I'm thrilled to be a part of the 3 day Blog Blitz for A Rock 'N' Roll Lovestyle - I have a fabulous guest post from Kiltie Jackson all about one amazing day when she was at Live Aid in 1985 which is a must read. I also have a fantastic giveaway!Genre: Contemporary Romance/Chick Lit
Publication Date: 26 Sept 2017
Amazon UK: www.amazon.co.uk
Amazon US: www.amazon.com
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Who is Sukie McClaren?
Cat lover? Sound of Music Fanatic? Fiercely Independent?
She is all of the above. And when she is sent to Salzburg for a business trip three weeks before Christmas, she thinks all her dreams have come true. As she packs her suitcase, the only things on her mind are Christmas markets, lots of snow and finally seeing the Doh-Ray-Me steps.
Becoming the new best friend of the world’s hottest rock star doesn’t even get a look in.
Pete Wallace is a reclusive, reluctant, rock-star and the world’s Number One, best-selling, male solo artist. It’s been three years since his last tour and he’s now preparing to go back on the road again. A week in Salzburg, schmoozing with the music press, is one of his worst nightmares.
He can’t wait for it to be over.
When Pete and Sukie meet, it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Eduardo di Santo however, whose kid sister suffered life-changing injuries at a Pete Wallace concert, is all set on getting revenge. When Pete’s new tour is announced, he begins to make his plans.
Will Pete and Sukie’s new friendship die before it has a chance to flourish?
A Christmas tale full of love, laughter, friendship and revenge
GUEST POST
Blame It On The Love Of Rock ‘n’ Roll
Part Three – Live Aid.
Bob Geldof made his Live Aid announcement at midday on Monday 10th June 1985 on Radio One. I was fortunate enough to hear it as I worked as a waitress in a bar at the time and I was working the late shift that day. When Sir Bob initially began talking about this gig he was arranging, I wasn’t overly fussed about it. I’d already been to an all day festival gig at Wembley the year before and couldn’t be bothered to do it again. Waitressing didn’t pay that much, I had my own flat, money was tight and the cheaper coach trips to the capital were long. Once Bob began read out the list of performers, however, my interest grew. By the time he read out Nik Kershaw’s name I already knew I would be going to Live Aid.
The first thing I did, when I got into work that afternoon, was book the time off. The first hurdle was cleared. I also ensured that I would not be working when the tickets went on sale as I knew that getting a hold of one of those was going to be the hardest part of my plans. This was going to require an overnight queuing session!
I had never queued overnight for tickets prior to this and I’d missed out on a few great gigs as a result. Well not this time! Come hell or high water I was going to be at Wembley on the 13th July.
As much as I have racked my brains, and searched the internet, I cannot find the exact date the Live Aid tickets went on sale but I do know it was between the 12th and the 19th of June 1985. I have a very strong feeling that it may have been Tuesday the 18th of June. They were being sold at the box office of The Apollo and I arrived to begin queueing at 7.30pm the night before. Such was the desire to be a part of this event, people had already begun to queue and it had already extended around the side of the building when I arrived. Thankfully, it turned out to be a warm, dry night which contributed towards making the experience a great one. Everyone was chatting, people had brought tubs of sandwiches and were sharing them around, other people had families driving up in the middle of the night to bring them food parcels which were also shared, jokes were being fired around and everyone joined in with singing a song or ‘doing a turn’ to keep ourselves entertained. The mood was very upbeat and jolly. There was such an air of camaraderie that night and it only added to the overall experience that being part of Live Aid would be. I was very glad I had made the decision to arrive so early because, by midnight, the queue had circled the building. By six o’clock in the morning, it was all the way down the street. My foresight saw me being one of the lucky ones who got one of those golden tickets. I’m sure many were left disappointed.
Roll forward three weeks and the great day arrived. I’d gotten the overnight coach from Glasgow and arrived in London at six in the morning. Although my usual gigging chum Pam had decided not to join me on this trip, and I was on my own, I was definitely not alone. Victoria Bus Station was heaving with bodies as coaches arrived from all over the country, bringing in people attending the concert. As one, we all swarmed towards the nearest tube station and we made our way to Wembley.
