Tag Archives: tortured band

Nov27

The Dream Catchers Series

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The Dream Catchers Series

The Dream Catchers Series by Sandy Lo includes novels “Dream Catchers” and its sequel “Breaking The Moon” along with the 52 page companion “Expressions”. The series takes the reader on a journey with main character, Haley Foster, a sheltered rich girl who has never experienced life until she meets Jordan Walsh, an unpolished rising rock star. Together the duo overcome issues from their past and explore their futures. The Dream Catchers Series is a great gift for any book lover! This entertaining series is filled with heartwarming emotion, great laughs and encourages you to be true to yourself.  You can purchase each book individually or now in a collector’s edition with a forward written by 98 Degrees star, Jeff Timmons.

Hard Cover Special Edition:$29.75 (15% off for the holidays)

Special Edition of the entire Series is coming soon to paperback/ebook!

Read Chapter 1 and 2

Paperback: $19.00 at Amazon.com & Lulu.com

Ebook: $5.99 on Kindle

Read Chapter 1 and 2

Paperback: $19.99 on Amazon.com & Lulu.com

Eb00k: $5.99 on Kindle

Read Excerpt

Available on Kindle for only $1.50

Apr11

Author Sandy Lo Releases Romantic Follow-up Novel BREAKING THE MOON

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Author Sandy Lo Releases Romantic Follow-up Novel BREAKING THE MOON

New York author, Sandy Lo releases BREAKING THE MOON, a follow-up novel to 2010’s rave reviewed DREAM CATCHERS, which spawned the song “Haley’s Letter” penned by Sandy along with musician/actor James Manzello.

BREAKING THE MOON continues the journey of Haley Foster and Jordan Walsh, who are both at the brink of fulfilling their dreams.  Jordan’s band, Tortured is already a success before the release of their debut album while Haley is set to graduate college and begin her career as a respected photographer.

It’s been moonlight and road trips for the couple so far, but it all stops short when Haley finds out she’s pregnant, and Jordan discovers some secrets from his past.  Haley and Jordan’s love for one another is tested while they are catapulted into adulthood without a net to catch their fall.

Sandy Lo decided to write BREAKING THE MOON out of demand from her fans.  “All I hear from my readers is how they love Haley, Jordan and the band, and how they want to know more about them, so I wanted to give them more,” she says.  Don’t expect the same carefree humor that was seeped into DREAM CATCHERS, though.  Its sequel deals with some tragic issues, but Sandy assures her readers there are many uplifting times throughout the novel as well.

BREAKING THE MOON is in memory of Sierra Williams, the newborn daughter of Lo’s close cousin who passed away during the production of the novel.  Lo will be donating a portion of her book sales to First Candle in Sierra’s name.  For more information on First Candle: www.firstcandle.org.

Since the release of DREAM CATCHERS, Sandy Lo has merged StarShine Magazine into her website: www.sandy-lo.com in order to maximize her efforts as a writer and journalist.  The support received has been amazing.  Former 98 Degrees member, Jeff Timmons and pop star Aaron Carter have both publicly acknowledged Sandy Lo and her books on their Twitter accounts.  Jeff Timmons even sent Sandy a video to be played at the DREAM CATCHERS book release party last year.

Aaron Carter & Sandy Lo with two of her novels.

“It’s such a great feeling knowing I have the support of people I idolized and always promoted in StarShine Magazine.  I’m blessed that they have mutual respect for me and my art,” Sandy explains.

Sandy also interviewed Shannon Leto, founding member of her favorite band 30 Seconds To Mars last spring.  In the interview, Sandy told Shannon about DREAM CATCHERS and how the band inspired Tortured.  “I’m lucky enough to be in this amazing position in life that I get to pick the brains of my favorite music artists, and in turn, I’m inspired to create novels and even songs, like ‘Haley’s Letter’,” Sandy explains gratefully.

BREAKING THE MOON is available in paperback on www.lulu.com and on Kindle.

For updates and more information on Sandy Lo and the stars she interviews, go to: www.sandy-lo.com.  Follow Sandy on Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorsandylo.



Dec20

Winners Announced: 2010 StarShine Music Awards!

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Winners Announced: 2010 StarShine Music Awards!

2010 STARSHINE MUSIC AWARD WINNERS

Congratulations to all the winners!  We received thousands of votes from around the world, so thanks to everyone who voted!  Be sure to congratulate your favorite stars on Twitter!  Follow @AuthorSandyLo for all StarShine Magazine news & celebrity interviews!

