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Editor Note: The images used for this story were purchased and used under royalty-free license* from iStockphoto.com . ~Sephrena
Author Note: Please email me at AngelJediGirl (at) gmail (dot) com before posting this story to any other site. Posting to a pay site is prohibited.

Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

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Sarah Carerra Book 3: Concerto in A-

Chapter 3.30 - Collaboration

I woke up Saturday morning happy. Things in my life seemed to be going well. Paul seemed to be growing again, and hopefully he would find someone who could return his feelings. I had cemented my friendship with Ethan again. And I had an appointment with Mary to once again tidy up all the loose ends in my life. I always felt better after spending time talking with her.

My life became complicated once again after my appointment. I drove to Kate Abernathy's studio to learn the choreography for my performance at the American Music Awards which would be held in just over a week. After much debate about what song I was going to perform, we decided to release 'Your Time Will Come' as a new single. This would be the first song released that was not from my debut album.

We were also planning concert tours for next year. I had meetings to work on a song for a movie, a collaboration with Sam's Town, and the dress rehearsals for the music awards. Then I had only one week off for Thanksgiving before the chorus and I would be in the recording studio to record the songs for the Christmas album. Finally we would need to start rehearsals for the Christmas concert. I loved my life, but there were some days I felt overwhelmed at just how much work it took to be Sarah Carerra.

On Sunday I had more reason to smile when 'Ever After' finally nabbed the #1 spot! For the past few weeks I had worried that it would not reach the top of the charts, so I promptly celebrated with Emily within moments of ‘Ever After’ claiming the top spot. She deserved to be a part of the success that my career had brought me, and Emily cried as she heard our song on top of the charts.

School on Monday was a mixture of awkwardness and happiness. Most of the students were still gushing about how much fun they had at the dance, and I felt the same way. But a wall had been erected between Paul and me. I didn't know if he was aware of what he was doing, but he had pulled away from me in his attempt to do what I had asked of him. At lunch I saw him eying a few girls whom he seemed to want to talk to, but he never tried. It was only day one, but it was a start. Hopefully, he would be able to initiate some light conversations with one or more of the girls.

I spent Monday evening in the studio recording 'Your Time Will Come' with the band so that we could release it in time for the American Music Awards. Then on Tuesday I rushed home after school, changed into Sarah, grabbed Sparkle, and headed down to my office to meet with the movie producers that wanted me to write a song for them.

When I arrived I found my dad, Amy, my lawyer Josh and Scott in the conference room talking to two men and a woman whom I assumed were from the movie.

"Hi everyone," I greeted and shook the hands of the three people I didn't know before sitting down at my regular seat at the head of the table. "Sorry I'm late."

"That's no problem, Sarah," one of the men said. "My name is Elton Roche and I am the executive producer for the movie. With me today are Cameron Dean, the director, and Jennifer Rainier, who is the sound editor in charge of music.”

"Pleased to meet you," I replied while smiling at each of them. "So what did I miss?"

"We have been working on the contract portion of the deal," Scott said. "Specifically we have agreed that you will retain ownership of the song with Olympic Records as your recording agency. The production company of the movie will have exclusive rights to use the song in their movie and will pay the normal royalties involved."

I nodded. I didn't really need the details. I knew Scott, Josh, Amy, and my dad closely and I implicitly trusted that they would have worked out what was best for me and my company.

"That just leads us to the content of the song," Elton said, which was something that I could actually help with.

"What do you have in mind?" I asked him.

"The movie is a romantic comedy about a CIA agent who for years has been lying to his wife about what he really does. But then one day his work follows him home and he has no choice but to protect his family. What we are looking for from you is a main song that will be used at various parts throughout the show and as the closing piece at the end. Jennifer, do you have anything to add?"

"Yes," she replied. "We are looking for a happy, upbeat song that we can play the other musical selections around. We want this piece to be iconic, yet still recognizable as a Sarah Carerra song. I'd like to talk to you more in depth about it, but it would be great if we can get a general consensus today."

"Okay," I said while my mind was filling with possibilities. Suddenly one of them jumped to the forefront of my mind and elected itself the leading candidate. "What if the song had something to do with a superhero? Not in the comic book sense, but that played off how he saves the world every day when he goes to the office."

"That..." Jennifer started while looking over at her colleagues.

"Is perfect!" Elton finished for her.

"It plays into the movie very well," Cameron stated. "I really like that idea."

