A legendary band, an iconic lead singer, and their mysterious connection to a woman whose love helped create the music of a generation. Timing is everything in a powerful novel about fate, regret, and moving on.
In the 1990s, Carter Wills was the lead singer of the English alt-rock band Mayluna, securing his place among music legends. His tortured-heart lyrics struck a chord. And so did his secret connection to a woman whose love changed all their lives. Who was she?
Evie Waters’s two grown children discover an iconic photo in an old magazine of a “mystery girl” with Carter: their mother. It all started in a wistful time and place for Evie, her twenty-fifth summer. A young columnist forging her career. Backstage euphoria. A long-shot interview. And an almost cosmic connection with an enigmatic musician on the rise.
What happened between them is a hidden story no one, not even Evie’s family, knows. Until now. Worlds apart, Carter and Evie finally reveal the story—joyful, regretful, and unforgettable. It was a time when the stars aligned for a love so profound the whole world felt it. It was as if it would last forever.
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PLAYLIST
In 1998 MAYLUNA rose to fame and became more than a band; they became the music of a generation. This is the music of their fans, inspired by the story of the band they loved.
Behind the Story
I was on a long afternoon drive when a song popped on the radio and in the span of those four minutes, words and characters and a complete story began to flow into my mind from the mysterious place where these things come from. I immediately went home, started writing, and a few months later, Carter and Evie’s epic love story was born. I put it aside for a number of years, during which time I wrote A Day Like This, the book that became my debut. But Carter and Evie never left my brain or my heart, and I didn’t want to let it go. And so now here we are… Mayluna. Timing, as always, is a magical thing.
Music has been a major part of my life since childhood, and (much like writing) I often used it as a sort of escapism. I became fascinated by live music during my teen years, and knew I wanted to work in the music industry, and more specifically, in the concert industry, which is what I went on to do for a about a decade. I’d be working backstage at these massive concerts and it felt like the electricity of an impending thunderstorm; just this incredible amount of energy from thousands of fans excited to see the musicians they love. I also remember the musicians themselves, existing and living in their own kind of universe, in ways that felt like two different people – offstage and on.
I wanted to capture those feelings while also writing a love story that felt like a song…the kind that makes you feel elation and sadness all in one, transporting you to a magical time in your life.
I read a lot of nonfiction in my world, always curious, and I once came upon the true story of a strange astronomical event that took place in the 1700s, which inspired Carter and Evie’s unusual connection, centuries later, weaving together the life of a 1990s English alternative rock band, alongside 17th century mathematic and astronomical philosophies, and the works of Pythagoras and Kepler. I studied books about fate and our connection to the universe. I also returned to the music film documentaries I loved, liked Radiohead’s Meeting People is Easy and others, placing Evie in that role alongside the band that becomes her family.
The result is a mysterious story of heartache and healing, the interwoven topics of fate, magic, science, and an epic love story that crosses time and years - all set in the backstage world of music. A most unusual combination, I know. But I hope you love it as much as I have loved the journey of writing it. ☽♡𝄐
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Praise for Kelley’s Books
““McNeil’s latest (Mayluna) is a dreamy, melancholy look back at young love...Fans of wistful love stories and intellectual music retrospectives will appreciate the astronomical metaphors throughout, intertwining music, math, and the planets into this complicated love story.” ”
““This achingly romantic tear-jerker by McNeil (A Day like This) hits the same notes as Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Daisy Jones and the Six.””
““An utterly engrossing story about secret lives, second chances, and encounters with enigmatic rock stars.
Mayluna is fresh, heady, and nostalgic.””
““Masterfully crafted and wonderfully original, A Day Like This is storytelling at its best, leaving you with the tingly “what if” feeling that keeps you wondering about the story and the possibilities for your own life long after the last page is turned.” ”
““A literary masterpiece of magical realism.” A Day Like This”
““. . . fresh and absorbing” ”
““The best books are those that force us into another’s shoes, into their joys and sorrows, their loves and their losses. Kelley McNeil’s A Day Like This is one of those books. A thoughtful tale rich in both question and possibility, plumbing the mysteries of diverging paths, roads not taken, and the journey toward self-acceptance. This beautiful debut is guaranteed to echo long after the last page is turned.”
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““When we fantasize about different paths we might have taken, we usually think about how our lives would be better—but how much would we have lost to arrive there? In her gorgeous debut, Kelley McNeil explores the question of “what if” through a brilliant premise that kept me captivated hour after hour. This book is bursting with heartache and love, and with tremendous empathy for its genuine and likeable characters—including a beloved house. A Day Like This is smart, poignant, and poetic, the story itself like the main character’s life, a blossom that unfolds in fascinating layers.” ”
““Kelley McNeil has woven a fascinating tale that kept me guessing all the way through, surprising me at every turn. A wonderful, fast-paced read.”
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““Intriguing and moving, A Day Like This is the compelling story of one woman’s search for the truth. You’ll feel every beat of Annie’s heartache and longing as, driven by love and loss, she works to uncover the clues to her past. Tender, evocative and hard to put down, this is the perfect read for anyone who has ever wondered how a different life choice might have played out.””