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“On Ghost Trails” |
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About Joe Townley, Bestselling Novelist & Classical Pianist Joe
Townley was already on his way to
distinguishing himself as a pianist of stature, having won first prize in
numerous Southland piano competitions as a teen, when a devastating finger
injury suffered during a practice session destroyed his hopes of a career as
a concert artist. With a career as a professional musician out of the
question, Joe turned his creative instincts to writing. In 2002 his novel,
“On Ghost Trails” was published. In it he introduces Trevor
Langley to the literary world. Trevor is a private investigator working out
of Norfolk, Virginia who gets more than he bargained for when he agrees to
help a beautiful young lady solve the riddle of some mysterious occurrences
going on in her hometown near to Norfolk. Writer, Stephen M. Yarnell found On
Ghost Trails to be an intriguing blend of mystery and the supernatural,
calling it “a rollicking good ghost yarn” and “a new breed
of mystery by a new breed of writer.” In it you’ll find drama,
humor, and thrills and chills aplenty, including a slam-bang, hair-raising
climax that is guaranteed to keep you turning pages into the early morning
hours. To read some riveting selections from “On Ghost
Trails” click on the link in the
upper left column marked “Excerpts”. But Joe didn’t let the
injury to his hand permanently derail his gifts as a pianist. Though he
continued to perform sporadically in the years that followed, earning a
Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in music along the way, his injury
continued to worsen. By 1981, the nerve spasms in his finger were so frequent
and severe that they rendered his hand all but useless. It was then that Joe
made the painful decision to abandon the piano entirely. A nineteen-year
sabbatical from the keyboard followed. In 2002, with the
publication of his novel, Joe made an auspicious decision to
venture back to the keyboard. His first efforts were discouraging. In spite
of the dismal condition of his hands, however, Joe became convinced that,
slowly but surely, he could rebuild much of his technique without triggering
a reoccurrence of the injury With time and dogged determination, Joe started
began the long and difficult road back to virtuosity using a regulated regime
of carefully designed finger exercises. The results appear to be
paying off. Joe has reclaimed much of
the technical facility that previously had earned him considerable praise as
a rising star of the music world. You, the visitor, can judge for yourself
whether the results have been worth the effort. To hear Joe’s piano artistry
return to the Homepage and click on the links under Joe’s photo to view
him in QuickTime video as he performs Chopin’s virtuosic Etude in
C-#minor Op.10 #4 and the Finale from his Sonata #3 in b-minor, Preludes by
Rachmaninoff, and his own Hommage a Rachmaninoff , after an Elegie by
the great Russian composer. It is here that Joe gives
us a poignant peek into what is… And what might have been. |
