When Oso is yanked off his motorcycle and killed by a closed parking lot chain, Billy feels guilty for having taught him to hop curbs and shortcut traffic lights. Billy's survivor's guilt drags him down a spiral of excessive alcohol, reckless driving, one-night stands, and body painting. He's now all too aware that life is short - play hard.

Meanwhile, Oso's former girlfriend, Lindy, pours her grief into her new folk-rock album as she struggles with whether she can ever let herself love again. Can she turn this personal tragedy into something meaningful through her music?

Pushing Leaves Towards the Sun explores survivor's guilt and grief through reckless adventure, a dozen original songs, and fiction. When you've lost someone you love, there are no easy answers.

This novel is intended for adults. It includes some graphic language, sexual situations, and questionable behavior. Recovery from intense loss is a rough road - 100 miles-per-hour on two wheels with no regard for oncoming traffic, as an example.

The story is told from the alternating points of view from Billy (the author), Lindy (Alison Leston), and Dog (Christopher Madden); and each additional character is voiced by a full cast of 36 voice actors.

Welcome to my world of musical fiction.

Cheers, Mark L. Berry