SPOTLIGHT: Beethoven in Love

PUMP UP YOUR BOOK

is happy to host 

Howard J. Smith's
 BEETHOVEN IN LOVE: OPUS 139
 Virtual Book Tour 
  November 1 – April 28!
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Title:
BEETHOVEN IN LOVE; OPUS 139

Author: Howard Jay Smith

Publisher: SYQ

Pages: 385

Genre: Literary Fiction/Biographical Fiction

At the moment of his death, Ludwig van Beethoven pleads with Providence to grant him a final wish—one day, just a single day of pure joy. But first he must confront the many failings in his life, so the great composer and exceedingly complex man begins an odyssey into the netherworld of his past life led by a spirit guide who certainly seems to be Napoleon, who died six years before. This ghost of the former emperor, whom the historical Beethoven both revered and despised, struggles to compel the  composer to confront the ugliness as well as the beauty and  accomplishments of his past.  

As Beethoven ultimately faces the realities of his just-ended life, we encounter the women who loved and inspired him. In their own voices, we discover their Beethoven—a lover with whom they savor the profound beauty and passion of his creations. And it’s in the arms of
his beloveds that he comes to terms with the meaning of his life and experiences the moment of true joy he has always sought.

Purchase Information:

Amazon

Book Excerpt:

Prologue:

The Death of Beethoven

Vienna, 5:00 pm, March 26, 1827  

Outside Beethoven’s rooms at the Schwarzspanierhaus, a fresh measure of snow from a late season thunderstorm muffles the chimes of St. Stephens Cathedral as they ring out the hours for the old city.

    Ein, Zwei, Drei, Vier… Funf  Uhr.  Five O’clock.

    Beethoven, three months past his fifty-sixth birthday, lies in a coma, as he has now for two nights, his body bound by the betrayal of an illness whose only virtue was that it proved incurable and would, thankfully, be his last. Though his chest muscles and his lungs wrestle like giants against the approaching blackness, his breathing is so labored that the death rattle can be heard over the grumblings of the heavens throughout his apartment. 

     Muss es sein? Must it be? Ja, es muss sein. Beethoven is dying. From on high, the Gods vent their grief at his imminent passing and hurl a spear of lightening at Vienna.

     Their jagged bolt of electricity explodes outside the frost covered windows of the Schwarzspanierhaus with a clap of thunder so violent it startles the composer to consciousness. 

     Beethoven’s eyes open, glassy, unfocused. He looks upward – only the Gods know what he sees, if anything. He raises his right hand, a hand that has graced a thousand sonatas, and clenches his fist for perhaps the last time. His arm trembles as if railing against the heavens. Tears flood his eyes.

     His arm falls back to the bed… His eyelids close… And then he is gone ...

About the Author

Howard Jay Smith is an award-winning writer from Santa Barbara, California. BEETHOVEN IN LOVE; OPUS 139 is his third book. A former Washington, D.C. Commission for the Arts Fellow, & Bread Loaf Writers Conference Scholar, he taught for many years in the UCLA Extension Writers’
Program and has lectured nationally. His short stories, articles and photographs have appeared in the Washington Post, Horizon Magazine, the Journal of the Writers Guild of America, the Ojai Quarterly, and numerous literary and trade publications. While an executive at ABC Television, Embassy TV, and Academy Home Entertainment, he worked on numerous film, television, radio, and commercial projects. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Santa Barbara
Symphony - "The Best Small City Symphony in America" -  and is a member of the American Beethoven Society.

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TOUR SCHEDULE

Monday, March 6

Guest Blogging at Literarily Speaking

Tuesday, March 7

Interview at My Bookish Pleasures

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Monday, March 13

Interview at PUYB Virtual Book Club

Tuesday, March 14

Book Featured at Books, Reviews, ETC.

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Monday, March 20

Interview at The Dark Phantom Reviews

Tuesday, March 21

Book Featured at C.A. Milson’s Blog

Wednesday, March 22

Guest Blogging at From the TBR Pile

Interview at T’s Stuff

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Monday, March 27

Book Featured at ABookGeek

Tuesday, March 28

Book Featured at Storeybook Reviews

Friday, March 31

Book Review at True Book Addict

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Monday, April 3

Book Featured at Lisa – Queen of Random

Tuesday, April 4

Interview at Straight From the Author’s Mouth

Wednesday, April 5

Interview at Reviews by Crystal

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Monday, April 10

Book Featured at My Book Launch

Tuesday, April 11

Book Featured at SheWrites

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Monday, April 17

Book Review at Svetlana’s Reads and Views

Tuesday, April 18

Book Featured at BlogHer

Wednesday, April 19

Book Featured at Carol’s Notebook

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Monday, April 24

Guest Blogging at Hart’s Reader Pulse

Tuesday, April 25

Book Review at The Busy Mom’s Daily

Friday, April 28

First Chapter Review at The Literary Nook

Book Review at Deal Sharing Aunt

Media Contact:

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