Y&T Manager JILL MENIKETTI On Debut Novel Welcome To Groove House – “While Some Characters May Be Amalgamations, I Can Assure You There Is No One Particular Character That I Modelled After Any One Real Person”

Y&T manager, Jill Meniketti, has written a killer rock ‘n’ roll novel that’s just been released. Her debut fiction, Welcome To Groove House, has garnered rock star reviews from Sammy Hagar, Eddie Trunk, Eric Martin, Don Dokken, Troy Luccketta, and Stef Burns (see below).

Speaking with Get Ready To Roll, Jill discusses the new book. An excerpt follows:

Q: First of all, tell us how you’ve managed to juggle all your hats (band manager, booking agent, rock-wife, webmistress, blogger, interviewer, author etc) to arrive at a fully-finished product. When do you find the time to actually sit down and write? Was the plot already there inside your head and just needed to be typed out in detail, or did the storyline change as you went along?

A: “Writing Welcome To Groove House took years of waking at 5 AM in order to slip in a few hours of writing time before starting my Y&T workday. It also involved turning down plenty of weekend fun (or at least being ultra-selective) so that I could focus on writing. Needless to say, when I finished, Dave was relieved to have his wife back… at least, until the next project! I wish I could’ve written it more quickly, but managing Y&T is a more-than-full-time job. And since I also go on tour with the band (enter yet another hat: tour manager), my writing must be in fits and spurts, as I consistently leave for every tour leg each year. I’m sure my editor didn’t relish trying to work within my crazy schedule.”

Q: With so many other things going on, how easy was it each time to pick it up where you left off?

A: “It was actually super easy for me to pick up where I’d left off, because my brain was (and still is) always brimming with ideas just waiting to leap onto the page. I suppose the craziness has worked for me, in some ways, as I’ve yet to be hindered by writer’s block.”

Q: How much of Welcome To Groove House is actually fiction and how much is based on the real actions of real people that you’ve met in the business? And is there a danger that any of these real people might recognize themselves if you hadn’t changed the names to protect the innocent/guilty? Spill some beans for the GRTRoll readers!

A: “Sure, there are some true elements that I’ve attributed to my fictional characters, but of course I must protect the innocent! If you were to look a little closer, you might be able to figure out a few bits… Naturally, the novel is steeped in real life – the life that I live; that stuff can’t help but leach into my stories. While some characters may be amalgamations, I can assure you there is no one particular character that I modeled after any one real person. Sure, I tossed bits of realism into the mix, and certainly my thirty-plus years around real-life rockstars and their quips have influenced me and added extra spark, but there aren’t any true incidents, per se. For example, as much as I’d love to, I don’t own a house in Tuscany… at least not at the time of writing this!”

Read more at this location.
 
A description of the book follows:

Lock up your grandmothers! When rock’s former biggest rebel loses everything, he’s forced to call in favours from all the rock star royalty whom he’d burned his entire career.

With a trashed comeback tour, creditors on his ass, no record deal, a health issue he doesn’t even know how to spell, and nothing but a few bucks from the sale of his last guitar, Mike Mays is destitute for the first time in his rock star life. He’s forced to crash his estranged, uptight daughter’s tidy world, and when she kicks him out, to couch-surf halfway around the world at a ragtag farmhouse in Tuscany called Groove House–home to a pack of aging ex-rock stars, who aren’t thrilled to see him.

Mike creates chaos at every turn, bulldozing everyone in his path. His raunchy offstage antics snagged headlines back in the ’70s and ’80s, but can the aging bad boy bluff his way out of his worst bungle yet and actually stage a comeback?

Order a hardcover with the awesome full dust jacket cover from the Y&T webstore, or from online sites such as Amazon (link below) and Barnes & Noble, or ask your local bookstore. The ebook is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple iBookstore, Kobo, and more.
 
Jill’s novel will be available at select Y&T shows this year, where she’ll also be doing book signings at the merchandise area. Drop by and get yours.

“Who else knows the inside scoop better than Jill Meniketti?” – Sammy Hagar

“A must read for any rock fan who loves a great story. ” – Eddie Trunk (SiriusXM Radio / VH1 Classic TV host)

“This is a movie waiting to happen.” – Troy Luccketta (Tesla)

“A good read for those who love all things rock ‘n’ roll.” – Don Dokken (Dokken)

“I felt like I was looking into a mirror . . . yikes! But you’ve gotta love the ride!” – Eric Martin (MR. BIG)

“It’s a totally cool journey through a rocker’s world . . . This book ROCKS! I loved it! It’s a blast!” – Stef Burns (Alice Cooper, Huey Lewis, Vasco Rossi)