I smiled, and started expanding the idea inside my head.

"What jumped into my mind was basing the song from the point of view of the wife. It would kind of talk about what she sees when he leaves for work each morning. The words would likely play up the duality of how he is not only going to his job, but that his day often includes saving the world, or something."

The three of them looked at each other, and each of them was nodding, so it looked like they approved of my idea. While they were discussing how a song like that could fit into their movie, I pulled Sparkle from its case and set it on my lap. Then I started playing the short chord that was playing over and over in my head.

Everyone in the room stopped and listened as I played it a few times. When I was finished I looked back up at them.

"Something like that?" I asked.

"Definitely!" Jennifer stated immediately. "That is absolutely amazing that you can sit down and give me exactly what I wanted that quickly!"

I was really surprised by her spontaneous reaction, and I smiled at her compliment. "It just came with the song idea," I told her, but she still seemed impressed.

"I liked it too," Elton said. "Cameron?"

"Yes," Cameron replied while nodding. "Expand on that and I think we are going to have a hit on our hands."

"Great!" I replied and placed Sparkle back in its case. "The only concern I have is timing," I told them. "I'm likely going to go straight home and start working on the song. But I may not be able to give you anything until next week."

"That will be okay," Elton said immediately. "We are aware of your busy schedule this week. It is an honor to be working with you, Sarah. The wait will be worth it."

I smiled again at his compliment, and I saw my dad doing the same.

After the meeting ended, I spent some time talking alone with Jennifer to help narrow down the "sound" of the song to her specifications. It was weird to be putting constraints on my creativity, but the process also helped to flesh out the idea. I had half of the notes and many of the lyrics for the song written before we were finished.

By the end of the night I had expanded the song to a rough piece that was starting to sound really good to me. I was excited to know that one of my songs would be used in a movie.

* * *

Wednesday and Thursday were hectic. After a full day of school I was embroiled in the turmoil that came with a stressful rehearsal. We always put in long days when rehearsing for one of my concerts, but we had done our best not to wear anyone out. But for the American Music Awards, much like the VMA's, my time was at the mercy of the show's producers. While I had a scheduled time for rehearsing on their stage, they were very strict about it. We did our best to prepare for Sunday's performance, but we could have used more practice.

Friday was a different experience altogether. I had been excused from school by my parents, so I drove down to Olympic Records to record my collaboration with Sam's Town. They too were represented by Olympic Records, which meant that we would be working together in familiar surroundings.

When I pulled into the parking lot, I sighed immediately at the number of people surrounding the entrance to the record company. There were always one or two individuals at the entrance, but today it looked like there was a whole cadre of photographers and reporters there. I wasn't sure if they were waiting for me or someone else, but they would definitely take advantage of the opportunity.

I pulled into one of the parking spots reserved for the artists, which got their attention. Cameras were already snapping before I had even fully exited my car. I smiled for them and headed for the door.

"Sarah!" someone screamed immediately, and I prepared myself for the onrush that followed. "What are you doing here today?"

They weren't here for me, but they were certainly excited to see me anyway.

"I'm recording a collaboration with Sam's Town," I told the lady who had asked the question. We weren't hiding what we were doing and this would be great publicity for both of us.

There were a few more questions yelled toward me and I tried to answer them as much as I could. I also played nice and posed for pictures a couple of times before I was able to slip into the lobby of the building.

I sighed, but then smiled when I found Scott waiting for me.

"Good morning, Sarah," he greeted.

"Hi, Scott," I replied. "You could have warned me about the zoo," I said while pointing back toward the entrance.

"Sorry," he apologized. "We have a number of high profile clients here today, including you, and it always draws a crowd."

I nodded. This wasn't the first time I had crossed a line of photographers and reporters to enter a building. Spending all day waiting outside of a building didn’t seem like a very fun job to me, but it probably paid their bills.

"Sam's Town is already setting up in one of the recording studios," Scott informed me and gestured toward the hallway further into the building. We started walking toward the studios. "I'll be sitting in for the day but this is their show and I won't be producing. Is that okay with you?"

"Do you trust their producer?" I asked immediately.

A smile lit on Scott's face at my question. "Absolutely! I've known Carl for a long time and he will do a great job. He would be a good replacement for me in the future, if something happens."

"Nothing is going to happen to you though, right?" I asked, both slightly serious and slightly teasing. I couldn't imagine not working with Scott.

