cDo you want to fight, or do you want to play?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFight,\u201d Dred replied. She aimed a drumstick at Mitch’s head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ll be ready as soon as you admit that I can use ‘Mick’ for my stage name. It’s really not that far from Mitch\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n

Dred interrupted him with a short, loud drum solo, ending with a cymbal crash. Mitch scowled.<\/p>\n

Jason tried to work up the nerve to tell Erin he’d written a song for her, but he couldn’t seem to get his mouth working. Though he’d gone to school with Erin since her parents moved to Chippewa Falls back in ninth grade, he hadn’t spoken with her very much at all. The sight of her always seemed to lock up his mouth, and his brain along with it. He’d been thrilled when Mitch asked Jason to join their band a couple of months earlier. According to Mitch, their previous guitarist had been \u201ca total spaz who never showed up for practice.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead of talking, Jason strummed his guitar to warm up his fingers.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood,\u201d Erin said. \u201cAt least somebody takes this seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet’s go,\u201d Mitch said. He played his fingers across the keys, and an electrically synthesized piano buzzed over the speakers.<\/p>\n

Erin blew a short tune on her harmonica, then spoke into an imaginary microphone.<\/p>\n

\u201cHello, Wisconsin!\u201d she shouted. Mitch played the sound of an audience applauding from his synthesizer. \u201cWe are the Assorted Zebras! Who’s ready to rock?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon’t say that,\u201d Dred said. \u201cIt’s cheesy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJust count us off, Dred,\u201d Mitch said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat are we playing?\u201d Dred asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a song I wrote for my boyfriend Zach,\u201d Erin told the imaginary audience. \u201cIt’s called ‘The First Road Out of Here.’\u201d<\/p>\n

Dred tapped out a beat, and then Mitch and Jason joined in with the keyboard and guitar. The song started slow, with long, sad sounds from Erin’s harmonica. Then she sang:<\/p>\n

We’ve been in this town so long,<\/p>\n

I forgot the world outside…<\/p>\n

So let’s escape tonight,<\/p>\n

It’s time to take a ride…<\/p>\n

Then the song became loud and fast.<\/p>\n

Let’s run together<\/p>\n

To that place where there’s no fear,<\/p>\n

The place we want to go,<\/p>\n

The first road out of here!<\/p>\n

Jason’s fingers flew across his strings as the tempo accelerated. A few little kids from the neighborhood, three boys and a girl, showed up on bikes and scooters and sat in the driveway to listen, as they sometimes did. Erin smiled and waved, clearly delighted to have an audience, even if they were in elementary school and one boy was more interested in picking his nose than watching the show. Two of the kids were even nice enough to applaud when the song ended.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you play some Weird Al?\u201d the nose-picking boy requested.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, do a Weird Al polka!\u201d another boy said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re just practicing our own songs right now,\u201d Erin told them. \u201cWant to hear those?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWho cares?\u201d the biggest boy asked. He rode away on his scooter, and the two other boys followed. The little girl remained, but rested her chin in her hand and looked bored.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ve got something fun,\u201d Erin said. \u201cIt’s called ‘Cinderella Night.’ Want to hear it?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI guess,\u201d the little girl sighed.<\/p>\n

Dred tapped out four beats, then Jason and Mitch joined in. Erin sang the upbeat song about a girl sneaking out and meeting a boy in a nightclub.<\/p>\n

The little girl smiled, entertained at last.<\/p>\n

They played two more of Erin’s songs. Jason tried not to pay attention to Erin’s hips swaying as she danced, or the pale stretch of her belly that sometimes peeked out over her low-slung jeans. He tried to focus on making the music.<\/p>\n

Erin stopped halfway through the third song.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need to mix it up,\u201d Erin said. \u201cIt’s all fast, dancey stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we really need is a killer love song,\u201d Mitch said. \u201cOne of those everybody-get-out-your-lighter things.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don’t have anything like that,\u201d Erin said.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe I’ll write one,\u201d Mitch said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou? Writing a love song?\u201d Dred snorted.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike you could do better,\u201d Mitch said. \u201cYours would probably end with the girl killing her boyfriend and burying him in the back yard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI think your songs are good, Erin,\u201d Jason said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThanks, Jason, but Mitch is right. We need a good, slow love song. I just don’t know how to write something like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason’s hand dropped to his jeans pocket. The song was folded up there, \u201cAngel Sky,\u201d all about falling in love. He hesitated, wishing he hadn’t written \u201cFor Erin\u201d underneath the song title. Everybody would laugh at him if they saw that. Erin would probably think he was a weirdo for writing a song for her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’ll be right back,\u201d Jason said. He put his guitar aside and walked toward the door into the house.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhoa, hold it,\u201d Mitch said. He stopped Jason with a hand on his elbow. \u201cWhere are you going?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe bathroom.\u201d Jason planned to find a pen inside the house and scratch out the dedication. Then he could show everyone the song without getting ragged on. Or at least, they’d pick on him a little less. And Erin wouldn’t decide he was an obsessive stalker freak to be avoided.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo way. My mom says nobody’s allowed in the house when she’s not home,\u201d Mitch told him.<\/p>\n

