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| Category: Fiction |
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| About the Book | |
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How high a price must one pay for a singing career? The answer astounds journalist Jeremy Blatz as he investigates the grotesque fates of the unfortunate ones who learn too late that they are unable to deal with overwhelming success. Of special concern to him is the dazzling opera diva Vanessa Lawrence, who makes her American debut in Jeremy’s hometown and undergoes treatment from the same hypnotherapist who helps the journalist control his terrifying asthma attacks and the nightmares that trigger them. And somehow standing behind it all is the charismatic bass-baritone Ramzi Matthews, the opera world’s biggest superstar. Sensuous and disturbingly sexy, the Egyptian-American singer grants Jeremy entrée into the secretive backstage world that has fascinated him since his childhood. What he finds there changes his life forever. Laced with black humor and outrageous situations, Chaste Goddess takes its readers into an unfamiliar and seemingly glamorous realm while it deals frankly with issues of sexuality and gender identity, unfulfilled dreams and failed marriage, the dark world of the occult and the residual guilt of religious upbringing. Whether you have never seen an opera or attend regularly, Chaste Goddess will introduce you to a strange world where artistry and glamour mask perversion and evil, and where the innocent fantasies of childhood can go terribly wrong.
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| About the Author | |
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John Schauer began writing during five years on the editorial staff of The Advocate. For the last 25 years, he has worked in arts administration, including 13 years as staff writer for San Francisco Opera. He has also written for Los Angeles Opera, San Diego Opera and Opera Quarterly. |