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Published on 05/29/1995 All articles from this issue

Headline: Inspiring first novel by Sunnyvale writer

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By Don DeNevi

Special to the Town Crier

"Frozen Music," an absolute jewel of a novel by Sunnyvale author-poet Michael J. Vaughn, allows each of us to appreciate the profound expression of love and gain insight about ourselves from it.

Day by day, Vaughn leads us through a fascinating account of how a young man finds his way back from a self imposed exile after having been mauled by "The Razor-sharp Fangs Of Love."

Is the novel autobiographical? Perhaps! After all, the hero's name is Michael and the characters are too beautifully fleshed out for a first-time novelist using mere imagination.

With frequent scene and feeling shifts, as well as vignettes of nature, beauty, and spiritual bliss, our hero's journey includes stealing river rocks from Yosemite State Park, building snowmen on the tops of dormant volcanoes, wandering the streets of Seattle, tossing softballs into the Pacific, and generally re-inventing the rituals of life.

Vaughn's reflections along the way are all a foundation to get up the nerve to make eye contact with the assistant conductor of the Westfield Community College Choir. For the rejuvenated tenor, Amy Fine's baton is the key to his survival.

Author Vaughn's poetry has been published in many journals, including Pig Iron Press, Onion Head, and Eclectic Literary Form. In addition, and what makes this fiction so credible is that Vaughn sang tenor for five years as a member of the San Jose State University Choir.

"Frozen Music," a 280 page $8.95 soft cover in addition to making us laugh and cry, will provoke and challenge us to complete our personal evolution regardless of the modern complexities that stand in our way. Michael Moss, that is Michael J. Vaughn, provides us with the clarity, sense of direction, personal fulfillment, and inner peace to negotiate any of the trials and tribulations we face every day.

This vibrant authentic story, which belongs on the shelf along with our other inspiring books is available in quality bookstores or can be ordered direct from the publisher. Send $11 to Northwest Publishing Inc. 6906 South 300 West, Salt Lake City, Utah, 84047.