Scenes from a Song by Susan Sloate | Review Tour
A deeply moving drama tracing the creation of a song that connects lives across decades and heartbreaks.
Welcome to my stop on the Goddess Fish Promotions Review Tour for Scenes from a Song by Susan Sloate!
If you love heartfelt dramas that span generations and celebrate the power of music, you’re in for a treat. Scenes from a Song takes readers from a Bronx apartment in the early 1960s to the heights of rock ’n’ roll fame—tracing how one song can echo through time, healing hearts and connecting lives in unexpected ways.
Keep reading to discover more about this moving story, an excerpt from the book, and a chance to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card!
🎶 Quick Summary
Set against the rhythm of the early 1960s, Scenes from a Song follows seventeen-year-old Jimmy Welton, a Bronx teen still mourning the loss of his firefighter father. When Jimmy begins hearing a melody in his head—a song that seems to capture everything he’s lost—he has no idea it will change not only his life, but the lives of countless others.
That song, “Wrapped in Gauze,” becomes the thread connecting generations of people who find comfort, forgiveness, and redemption through its lyrics. From the rise of Jimmy’s band, The GooseBumps, to the deeply personal stories of those touched by their music, Susan Sloate delivers a sweeping, emotional novel about how art endures long after the final note fades.
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📝 All About the Book
SCENES FROM A SONG
By Susan Sloate
Published by Covfefe Press on September 2025
Genres: Drama, Music Fiction, Literary Fiction
Formats: eBook, Paperback
Pages: 244
Source: Goddess Fish Promotions, Kindle UnlimitedFor anyone who's ever said, "They're playing my song!"
On Halloween Eve, 1961, in his dingy Bronx walkup apartment, 17-year-old Jimmy Welton hears the opening notes of a song in his head. Jimmy’s still mourning his firefighter father, who taught him to play the guitar but recently died in a house fire, leaving his family destitute. Jimmy takes this song, about all he misses from his life now, to his after-school job at a New York amusement park, where he meets Mark Morgan, a rebellious teen with his own band, who eventually invites Jimmy to join them. And the rest is rock'n roll history...
The GooseBumps become a worldwide phenomenon, and the songs they write and sing together become the backbone of rock musical history. And the song Jimmy first heard on Halloween, "Wrapped in Gauze", becomes the song that not only comforts him but also comforts others in life-changing Victoria, recently divorced and dealing with an unthinkable family tragedy; Carolyn, whose final flippant words to someone in pain can't be taken back; and Jack, battling back from unimaginable loss with the help of his cheeky therapist and a song he thinks he hates.
SCENES FROM A SONG is the story of a song that makes us sing, that breaks our hearts, that stays with us forever, and the very special band that started it all.
📜 Excerpt from Scenes from a Song
Before fame, before the world tours, there was a chance meeting that changed everything. In this scene, Jimmy Welton first encounters Mark Morgan—the spark that ignites their lifelong friendship and the birth of The GooseBumps.
“Jimmy Welton, meet my good friend, Mark Morgan.”
“Hi,” Jimmy said, extending his hand to the newcomer.
Mark looked at his hand as though he didn’t know what to do with it, then reached out and pumped it with his own. Jimmy noticed his own hand felt bruised when he let it drop.
Mark looked at him, his eyes narrowing. “So what’s your job here—you’re the handsome prince at the park? So all the girls can swoon over you?” His voice, a normal baritone, escalated suddenly almost to falsetto. He batted his eyelashes girlishly at Jimmy.
Jimmy grimaced. He hated being teased about his costume, and now he liked this guy even less.
Luke went on eagerly. “Mark goes to high school downtown, Jimmy. He came out tonight to scout the park.”
“What for?” Jimmy asked, not really interested in the answer. The guy struck him as a bad imitation of James Dean. Jimmy had met plenty like him, and they were all bad news.
“For my band to play here,” Mark answered, his voice cutting through the windy evening.
