Today, I’m chatting with B. Roman about Before The Boy, the poignant prequel to The Moon Singer Trilogy. At the heart of the novel is Billie Nickerson, a gifted musician, devoted mother, and the woman whose love and guidance will profoundly shape her son David’s extraordinary destiny. Join us as B. Roman discusses Billie’s remarkable journey, the powerful connection between mother and son, and the themes of music, sacrifice, spirituality, and love that reach far beyond the boundaries of life and death.
Publisher: Creativia
Print Length: 122 Pages
Genre: Teen & Young Adult Fantasy
Even in death, a mother guides her son through triumph and tragedy to his true destiny.Billie Nickerson must accept her own mortality as the only way her son will receive the intuitive gifts he was born to inherit, to save her family - and perhaps the world - from a disastrous fate.But learning that she has died too soon creates a Karmic crisis, as Billie tries to escape the afterlife and return to her loved ones.In this prequel to The Moon Singer Trilogy (The Crystal Clipper, The War Chamber, The Wind Rose) we learn the uncanny circumstances that that made Billie's son, David, become a seeker of spiritual truth. As his teacher and mentor, she gave him the courage to overcome his unexpected deafness, to excel at music - and to hear the voice within that speaks from his soul.While Billie’s life is fraught with danger and dark spirits, the story is an illustration of a mother’s love and devotion that transcends the boundaries of the here and the hereafter.
Before The Boy serves as a prequel to The Moon Singer Trilogy, which follows the otherworldly adventures of deaf teen David Nickerson. What inspired you to go back and tell Billie's story, and why did you feel readers needed to know more about her journey?
She was a pivotal force in her son David’s life. He is what he is, and will be, because of Billie. As his teacher and mentor, she gave him the courage to overcome his unexpected deafness, to excel at music - and to hear the voice within that speaks from his soul. She taught him music at a very young age – even before he lost his hearing - and created his “soul song” while he was still in the womb. She taught him sign language and lip reading when he went deaf at age seven so that he would always be able to communicate effectively. And she instilled in him the promise: “Never give up your music, David. It may save your life one day.” He mourned her passing every day, and through his mourning he found the courage to embark on otherworldly adventures to discover his life’s purpose: to save a life that means more to him than his own.
Billie is faced with the extraordinary challenge of accepting her own mortality in order to help her son fulfil his destiny. What drew you to exploring such a profound act of self-sacrifice?
Through a chance encounter with a medium and Tarot card reader, Billie’s fortune and David’s fate were revealed through mysteries and riddles that she didn’t want to accept and could barely comprehend. The one thing that haunted her was that only by accepting the inevitable would her son fulfil his own life’s purpose. It was her mission as his mother to see that nothing would prevent it from happening, even if it cost her own life.
The story of Billie describes a passionate romance that brought unexpected and dramatic changes to her life. Can you tell us more about it?
Billie Donovan is a college student, peace activist, free spirit and accomplished pianist.
All of her dreams and goals of being a concert artist, coupled with her penchant for antiwar philosophies, are turned on their head. She has fallen in love with a Navy officer - her polar opposite - yet they will complement one another’s life in ways she could never imagine.
Isaac Nickerson, a man of decorum, a descendant of shipbuilders and world travellers, and a dedicated military man, feels his own world reel as well: he has fallen in love with Billie Donovan. Hearing Billie perform a Chopin masterpiece evokes something he has never felt before in his life. Something like love, but more than love. More like an out of body experience. But there is this subconscious recognition that if angels could dance on the keyboard they would do so when Billie Donovan plays. He has found the woman he wants to share his life with and is willing to give up his Navy career to be with her. Billie, who at first looked at Isaac as a flirtation now sees him as an anchor, a steadiness in her young and uninhibited life. But Isaac is pragmatic and no nonsense, with no superstitions or occult dalliances. Billie, on the other hand becomes fascinated with the metaphysical - with Tarot card readers and other-worldly visions and prophecies. It’s a side of herself that she cannot divulge to Isaac because he would never understand and might leave her. This alone adds torment to her life.
Talk about the darkness and fears Billies experiences as a new mother, and how they relate to her afterlife experience.
For a while, life is idyllic in the lovely seaside town of Port Avalon. Isaac is now a designer of ships and she is a professor of Music. After many tries and failures, they finally have a son: a boy for Isaac to share his love of the sea and sailing; for Billie, a gifted child who inherits her musical talents. This boy, David Nickerson, is destined for great things, so Billie learns from the mysterious Tarot card reader she visits. His destiny is one of heroism and self-sacrifice and he will have powers that others will covet and perhaps kill for.
Strangely, Billie’s life is filled with danger and dark spirits and she feels she is going mad. Isaac believes it is post-partum depression. When David becomes seriously ill and loses his hearing at age seven, Billie believes it is her fault - she saw it in a terrifying dream: “She holds the ears in her hands, shuddering in horror. In their place are black holes on the sides of her boy’s head. How will he fend for himself? What have I done? What have I done?” To compensate and help him overcome his disability, Billie teaches David sign language, lip reading, and music. He becomes skilled at them all.