I need to say here that, over the years, I attended several gigs in the old Wembley stadium and I can tell you that there was no greater sight than walking along the esplanade towards those magnificent twin towers. I still believe it was a great loss when they were removed in the recent refurbishment. They were iconic and are greatly missed by many.
Anyway… On with the story
Despite the earliness of the hour, there were already hordes of people queueing, ready to make a run for it when the gates opened, their intention being to bag a good spot at the front. I knew from previous experience that being at the front of Wembley stadium meant it was a pain in the ass to get in and out for loo breaks so I was quite happy to take my time and, upon entry a couple of hours later, take up a spot approximately a third of the way back. I had a good view of the stage plus both the screens.
Once again, the camaraderie of the day came to the fore. Seeing that I was alone, the party of six I was standing next to took me into their fold. We partied together, sang together and cried together when that film was shown which reminded us all as to why we were there. I have so many memories from that day – such as how deafening the crescendo was when the concert was announced as being ‘open’, or when the teddy bear being thrown around while Madonna sang over in the USA but the one that always pulls on me is when I recall Bob Geldof coming onto the stage at the end, about half an hour after the UK transmission had ended, begging us all to stop singing ‘Feed the World’, to pick up our stuff, leave the stadium and go home. You see, it had all been so special that everyone wanted to stay just a bit longer and hold onto that unique atmosphere for a few moments more. It was a one-off moment in time that could never again be captured.
Since that day, there have been a number of charity-event festivals, including Live-8 in 2005 but, no matter how hard they try, there will never be another Live Aid.
I am so glad that I was a part of it.
If you missed them:
For Part 1 – The Early Years was at My Life, One Story At A Time & Part 2 – The Teenage Years was at Between The Lines yesterday.
MEET THE AUTHOR
About Kiltie Jackson
Kiltie grew up in Scotland, Glasgow to be precise. A very unique city with a very unique way of looking at life. When she was old enough to do so, she moved to London and then, after several years of obtaining interesting experiences -which are finding their way into her writing - she moved up to the Midlands.
She currently lives in Staffordshire with five cats and one husband. The cats kindly allow her and her husband to share their house on the condition they keeps paying the mortgage!
Her little home is known as Moggy Towers, even though despite having plenty of moggies, there are no towers!
She loves reading, watching movies, and visiting old castles. She really dislikes going to the gym!
Her biggest desire is that one day she can give up the day job and write her stories for a living.
Kiltie first began writing 'A Rock 'n' Roll Lovestyle' over ten years ago. The project was shelved on Chapter Seventeen as she felt the story wasn't flowing as she would like it to.
In her own words "The images in my head would not come out of my fingers!" Fast forward to November 2016 when, having finished reading Lizzie's Christmas Escape by Christie Barlow, she read more about the author and was inspired with how Christie herself came to be a best-selling author.
In that thunderbolt moment, Kiltie knew - with a deep certainty- that she needed to reacquaint herself with 'A Rock 'n' Roll Lovestyle' and begin writing again. She did this in January 2017 and found the words flowed faster than she could type them. Finally, the time was right for her to write her novel.
Her determination to finish what she had started all those years ago was absolute and the first draft was completed on Sunday 16th April 2017.
Since beginning to write again, the ideas have not stopped flowing. She has begun typing up her second book, 'Of All the Unlikely Places', and book three (not yet titled) has been worked out and is waiting in the wings for its turn in the spotlight.
She currently has a further ten plots and ideas stored in her file (it's costing a fortune in USB drives as each story has its own memory stick!) and the ideas still keep on coming.
She now lives her life around the following three quotes:
"I love having weird dreams, they're great fodder for book plots!"
"Why wait for your ship to come in when you can swim out to meet it?"
"Old enough to know better, young enough not to care!"
"I love having weird dreams, they're great fodder for book plots!"
"Why wait for your ship to come in when you can swim out to meet it?"
"Old enough to know better, young enough not to care!"
Website www.kiltiejackson.com
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/kiltiejackson
Twitter - https://twitter.com/KiltieJackson
Giveaway – Win a £40 / $40 Amazon Voucher
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