Hailey Ezzell. (courtesy)
Local author and musician Hailey Ezzell is set to debut her first novel, Ghost Writers , at a book signing event at Barnes & Noble in Coral Springs.
A Coral Glades High School alum and recent graduate of Florida Atlantic University, Ezzell’s novel, inspired by her experiences as a musician, tells the story of a young band on the verge of stardom encountering supernatural beings during their first tour.
In the book, the band members acquire a damaged tour bus, only to discover it is haunted by Stadium , the 80s metal band that died in a bus crash decades earlier. As the spirits offer guidance, the main character, Sam, and her band must navigate the challenges of fame, learning from Stadium’s tragic past before their own success tears them apart.
“The idea of the book initially came to me as a song. I was going to develop it into lyrics, but I never did,” Ezzell said. When considering writing a novel, she found the plot ideas in her Notes app and thought it could be fleshed out into a book.
“My inspiration really came from being a musician and thinking about what it’d be like to get advice from some of my favorite classic rock bands that are not around anymore,” she added.
A graduate of the Honors College of Florida Atlantic in Jupiter, Ezzell received her bachelor of liberal arts in 2023 with a concentration in writing and a minor in commercial music.
“Because I was a writing major, I had the privilege of being able to work on my novel for class. Otherwise, I likely would’ve never had the time to sit down and write it,” she said, adding that it took her four years from the initial idea to the novel’s completion.
Ezzell is the lead singer and keyboardist of Stone Lace, an 80s rock cover band. She also writes and performs her own songs.
“We have been playing around Coral Springs and Broward for the past six years, and I’ve learned a lot about what it means to be a musician,” she said, adding that the experience especially helped her to draft some of the earlier scenes in the book where the band is playing in local bars.
Hailey Ezzell. (courtesy)
A resident of the Country Club of Coral Springs, Ezzell said she brought some of her Coral Springs roots into the book by making it the home of the two characters.
Ezzell credits her friend, writer Dayle Dermatis , for helping her with the publishing process.
Meet Hailey Ezzell and learn more about her novel at the book signing and Meet the Author event at the Barnes and Noble at 2790 N University Dr. on Saturday, October 5, from 1 to 3 pm .
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