BEST DANCE SONG
Backstreet Boys – “Straight Through My Heart”

BEST BALLAD
Colbie Caillat – “I Never Told You”

BEST ROCK SONG
30 Seconds To Mars – “Kings and Queens”

BEST POP SONG
Backstreet Boys – “Bigger”

FAVORITE BAND/GROUP
Backstreet Boys

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST
Lady Gaga

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST
Aaron Carter

BEST LIVE SHOW
Backstreet Boys

BEST NEW ARTIST
Justin Bieber

BREAKING ARTIST
Alexandra Amor

BREAKOUT ALBUM
Mandi Leigh – BLVD.

SONG OF THE YEAR
Backstreet Boys – “Straight Through My Heart”

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Backstreet Boys – This Is Us

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Backstreet Boys



Jul28

BLOG: Inspired.

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BLOG: Inspired.

It’s 2:54am.  I felt the need to write a quick blog to tell you how much I am getting into the sequel of “Dream Catchers” now!  I’ll admit it was a slow start.  The thing I hate about sequels and why I don’t usually plan to write them is because of the pressure.  Everyone who has read “Dream Catchers” are in love with Jordan and Haley.  Heck, I’m in love with Jordan and Haley–which is why I even considered writing a sequel.  I wanted to explore their characters more.  But I don’t want to ruin them or what I created in the first book.  So with that fear, it was hindering the flow for me a bit–I was cautiously taking the first few steps.  Now, things are moving along!  I have over 18, 000 words written.

I’m hoping to promote “Dream Catchers” more while I write the sequel.  So if you enjoyed the book, please pass it onto a friend or send them the link to purchase it.  I need to spread the word!  Also, if you could pass around links to my Twitter page and Tortured’s Twitter page as well, that would be great!

www.twitter.com/authorsandylo
www.twitter.com/torturedband

I would love to hear from you guys on here…please post a comment!  Thanks! :)

Hugs, Kisses & Stars,

Sandy Lo

Jul8

Follow Sandy Lo, Tortured & StarShineMag.com on Twitter!

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Follow Sandy Lo, Tortured & StarShineMag.com on Twitter!

Connect with Sandy Lo on Twitter: www.twitter.com/authorsandylo.  Sandy updates followers on her novels, fun things she’s involved in, quotes, and events.

Connect with Tortured on Twitter: www.twitter.com/torturedband.  Interact with characters from Sandy’s novel “Dream Catchers” by replying to their tweets.  Jordan, Sebastian, Darren & Danny post what’s going on in their day as well as with the band.  Note: Sandy Lo is really the one tweeting as her characters.  Have some fun and follow Tortured!

Connect with StarShine Magazine on Twitter: www.twitter.com/starshinemag.  Get the latest entertainment news, interviews + reviews when StarShineMag.com is updated!

Jan23

Tortured: Discography

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Tortured: Discography

“Haley’s Letter”
Copyright 2009

Engineered and Co-Produced by Frans Mernick.
Produced, music & performed by James Manzello.
Lyrics by Sandy Lo.

Buy on iTunes

Look into her sad eyes
Her life’s spinning round
She can’t see the beauty that I found
Luckily I wrote it down

Chorus:

And this is my letter
Haley, I’ll miss you when you’re gone
So please take my letter
And remember me

Verse 2:
She fainted in my arms
There was no one else around
My world stood still, I couldn’t hear a sound
I kissed her as the moon looked down

Chorus:
And this is my letter
Haley, I miss you now you’re gone
So please take my letter
And remember me

Bridge:

If you can’t sleep at night
It’ll be all right
Just look out to the sky
And forget our goodbye

Chorus:
And hold onto this letter
Haley, I miss you now you’re gone
So please keep my letter
And remember me, remember me

Jan23

Tortured: Bio

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Tortured: Bio

Hailing from NYC, Tortured consists of edgy crooner Jordan Walsh (vocals/guitar), Danny D. (vocals/drums), Sebastian Lo (keys) and Darren Colville (bass).  With relatable angsty lyrics, intricate instrumentation, and a flawless live show, Tortured is set to be the next big thing in rock music!  Lead singer, Walsh is not only mesmerizing with his strong vocals, but he’s charismatic and knows how to control any stage.

The band was formed in 2006 by high school best friends Jordan and Danny D.  The two began writing songs and jamming together.  Danny brought Darren into the band after posting flyers around New York school bulletin boards looking for a bass player and drummer.  Sebastian was playing in another band, but left to pursue music more seriously with Tortured.

