During one recent weekend I devoured a fascinating book called Pay the Piper, Dancer by Pamela Jaye Smith. It’s uncanny how much I could SEE and FEEL both of the main characters, Billy and Felice, two strangers who share an evening of extraordinary connection despite the difference in their ages. I even have actors picked out to play these walking-wounded souls on screen.

Chris Hemsworth is too old for Billy, so Timothée Chalamet will just have to dye his hair. You might think Chalamet doesn’t look right for the part of a young mixed-up stud from Texas, but he can be quite strong as well as soft, as he demonstrates in The King. Plus, he can make his fantastic voice do anything! And versatile Annette Bening would be great as Felice, a middle-aged woman in crisis. Playing this challenging role could finally win her an Oscar.  

I’m not surprised at enjoying Pay the Piper, Dancer so much because I also admire the author’s terrific Romantic Comedies: These Films Can Save Your Love Life. But I digress. Back to Pay the Piper, Dancer – which motivated me to write the rave review poem below.   

 “Pay the Piper, Dancer” describes

two strangers who bare their sad lives.

One is young, and the other not.

They meet one night in quite a spot.

Deep secrets revealed by each one

keep us entranced until it’s done.

Author keeps readers in suspense

concerning why this all makes sense.

Both characters we feel and see

as they discuss their history.

Beating with life and soul and heart,

this book grabs you right from the start. 

Pay the Piper, Dancer, published by Pallas Press, is available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.com.

For more information about Pamela Jaye Smith, go to www.pamelajayesmith.com/