Diva NashVegas (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

What do you do when the past you've been skirting shows up at your door with cameras rolling?

Aubrey James ruled the charts as the queen of country for over a decade. She'd rocketed to fame in the shadow of her parents' death-both of them pioneers in Gospel music. But while her public life, high profile romances, and fights with Music Row execs made for juicy tabloid headlines, the real and private Aubrey has remained a media mystery.

When a former band member betrays Aubrey's trust and sells an "exclusive" to a tabloid, the star knows she must go public with her story. But Aubrey's private world is rocked when the Inside NashVegas interviewer is someone from her past-someone she'd hoped to forget.

All the moxie in the world won't let this Diva run any longer.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter One

"Aubrey James is the holy grail of celebrity interviews. Whoever gets her to sit first wins."
--Beth Rose, Inside NashVegas

On a warm June night, I stand stage left among a swirl of activity--the stage crew, band members, and music artists coming and going--waiting to go on. Closing my eyes to rehearse my entrance, I have an odd sense of suspension, for a moment unable to determine time or place.

Ladies and gentlemen, Aubrey James . . . Run out smiling. Grab the mike. Wave and greet the fans. Hear the opening bars of "Borrowed Time."

Done it a thousand times. All over the world. Before queens and rednecks. Tonight is no different.

Except I'm utterly exhausted.

You're the CMA Fest's closing performer, Aubrey. Don't let the fans down. Don't do it.

Opening my eyes, I expect--I hope--the fans' excitement will jump-start my adrenaline, washing away the cloak of weariness.

It always has.

But tonight, the electric excitement charging the Titans Coliseum fails to touch me. My thoughts wander, and my heartbeat fires like a worn piston. Tiny beads of sweat prickle under my arms and across my forehead. I try to focus on the opening number again.

Walk out . . . Drummer counts down "Borrowed Time," bass comes in, then the electric. On the downbeat, I sing. Engage the crowd. Find the sweet spot.

Six months on the road with my all-girl band.

Hear the smooth call of the steel guitar, the whine of the fiddle, the exquisite, elegant harmony of my background singers. Can do this . . . By pure grit and grind. Come on, Aubrey.

Tonight's performance also ends my eleventh tour--sponsored by a hip new bottled-water company, FRESH!. A brilliant partnership orchestrated by my business manager. Music, I've had to learn, is as much about business as it is art.

Rolling Stone magazine put me and the band on the cover of their January edition with the headline "Aubrey James Gets Fresh!"

The swirl of activity around me increases. Roadies and techs finalizing the stage before we go on. CMA Fest cameras moving in. The show is being taped for television.

Are there half as many people in the coliseum as there are back here?

My drummer hurries past with her cymbals and snare. "I'm late."

"You have time," I say, watching her step up to the drum stage. From the corner of my eyes, I spot my manager, Zach Roberts, observing me with an inquisitive expression, his arms crossed over his lean chest. "What?"

"You're sweating, and don't tell me it's the Nashville heat. You have dark, puffy eyes, a frog voice, and you're pale."

"What's your point?"

"You're sick."

"I'm going on, Zach." Six months on tour, a hundred cities, can't end with a sore throat, fever, and puffy eyes. Besides, the fans deserve their final CMA Fest performance.

Zach rubs his forehead, doubt shadowing his brown eyes. "You look like a bag of bones, Aubrey. Did you lose weight on the tour?"

"Haven't you heard? It's all the rage. The Tour Diet. I'm writing a book about it this summer." I pat his cheek. "I'm fine. Trust me."

The stage manager passes by, flashing his palm. "Five minutes, Miss James."

Five minutes . Where's the familiar rush of preshow adrenaline? Without it, I'm not sure I can manufacture enough energy to carry me through the set.

Zach curves his arm around me. "This is your last performance. Then you're free as a bird for the summer."

"Free. Right. Besides this little gig here and that little gig there. A new photo shoot for the FRESH! campaign . . ." I lower my chin and gaze at him from under my brow. "Not to mention concluding the re­negotiation with SongTunes and finishing my next album, and wanting to sleep until fall."

He smiles. "We're working with SongTunes, and if you have to cancel a few appearances to get rested, then do it. Besides, if you're sleeping, I can work with some of my other clients for a change."

"Oh, please. I'm your favorite and you know it."

"Some things go without saying." He winks, but his merriment fades. "Hard tour, wasn't it?"

"Incredibly."

"At least the tabloids have backed off."

"For now."

How could one tour have so much controversy? Stolen equipment and personal items like jewelry. Missing money. A bus fire. The fired bus driver, who is now threatening to sue.

Worst of all, I parted ways with my musical director, Melanie Daniels. Midtour she announced she wanted more control, more money, and a solo spotlight. We argued. She left.

Angry.

A few days later, the tour arrived in Dallas amid the swarming media. Frustrated, tired, and hurt, I just had to make a pithy remark about Mel to a nosey journalist, didn't I? The B-word slipped out. Along with a few other choice phrases. Once the tongue gets loose . . . This is why I never do interviews. Never. Words get said, ideas twisted.

My comment about Melanie leaving the band made celeb magazines and tabloid headlines around the world.

Remembering causes my pulse to pound and my middle to constrict. I fall against Zach.