\u201cSince when?\u201d Dred asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe says some of her jewelry’s gone missing or something.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd she thinks we stole it?\u201d Dred asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, my mom didn’t accuse any of you of stealing, exactly,\u201d Mitch said, but he glanced at Dred. \u201cShe just says nobody’s allowed in the house if she’s not home. She’s doing the night shift at the hospital, so that’s a long time. Jason, why don\u2019t you go whizz in the back yard?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh,\u201d Jason said. That wouldn’t help. Jason doubted he would find a pen or marker out back.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s wrong?\u201d Mitch asked. \u201cWere you going to drop a number two?\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason felt his face turn red. Why did Mitch have to say something like that right in front of Erin?<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was!\u201d Dred said. \u201cLook at him blush.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wasn’t!\u201d Jason said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, right,\u201d Mitch said. \u201cJust hold it, man.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m…\u201d Jason realized he couldn’t think of a single thing to say that would make this conversation less humiliating. He wished he could escape into a hole in the earth somewhere, and maybe never come back.<\/p>\n

He was saved by an even worse turn of events. A red Mitsubishi Spyder pulled into the driveway with its top down. This was Zach Wagner, a senior over at the Catholic high school, who was best known for modeling in the \u201cPlaidwear\u201d section of the Fleet Farm catalog since he was thirteen. He had flawless skin, a haircut that probably cost a hundred dollars, and dark blue eyes. Erin’s boyfriend.<\/p>\n

Zach stood up inside his car and drummed his hands on the top of the windshield. He pushed his sunglasses on top of his forehead. \u201cLet’s go, Erin! Those orphans aren’t going to entertain themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat’s up, Zach?\u201d Mitch waved, falling into suck-up mode at the sight of Chippewa’s most famous male model.<\/p>\n

\u201cYo, Mick! Dred! New guitar guy!\u201d Zach gave a mocking little salute. \u201cSorry to take your singer away, but we’ve got a busy night of important stuff.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou’re leaving already?\u201d Dred asked Erin.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have to. We’re going to a benefit for Stuffed Animals for Orphans, over in Minneapolis. Zach says everyone else in the Minneapolis acting community is helping out.\u201d Erin gathered up her purse.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s not an actor,\u201d Jason said. \u201cHe’s a male model.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can’t go now,\u201d Dred said. \u201cWe have the audition next week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cErin! Yo! Orphans! Stuffed animals!\u201d Zach shouted.<\/p>\n

\u201cI’m coming!\u201d Erin grabbed her backpack.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou guys want us to play at the benefit?\u201d Mitch shouted to Zach. \u201cCause we could do that. We can just pack it up into Dred’s van and follow you to the Cities.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cUm…thanks anyway, Mick!\u201d Zach said, with a wink and a thumbs up. \u201cStuffed Animals for Orphans appreciates your support. In fact, if you guys want to make a donation, I’ll pass it along. There are lots of orphans out there who don’t have stuffed animals.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, that’s a good idea,\u201d Erin said. \u201cDoes anybody want to donate?\u201d<\/p>\n

Mitch grumbled something under his breath as he took out his wallet and gave Erin a couple of dollars. Dred donated a five-dollar bill from her money clip.<\/p>\n

Erin smiled at Jason as she walked toward him, holding out her hand.<\/p>\n

Jason searched all his pockets. He came up with twelve cents.<\/p>\n

\u201cSorry, I don’t have more on me,\u201d Jason said sheepishly. That’s me, he thought, no money and no car.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s okay. Thanks.\u201d Erin gave him a quick half of a hug. \u201cI’ll be back here for rehearsal tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jason watched her climb into the car with Zach, kiss him, and drop into the passenger seat. He felt a little despair as they pulled out of the driveway and drove away.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I like that guy,\u201d Mitch said.<\/p>\n

Jason nodded. Everybody liked Zach, of course. Perfect Zach.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’m excited to join five other amazing fantasy authors in a new collection, Faery Worlds. For the rest of the week I’ll be featuring the other novels you can find in this ebook full of magic, love and fae. JL Bryan’s Fairy Metal Thunder A teenage garage band steals instruments from the fairy world and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[161,162,166,167,168,169,177,179,280,366],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-excerpt","category-excerpts","category-fae","category-faeries","category-faery","category-faery-worlds","category-fantasy","category-fantasy-novel","category-jl-bryan","category-new-release"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=140"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=140"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=140"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/taramayastales.com\/bestfantasynovel\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=140"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}