Through it all, life becomes normal for a while. A second child is born - a bright and sunny girl, Sally, who shows all the signs of being a talented dancer. But it all comes crashing down around them when the family is in a serious car crash. Billie is killed, Sally is crippled with no hope of walking again, Isaac is riddled with guilt, David is bereft and lost without his beloved mother.
An integral aspect of David's journey includes overcoming unexpected deafness while pursuing spiritual growth. What inspired this element of his character? How does it benefit him?
In conceptualizing the series, I needed to find a contrast between David’s limitations in the real world and his unlimited abilities in his “fantasy” world. His deafness is the crucible through which he learns to “listen.” The world becomes silent so his inner voice may come alive. He learns that the voice within speaks of more than the means to solve life’s problems and crises, it speaks of higher purpose and selfless sacrifice to create miracles for everyone he loves. Thus, his “disability” becomes his greatest gift. David’s karmic destiny is deeply intertwined with Billie’s which is why she feels more than a mother to him and why he cannot let go of her long after she has died. In the quietness between love and death he realizes his greatest birthright is not simply the inspiration she left behind, but the hope that across the veil she still walks beside him.
Throughout your work, music plays a significant role. How has your own background as a singer influenced the themes, symbolism, and storytelling found in the Moon Singer series?
Music is a profoundly powerful force in our lives, whether we are musicians or just enjoy its immense universal appeal. It just seemed natural for me to make use of this immortal art form in every way that I could, in ways that would complement the stories, and give readers a relatable anchor that they could find personal and possible. Music is not just an integral plot ingredient it is essential in all five books of the series. It’s the tangible and mystical thread that holds it all together to create a tapestry of magic and enlightenment.
Billie's untimely death creates what you describe as a "Karmic crisis." How does this manifest in the storytelling?
Billie has a spirit guide who travels with her who makes an unpardonable mistake which she frantically tries to correct, but to tell more would be a spoiler to the heartbreaking plot twist, one that readers won’t expect and is as much a surprise to Billie as it was to me in writing it. Because of this, Billie is unwilling to cross over and fights furiously to escape the afterlife and return to her family. This is not in her control; she must live 100 lifetimes before she has paid her karmic debts. All the while, she can see her family but never be close to them, never touch them. When they are discouraged and in despair, when their lives are fraught with conflict and disappointments, she cannot comfort them. When they are happy and share sweet moments, she cannot be there to enjoy them as she once did. Billie’s journey between life, death, and the afterlife becomes wildly adventuresome.
Whether readers are discovering the Moon Singer series for the first time or returning to learn more about its origins, what do you hope they take away from Billie's remarkable journey?
While the descriptions and characterizations of the afterlife are of my own creation, and readers will know to suspend their disbelief of. my interpretation, I hope readers feel the love, the bond that Billie and her son share, and consider the possibility that one’s spirit can reach beyond time and space, even death, and offer purpose and guidance to loved ones, as well as to oneself in our next incarnation.
I’d like to share an excerpt from the story, where Billie stands on the precipice of crossing over or remaining in an afterlife limbo:
“The clarity of what she must do is beginning to fade but the passion for it, the urgency of it, remains. Billie ponders for a moment, knowing this is her last chance, hoping that what she chooses is the right and righteous decision. So, Billie will be with the ones she loves as someone they recognize in their hearts but do not know. She will be there as they go through their lives in reality and in dreams, in the past, present and future, in fantasies and wishes. She will be there to walk by their side, to guide them to their higher purpose, through sadness and confusion to their happiness and serenity. She will be there for David in the flutter of a breeze, in the music in his heart, in his anger and in his forgiveness. When he feels he has nowhere to turn, when much is asked of him that he cannot comprehend, when heroic deeds are required that are beyond the scope of his experiences or abilities, she will be there. When he hears what others cannot and ultimately hears and recognizes his soul’s song, She will be there.”
A huge thank you to B. Roman for taking the time to chat with me today and for sharing such a fascinating insight into Before The Boy. It has been wonderful learning more about Billie, her extraordinary bond with David, and the role that music, destiny, and sacrifice play throughout their story. I hope you’ve enjoyed the interview as much as I have, and that Billie’s journey inspires you to discover the remarkable world of The Moon Singer Trilogy for yourself.
Before The Boy
HERE
B. Roman
Author B. Roman (aka Barbara Roman) has been in the creative arts since childhood, when she began singing as well as writing. Her music has always informed her writing subject matter in both fiction and non-fiction works.
She is the author of the five-book Moon Singer series, two suspense novels, and three children’s books.
“It's difficult to serve two masters, as they say, but I was compelled to do so. When I was not singing, I was writing; when I was not writing, I was singing. I've learned, for me, that one creative expression nurtures the other. It is natural, therefore, that The Moon Singer series has its roots in musical theories and metaphors, entwined with the magic and mystery of metaphysical concepts and matters of ethics, faith, compassion, love, and heroism. Most of all, I hope my books inspire readers to know that, whatever their circumstances in life their greatest challenges are opportunities for growth and strength.“
B. Roman’s mantra as an author is “Your book can change someone’s life. Even for that one person, never give up - success is always just around the corner.”
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I really enjoyed this interview. It’s always interesting to hear what gets an author started on a story and where their ideas come from. B. Roman sounds like someone with plenty of stories to tell, and now I’m curious to read the books too.
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