The O’Conners

Until April of 1973, they are a happy family of three. Kelley O’Conner, a prominent Santa Barbara attorney, provides his adoring wife, Beth, the life she had dreamed of growing up in the dreary Pacific Northwest. Daughter Farin is the apple of her father’s eye. She possesses the beauty, drive, and talent he feels certain will one day bring her enormous success. Life is good…until it’s not.

In one heart crushing moment, the O’Conners lose everything—including their patriarch. Farin is left a virtual orphan while Beth finds the relief to her unexpected widowhood in the bottom of a bottle. With no support, no stability, and no answers to lingering questions over her father’s tragic death, Farin overcomes obstacles no ten year old should face. One goal keeps her focused through the nightmares and loneliness: realizing her father’s dreams for her future. The day after her 18^th birthday, she sets out for LA, vowing to never return to her childhood home.

The Grants

Music is the natural scapegoat when the Grants need an answer as to why three brothers from Bledlow, England now live so far apart. Sure, each of them eventually migrated to America, but their lifestyles are as varied as their locations. For the most part, they’re fine with the arrangement—everyone but Ben, that is. The oldest and most settled of the three, family is paramount in this book. His greatest wish is to have his siblings relocate to southern Florida, where he lives with his wife and two sons.

Chris Grant has no regrets. Not over leaving home at sixteen and not over distancing himself from his family. He doesn’t hate them, even though they disapprove of his philandering ways. But his primary relationship is with his record label and the man who made him the legend his is today. He has his band and all the women he could possibly want. What reason might he ever have to uproot his indulgent New York City existence?

Despite being the youngest, Jordan often finds himself playing mediator between Ben and Chris. His ability to balance fame and single fatherhood provides him a unique perspective. Malibu, California has grown on him during his short career. It bolsters his pop star image while sheltering his young son from the insanity of the business. And of course, there’s Ginny—his adolescent fantasy come true. Reality has surpassed anything he’d ever hoped for. As much as he loves his family and rejects the celebrity lifestyle, he’s beginning to believe one person really can have it all.

The Lockhardts

It’s not that Jameson Lockhardt didn’t want to be a father. Perhaps he did at one point. But that was before he had to make the tough decisions. Once he did, there was no unringing the bell. Lockhardt Sound is a testament to determination. It is his life’s work. He built it on grit, savvy…and the systematic rejection of everything he might have once held dear. He’s seen, and done, it all. If given the choice, he would change nothing. So if he’s not the perfect father, he can live with it. He can live with his choices, his lies, his secrets. And he will let no one rob him of the legacy he’s created. He never has.

Bobby adores his father like fans who adore the artists on the LSI label—worshipfully, and from afar. Every day, he gives his all for the company he will one day inherit. He’s good at his job. He enjoys it. But he’d be lying if he said it didn’t leave him feeling empty. Success is all around him, yet his own dreams remain unrealized. While GQ and Esquire magazines consider him one of the most eligible bachelors alive, they don’t know his limitations. His father does, however, and reminds him often. But perhaps not often enough…