Since then, Tortured has performed all over New York City occasionally expanding upstate and in cities like Boston, Philadelphia, and Farmingdale.  More recently, Tortured won Smack Magazine’s Battle of the Bands competition which garnered them an opening spot for multi-platinum artist, Landry, whom Tortured lists as a musical influence.  Now with a devout, cult-like following, increasing  airplay on rock radio, the band was able to sign a deal with Struck Records.

When asked about the harsh sounding name of the band, Walsh says, “Every single person is a tortured soul.  Everyone goes through something they struggle with, that eats them up inside.  We wanted a name that everyone could relate to and draw emotion from.”  The band’s music also draws out raw emotion like their first single “Detonate”, a pure rock track fueled by anger and about being pushed to the limit.  Tracks like “Break The Mold” and the somewhat morbid “Unborn” follow suit.  However, taking a surprising turn with their sound is “Haley’s Letter”–an unexpected love song thrown in the mix, but keeps the alternative sound Tortured is creating for themselves.  In the same vain comes the title track, “Breaking The Moon” and “I’m OK”.

Tortured’s debut album, Breaking The Moon is currently being recorded and will hopefully be released in 2011.

Jan23

The Real Members of Tortured

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The Real Members of Tortured

“Aside from Jordan Walsh, I based the band members of Tortured on real people in my life.  Each of these guys has had an impact on my life in some way and I thought everyone should know who they are.” – Sandy Lo

Sebastian

In real life, Sebie is my one and only older brother.  Like his character, he is always teasing someone and is protective, especially of his baby sister.  My brother doesn’t really play the piano/keys too well, but he was in the U.S. Army’s marching band as a trumpet player.  Musically, my brother is more into R&B than rock, which is where his beat-boxing comes into play on occasion in “Dream Catchers”.

Danny D.

Danny DeQuatro is a good friend of mine that I met years ago while we both worked at Starbucks.  I would say out of everyone, Danny is most like his character, in the sense that he’s all heart when it comes down to it, even though he may come off like he’s a tough guy.  He’s an awesome friend.  As far as his real life musical talents, his secret talent is rapping!  That’s my Danizzle!

Darren Colville

Darren Colvil is another friend of mine from that same Starbucks on Richmond Avenue in Staten Island.  Though his character wears glasses, Darren had lasik eye surgery and no longer needs them.  Real life Darren is not as odd as the fictional version, thankfully.  Darren does make rapid eye movements on occasion like his character, but he’s full of sarcasm and wit.  Darren actually plays the guitar and not bass in a local band in Staten Island, NY.

Jan23

Tortured

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Tortured

Tortured is the fictional band from Sandy Lo’s novel “Dream Catchers”.  Always inspired by music, Sandy listened to alternative/rock while writing “Dream Catchers”, especially one of her favorite bands, 30 Seconds To Mars, who she cites as Tortured’s main influence.  “Haley’s Letter” is the song featured in “Dream Catchers” that was written by Sandy along with James Manzello, whom also co-produced the track with Frans Mernick as well as performs it under the Tortured band name.  A full-length album is in the works, hopefully to coincide with the release of Dream Catchers’ sequel, “Breaking The Moon”.  The album will also be of the same title.  Currently, “Haley’s Letter” is available to purchase on iTunes and other major online retailers. Sandy thought it would be fun to keep the characters alive by giving their music a real sound and allowing their personalities to come out on Tortured’s Twitter page.  Check out the rest of this section for more on Tortured like their bio, lyrics and related photos.

Jan23

Dream Catchers

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Dream Catchers

//

Release Date: January 26, 2010
Genre: Romance/Coming of Age/Fiction
Purchase: Lulu, Amazon & Kindle.

Dreams come true only if you believe in them…

Haley Foster never bothered to believe in herself or find her dream. Growing up with a silver spoon in her mouth, her parents gave her everything she needed except freedom. Without many friends and ridden with a bad case of social anxiety, she dreads her return home from college to be a summer intern at her father’s law firm. She realizes she’s stuck in a life she’s not sure she wants.
Fate steps in at the bus station when Haley bumps into Jordan Walsh, literally. His unpolished manners and rock star attitude rile her, though she is oddly drawn to him.

Haley and Jordan’s opposing personalities clash while on the bus–before they wind up stranded together! Haley finds herself in quite a predicament with no way to get home. Jordan challenges her to escape her wealthy conformity and go with him to New York, despite their disgust for one another.

Haley is enthralled with the carefree, in control and gorgeous Jordan, yet he remains a stranger to her in many ways. With his help, Haley begins to discover who she is and what she wants. She finds herself at a crossroads: go back to her old life where she merely exists or take a stand and chase her dreams.

Chapter 1 – Boston Blues

Chapter 2 – Penniless In Pinkston