For Immediate Release
February 12, 2009
Acclaimed Author Catherine Asaro Celebrates the Launch of
DIAMOND STAR—the Novel and the Music Soundtrack
Baltimore, MD: Nebula® Award-Winning Author Catherine Asaro announces the publication of her 24th novel, DIAMOND STAR (Baen Books, May 2009). With this release, Asaro blazes new territory. In April 2009, Starflight Music will release a companion music CD, also titled DIAMOND STAR, that offers readers a soundtrack for the book. The songs are performed by Point Valid, a vibrant young rock band from Baltimore.
The novel DIAMOND STAR is the latest story in Asaro’s exciting, sensuous Tales of the Ruby Dynasty. It tells the story of Del, the renegade prince who would rather be a rock singer than sit on the throne. The royal family wants him to stop, his friends want to use him, his label wants to own him, and his enemies want to kill him. Del just wants to sing—without starting an interstellar war.
“When I wrote Diamond Star,” Catherine says, “I discovered I couldn’t tell the story until I had lyrics for Del’s songs. To write lyrics, I needed music. So I wrote the words and a little music. In 2007, I sent the lyrics for one song to Hayim Ani, the front man of Point Valid. He was enthused about the idea and said he could do a bang-up job with the song. That simple beginning grew into what has been one of the most exciting collaborations I’ve ever done, a full CD performed by the band and the many excellent musicians they brought into the studio.”
Point Valid is a Baltimore-based, alternative band featuring Hayim Ani on vocals and guitar, Adam Leve on drums and Max Vidaver on guitar. Hayim and the band wrote most of the music for the CD, and Catherine wrote most of the lyrics, as well as music for three songs. Three of Hayim’s original compositions, both music and lyrics, also appear on the CD and in the book. The CD has twelve songs—eleven originals and a cover of “Sound of Silence.” This collaboration is Point Valid’s second full-length CD. Their first, Of Dreams and Memories, is available through CD Baby or iTunes. Samples of songs from the Diamond Star CD can be found at www.starflight-music.com.
About the band, Catherine says, “These are some remarkably gifted young musicians. Hayim was 17 when we started, Adam was 16 and Max was 18. They’re all a year older now. Hayim lives in Israel, Max is at college and Adam is finishing high school. They’re doing great, and we hope to get them all back in the same time zone soon, so they can play more of their music together!”
Catherine adds, “To help me write this story, I learned to sing, from scratch really, since I had
no experience. I’m one of those people who doesn’t even sing in the shower. Instead, I listen to songs, because as a musician I’m always thinking about the music. So for me, learning how to sing was like trying to dance when I hadn’t yet tried to walk. It was challenging, but great fun. I’ve a long way to go, but I enjoy it and plan to keep studying. In addition to taking voice lessons, I joined the Central Maryland Chorale last year as a first soprano. Among the shows we’re doing this year, we’ll be performing Rutter’s Mass of the Children at Carnegie Hall.”
Catherine Asaro, a resident of Columbia, Maryland, won the Nebula® Award for her novel THE QUANTUM ROSE, a science fiction retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Her books have appeared on bestseller compilations such as the Locus list, and she has won numerous awards, including the Sapphire, RT Booklovers Reader’s Choice, and AnLab awards, as well being a HUGO and RITA finalist multiple times. A former ballerina, Dr. Asaro holds chemistry and physics degrees from UCLA and Harvard. She is proud to coach the Howard County Homeschoolers, and recently completed two terms as president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America.
For more information, please contact Binnie Syril Braunstein, (410) 486-6178 (phone/FAX) or 443-519-6366 (cell). And visit Catherine Asaro’s website: www.CatherineAsaro.net.
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