Jimmy, who had been ready to walk away, stopped dead. “You have a band?”
“Sure as hell do. I play guitar and sing.”
Jimmy had never met anyone, boy or girl, who was in a band. Suddenly he wasn’t mad about being teased anymore; he was starting to get excited. He tried to seem nonchalant as he asked, “Is it a dance band or country-western, or—”
Mark looked amused. “No, Pretty Boy. It’s rock `n roll. Ever hear of it?”
Rock ‘n roll! Jimmy would kill to hear a live rock ‘n roll band.
📚 Where to Find Scenes From a Song
Available on Amazon
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🛒 KINDLE | PAPERBACK
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🎸My Thoughts on Scenes from a Song
There’s a special kind of story that sneaks up on you—quiet at first, then suddenly you’re humming along and feeling everything. Scenes from a Song is that kind of read. Susan Sloate layers grief, grit, and glittering stage-light energy into a coming-of-age arc that feels both intimate and expansive. I loved the way Jimmy’s first spark of melody (“Wrapped in Gauze”) becomes a lifeline—for him and for the strangers who find their own stories inside it. The band dynamics ring true, the era details feel effortless, and the narrative keeps circling back to the way art heals without ever getting sentimental. If you adore music-driven fiction, this one hits all the right notes.
🎶 Review at a Glance
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Genre: Drama / Music Fiction / Historical Coming-of-Age
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Format: eBook (Goddess Fish Promotions Review Tour)
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Rating: ★★★★☆½ (4.5 / 5)
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Vibe Check: Nostalgic, heartfelt, quietly triumphant
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You’ll Like This If You Enjoy: Found-family band stories, 1960s rock atmosphere, character-driven redemption arcs
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Standout Element: The recurring song as an emotional thread—beautifully executed without overuse
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Quick Take: A soulful, melody-rich novel about how one song keeps playing long after the final chord.
I received a copy of the book as part of this tour. This review reflects my honest, unbiased opinion.
💖More Susan Sloate Reviews
Forward to Camelot by Susan Sloate and Kevin Finn
👩💻 Meet the Author: Susan Sloate
Susan Sloate is the author or co-author of more than 25 published books, spanning fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature. Her work includes Forward to Camelot, a time-travel thriller about the JFK assassination that became a #6 Amazon bestseller and was optioned for film. She also penned the autobiographical Broadway novel Stealing Fire, which reached #2 on Amazon, and Realizing You (with Ron Doades), a groundbreaking blend of fiction and self-help.
Her young-adult biography Ray Charles: Find Another Way earned a silver medal in the Children’s Moonbeam Awards, while Mysteries Unwrapped: The Secrets of Alcatraz led to her appearance on The History Channel’s MysteryQuest. Beyond writing, Susan has worked as a sportswriter, screenwriter, and literacy advocate—founding an author’s festival to promote student reading in her South Carolina community.
She has been featured in Who’s Who in America, Who’s Who in Entertainment, and Who’s Who Among American Women for her contributions to literature and education.
Connect with Susan Sloate:
🌐 Website | Instagram | Facebook | X (Twitter) | Amazon | Goodreads
🎤 Closing Notes
Scenes from a Song is a touching tribute to the ways music can bridge time, memory, and emotion. Susan Sloate delivers a beautifully layered story that will resonate with anyone who’s ever been moved by a melody or healed by a lyric.
Thank you to Susan Sloate and Goddess Fish Promotions for including me on this tour! I always enjoy stories that blend art, history, and heart, and this one will definitely stick with me.
💖 Don’t forget to enter the giveaway below for your chance to win a $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card—and maybe pick up a copy of Scenes from a Song to experience its rhythm for yourself!
Good luck, and happy reading! 💛
🎁 Giveaway!
Enter below for your chance to win a $25 Amazon/BN gift card—courtesy of the author.
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Sounds like a good book.
Thank you so much for reviewing SCENES FROM A SONG today.