"I hope not," he said. "It's been nice to spend time in the studio. I wouldn't want to give that up again. I will produce for you as long as you want me to."

"Then we have a long relationship ahead of us," I said and watched as his smile widened even further.

It didn't take long before we arrived at a set of studios that I had never been in before. I hadn't realized it before now, but there was a tiered structure to their recording studios. Even from the beginning they had seen my potential and I had been given a large, posh studio to work in. Sam's Town, while successful, did not draw in the money that I did and the studio they were using wasn't quite as nice as what I was used to. But it was still nice, and the smiles that greeted me when I followed Scott inside the control room told me that they were excited to work with me. I was also excited to work with them.

"Hello, Scott," an older gentleman greeted Scott from where he was sitting in front of the control panel. The band was in the actual studio, but they started for the control room immediately. The man at the control panel turned to me. "Sarah, it's nice to finally meet you. I'm Carl Jorgen."

"The pleasure is mine," I replied. "You come highly recommended, and it will be an honor to work with you today."

"I'm flattered," he replied and shot a humorous smile at Scott. The members of Sam's Town started entering the control room, and we turned toward them.

"Sarah!" one of them greeted me excitedly. "I'm so glad you agreed to this!"

"I am too!" I replied back trying to match his excitement. I knew that this person was Aaron Gold, the lead vocalist and guitarist of the band. He was the face of the group, and was easily recognizable.

"I'm Aaron," he said unnecessarily. Then he started pointing to the other members of the band. I thought I knew who each of them was, but he introduced them anyway. "That's Breanne, Jason, and Steven."

"It's nice to meet all of you," I greeted them while shaking their hands. I knew Breanne played the keyboard and added backing vocals to Aaron's performance, Jason was the bass player, and Steven played the drums.

"Do you like the song?" Aaron asked next. I knew that he had written it. The sheet music for the song had been given to me almost a week ago so that I could learn it and be ready to record today.

"Very much so," I told him. "I think it's going to turn out great."

"Me too," he said. "I think it's one of the best songs I've written and I'm pleased that we get to perform it with such a wonderful singer."

I grinned at his praise, but we quickly fell into small talk for a few minutes as Scott and Carl worked together to finish setting up the studio. Then I performed my sound check. The rest of the band had already had their sound checks, and soon we were ready to start working on recording the song.

The song was entitled 'Always'. It was a duet and talked about how much fun we had when we were together. It was a very upbeat, happy type of song and the music for it, when I had played it on my guitar, had sounded really good. I couldn't wait to hear what it sounded like with all of the instruments included.

I started by sitting in the control room while they finished recording the music, which they had been doing when I arrived. It wasn't the most interesting thing to do, but I'd sat and waited before. Besides, the music sounded excellent and Carl did a good job of working with the band to get the sound he wanted from them.

It didn't take too long before we were ready for the vocals. I entered a booth opposite Aaron where we could record our singing. Once I had put the headset on I could hear Carl talking.

"Alright, Sarah. I'm sure you've done this plenty of times, so we'll get straight to work," he said. "Do you have any questions?"

"No," I replied. "I'm ready."

"Alright, here we go," he said followed immediately by the opening notes of the song through the headset.

I counted myself in, and then started singing. Once I had finished my short piece, Aaron went through a similar line before he took full control of the song for the first verse. I joined him for another short section before we launched into the chorus together. Then it was my turn to shine as I sang the second verse before we joined together to finish out the song.

"Excellent!" Carl's voice echoed over the headset after we finished singing. I could see the smile on his face from here, and Scott's was almost as big. "Now," he continued. "If we could just get a little more sunshine on the second verse."

* * *

I was exhausted by the time I arrived home late in the afternoon. I always was beat after a productive but long day in the studio. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Singing with Aaron and the rest of the band had been a lot of fun. I didn't have many "friends" in the entertainment business yet, mostly because I kept to myself. But now I had four more.

Saturday was a much easier day. More than anything else, I spent my session with Mary talking about how excited I was about everything I had coming up in Sarah's life. Then I got to rest for most of the day and work on the song I was writing for the movie. The only appointment I had was a final fitting with Avalon for the dress I'd be wearing tomorrow. I couldn't believe that I was going to be attending a second awards show already! Sometimes it felt like Sarah had come into existence only yesterday. But at the same time I felt like I had been singing in front of crowds forever.

All I knew for sure is that I didn't want it to end.

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