"Aubrey, you can't go on," he says, pressing a fatherly hand to my forehead. "You're burning up."

"I'm going on." The rest of my band emerges from a dark corner of the stage, and I move away from Zach, forcing my lips to smile. "All set?"

Vickie Campbell, my bass player, puts her hand on my shoulder. "Let's do it."

"One minute." The stage manager passes again, flashing a finger in our faces. "One minute." Rascal Flatts is performing on stage two and coming to the end of "What Hurts the Most."

I breathe deep, shaking out my hands, stretching my neck, wiggling my legs. Tom Petty sang it right--the waiting is the hardest part. Closing my eyes, I take a deep breath, and . . .

A firm hand slips over my shoulder, and soft lips nuzzle my neck. My heart races as I whirl around.

"Car, what are you doing here?" Nervous energy fires through me. "I'm about to go on."

His smile fades as his expression darkens. "I thought you'd be happy to see me." He pulls me to him. "Surprise." Then, Brown "Car" Carmichael the Third kisses away my lipstick.

Gently, I struggle free. "Car, honey, I thought we were meeting at the house later."

"This isn't the welcome I expected, Aubrey." His tone is clipped.

The stage lights go up and the crowd's rumble deepens.

"Car, what did you expect? I'm thirty seconds from a performance." Stepping backward toward the stage, I hold my expression, pressing the corners of my lips upward. "Can we talk about this later? I'll be all yours then."

He props his hands on his belt, the sharp edges of his handsome face softening. "Sure. Knock 'em dead, Brie."

The announcer is on the mike. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the queen of country soul, Aubrey James!"

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1595541918
• ISBN-13: 978-1595541918
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #439,868 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rachel's strongest to date!, July 28, 2007

By	Peggy Blann Phifer "Peg" (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews

Exactly what, I asked myself, is a Diva?

Well, according to most dictionaries I checked, Diva is a noun, and it describes a "distinguished female operatic singer; a female operatic star." Synonym: prima donna

Hmmm. I've noticed in today's usage, Diva seems to be applied to anyone who is at the pinnacle of their career, or knowledge, or special in some other way. Let's find out if it applies here.

Our Diva in this book is one Aubrey James, the reigning Queen of Country, residing at the top of the charts for over ten years. We meet Aubrey onstage at a CMA special. She's exhausted. Her boyfriend pops out onstage and publicly proposes. The ring is thrust on her finger. He leaves, she steps up into the spotlight - and the Diva takes a dive. Total wipe-out.

As she recuperates, she learns she has been cruelly betrayed by a former band member. Her "story" has been sold to a major tabloid. Up to this point, Aubrey has kept her very public life separate from her private life. Now, she realizes she's going to have to open up and talk about the real Aubrey James.

She chooses the venue for her interview, but they change her scheduled interviewer. A person from her past she'd rather forget. Now she faces her past--her personal life--on more than one front.

Aubrey James refuses to become a victim. She is strong. She faces everything head-on. No hiding, no prevaricating. Brought up by Christian parents, at their death, Aubrey moves away from her faith. Yet, though she doesn't realize it, her 'faith' never left her. When things happen to her, accusations thrown at her, she handles them with grace, though she doesn't realize that. Some of those things made ME angry. I wanted Aubrey to lash out in anger, throw something, do something--anything. But she didn't.

And she remains a Diva.

I loved this book. I highly recommend this title, even if you don't reach much Chick-Lit.I believe this is Rachel's strongest book to date It is not a "girlie" book - it is full of depth and rich with symbolism. Get it!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars extremely excellent book, July 14, 2007

By	B. Rainier - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

extremely well written. the characters dont feel like they were pushed and forced into being and the conversations and story feels natural. extremely good book and i would recommend it to everyone. i enjoyed the storyline in that it could be read by anyone, man or woman. its a chick lit thats not too romancey.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A touching tale of growth, faith, and love!, June 20, 2007

By	Amey Libman "Author of Heart of Blue" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Diva NashVegas is the touching story of a country music superstar trying to get back in touch with herself, her faith, and her love for music. In the first few pages of the book, the main character, Aubrey James, bursts forth as a glitzy, glamorous star of the stage who has everything that anyone could ask for - love, money, success. But it doesn't take long for the reader to get to know the inner turmoil of Aubrey's life as she has learned to deal with the loss of her parents, the betrayals by lovers, and the duplicity of former band members, all while under the bright spotlight of the public eye. Now, recognizing that there is nowhere left to run and hide from the mistakes and misfortunes of her past, Aubrey decides to face them head on by doing a one on one interview with Scott Vaughn, one of the co-anchors of Inside NashVegas. Rachel Hauck does an amazing job of bringing to life the complex character of Aubrey James whose larger-than-life, diva persona is balanced perfectly with that girl-next-door, down to earth quality that makes Aubrey irresistibly relatable despite her status as a country singing legend. Aubrey's encounters with Scott span the gamut of emotions from embarrassing and nerve racking, to compassionate and even comedic. The moments where Aubrey dreams of her mother will touch the heartstrings of anyone who has ever felt sad and alone and wanted nothing more than to crawl inside a warm, motherly embrace. Turning the pages on the growth of a woman on the brink of a breakdown as she turns into someone enjoying the process of regaining her faith is a joy to witness!
--Amey Libman, Author of Heart of Blue