International Writers Inspiring Change feature author: Jeffrey H. Baer

Rising pop singer Shannon Kistler never expected to see college student Kevin Derow on a Manhattan street wearing her concert shirt. But she offers gratitude in her own way, leaving her biggest fan in shock. When the two teenagers meet again six days later, Shannon slips Kevin her phone number, and the unlikely romance begins.

Soon they find they have several things in common: lonely childhoods, a passion for music, and making unpopular choices about their own lives. The public cannot take Shannon seriously as a teenaged recording artist, but she risks her sudden success by making some public mistakes after breaking into a soulless music industry with unusual ease. Meanwhile Kevin loses the respect of family, friends and coworkers over the girl he idolizes-and unwittingly blows the lid off a payola scheme devised by Shannon's record label, threatening her career and possibly his own freedom.

Our review of A Song Apart

A Song Apart, by Jeffrey H. Baer, is a slow-burn, but captivating story which speaks to any age group, from teen on up through adult. Although the plotline is simple, about a young adult pop-start who rises to fame, and the man who becomes her most passionate follower, it actually has much deeper roots than that. The author pulls no punches as he reveals just how brutal and calloused the music industry can be, moreover, how the culture around it and media can be so vicious and heartless toward someone, such as Shannon, the rising pop-star, because she is so young and yet so successful. Whether it is pure jealousy that fuels this assault, or a lack of an ability to accomplish something as creative in their own lives, or simply a tendency in society to try and find fault with those who are successful, Shannon faces a constant barrage of attacks, as if being a "critic" is a license that everyone possesses.

Kevin, her undaunted follower, has her back, always, but he also faces the brutality of a shark-like culture that aims to take both of them down.

It's a heart-felt story.

Lots of dialogue, but very inspiring.

Recommended.

We gave it five stars.

Reviewed by International Writers Inspiring Change

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Other books by the author

About Jeffrey H. Baer

I was born on January 21, 1969 to Robert and Susan Baer in Brooklyn, NY. My dad served in Vietnam and was stationed in Fort Huachuca, AZ upon his return stateside. So I was an army brat without realizing it.

My childhood was like a lot of other childhoods--difficult. I was quite advanced for my age, as everyone discovered when I was able to read the Times Square message boards at age two--out loud, no less. My grandparents told me how surprised the pedestrians were to see me read; I was too engaged to notice, or else I'd pass the hat around.

Unfortunately, the other kids weren't surprised. In fact, they were downright offended and often reminded me as much. The worst of it came in junior high school, when the entire grade hated my guts without knowing why. Looking back on it, though, I should've thanked those kids for giving me all that attention.

I realized I could write in seventh grade when out English teacher asked us to write an essay about a famous woman. Since I loved pop music, I chose Roberta Flack as my essay subject, but I was out sick the day after I handed it in. When I went back the following Monday, a girl in my class said "Gee, thanks, Jeff. We all really wanted to hear about Roberta Flack." It seemed the teacher was so impressed with my essay, he read it to the class, and my classmates had yet another reason to consider me persona non grata.

My so-called "bad reputation" followed me to high school. Suffice it to say I was never happier in my life than I was at graduation.

I entered Baruch College in 1987 to study accounting, but a few years later I realized I had no idea how to crunch numbers the way they should be crunched. I detoured into journalism for a year, but my heart wasn't in it, so I took some time off to sort out my career goals. At the same time, I worked as a receivables manager for Mill Hollow Corp., a trade magazine publisher in Manhattan. It was the worst job I ever held, as I coped with office politics and the nastiest, most manipulative boss I ever worked for. The good news is I was able to get a novel out of the experience (more on that later).

My next job was at a list management company in a similar capacity, but after several months I managed to alienate the #3 officer. To make a long story short, she had me fired after a pair of misunderstandings between myself and two other companies. As a result I haven't had steady work for the last fourteen years.

In April 2002 I was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, which is high-functioning autism that affects social skills. It explained why I was socially inept as a child as well as why I couldn't find and keep jobs on my own. No big deal--the diagnosis helped me accept myself as I am. There's no cure or treatment for AS, but I find Paxil frees up the rigid thinking that comes with autism--and I'm a more well-rounded person for it.

I live in Coney Island with my wonderful girlfriend Karen, whom I've known for 22 years. We would be married and parents by now if not for this ludicrous job search, but I'm sure we're not the only ones in the same situation. I spend my time at home, either on the computer or watching TV, but I try not to slip into anything resembling a vegetative state.

I am the author of A SONG APART, the story of Shannon Kistler, a rising pop singer, and Kevin Derow, the college student who idolizes her--a relationship that dismays many people, and yet the two teenagers aren't the least bit fazed. I was inspired to write this novel after seeing a brief interview with Chuck D, leader of the rap group Public Enemy, on MTV. When asked about meeting fans on the street, he replied "For us is thirty seconds, for them it's a lifetime." So I thought, "Hmm...what if it were more than 'thirty seconds for us'?" And thus A SONG APART was born. Right now I'm fixing up THE STRICKLAND FILE, a novel about office politics and alienation inspired by my five years at the aforementioned trade magazine publisher. I actually began writing it in 1996, but after putting it aside to work on the other novel, I went back to it and realized it needed more editing than I ever imagined. I'll most likely publish it via CreateSpace, but first things first.

Author website