The Fatal Equation Podcast with Gethyn Jones

### FATAL EQUATION - Romance Novel Podcast
**Episode 1 - Introduction**

[Music]

Narrator: Fatal Productions music podcasts.
[Music]

The novel *Fatal Equation* by Gethyn Jones is published by Amazon as an ebook, paperback and audiobook. It's coupled with a companion album of original songs by Coolstar. In this podcast series, Gethyn talks more about this highly unusual combination of book and album and how it came to life.

[Music - "Fatal Equation" intro motif]

It's a very early summer morning. I'm standing on a shingle beach looking at the most amazing view across the waters of the Solent to the Isle of Wight. Wow. It's just ... right. A stunning blue sky, not a cloud in sight, and not a single person either. The joggers will no doubt pitch up soon enough, but this, for me - looking around here, hand on heart - is the best place on earth. Stirring. Emotional. Spiritual even.

But I'm not alone. Down at my feet, there he is: Dibble. A black and tan miniature dachshund. Who's a good boy? Dibble, look at that view over there.

To the left, in the far distance, is the English Channel - the busiest shipping lane in the world. At this precise moment that seems unbelievable; it's so quiet. Even the seagulls and the crows seem to be a bit muted this morning.

Panning right, there's Ryde on the Isle of Wight, with its landmark steeple. Next, Fishbourne, the ferry port. Slightly to the right you can see Osborne House - Queen Victoria's pad when not in Buckingham Palace. And further right there's Cowes in the distance, picturesque white buildings just like the Med. Then Southampton Water and, on the horizon, just out of sight, the edge of the New Forest.

You couldn't care less, could you, Dibs? All he's interested in is food.

Anyway, I'm here at my most favourite spot in the world to tell you about my novel and album, both called *Fatal Equation*.

Why the beach? Well, all creative folk are asked about where they get their inspiration from, aren't they? So I thought I'd get in first and say: for me, it's this. A view. A blue panorama of perfection.

Let's get down to it then. *Fatal Equation*.

It's a hybrid - rare, I think - a book and companion album of original music.

The two main characters are Ali Kurmi, 35, and Laura O'Brien, 52. These two are incredibly strong, charismatic and very different characters.

Ali is a DJ and songwriter, but he's never been able to pursue his musical dreams of breaking into the music business because of his father - his despicable, sweaty, arrogant bully of a rich businessman dad, Javed Kurmi - who forces Ali to work alongside his two cousins chasing up late rent payers in his property business.

It often gets physical, and Ali is mortified with guilt. Why does he put up with it? What's his father got on him?

Laura O'Brien, a former journalist from Dublin, is a looker and defies her 52 years - made even more remarkable when you look at her backstory:

- The loss of both her parents in a car accident while she was at college
- Alcohol dependency
- Infertility
- An acrimonious divorce
- A second marriage to Ireland's legendary racehorse breeder, Frank O'Brien

But she was even robbed of that, when Frank collapsed and died of a brain aneurysm, leaving her desolate again - but very, very rich.

*Fatal Equation* is the story of Ali and Laura: how they got together, and how they navigate their way through a seemingly endless number of cruel and unlikely twists and turns that threaten their relationship - and their lives.

### Song: "Fatal Equation" - Coolstar feat. Erin Newman

[Music - "Fatal Equation"]

"Fatal Equation" by Coolstar, featuring the voice of Erin Newman.*

Such a great voice, and I'm pleased to say not the only track by Erin on the *Fatal Equation* album. Erin's not alone - I'm going to be introducing you to some more great singers during these podcasts. You may not have heard of some of them, but I promise you, they're pretty darn good.

I played that one first because it's how the whole project got started.

### How the Project Was Born

After 25 years of not writing any music - for reasons I won't bore you with - I returned to it with an even stronger sense of ambition than ever.

Technology had moved on, and a piece of software called Cubase enabled me to make quality demo recordings.

Over three or four years I wrote nearly 20 songs, and then I re-recorded the best of them at a professional recording studio, using a variety of musicians and vocalists recommended by the studio.

To say I was happy with the outcome would be an understatement. A world-class recording studio was a mile from my doorstep.

As I was producing these songs, I was sending them to a handful of friends that I could trust to be honest in their opinions. One of them was Ian Bartholomew - "Barty" to his friends - an actor (the abuser Geoff in *Coronation Street*), who'd gone to the same school as me. Indeed, he played a part in a pop opera I wrote and produced with a chum when I was in the sixth form.

He noted how each song differed from the last, but recognised there was also a cohesion or a common sound to all of them. He asked me what I was going to do with them.

"Release them on Spotify, I suppose," was my uncertain reply. I'd done this with the first couple of tracks. I even made videos.

Do you know, around 100,000 songs are released on streaming platforms every single day? So it's not a big surprise that my songs were swallowed into a quagmire of fermenting hormonal creativity.

Ian said, "Why don't you give them a unique context? Write a story that incorporates the songs. A TV drama perhaps. You did it at school with the pop opera."

And that's how *Fatal Equation* was born. You can read the book and, if you wish, listen to the music that's featured in the storyline.

### Song: "Oh No (How Could I Be So Wrong)" - Coolstar feat. Liam Wakefield & Lily Garland

### The Setting and Ali's Life

I'm Gethyn Jones, standing on Stokes Bay Beach in Gosport, Hampshire - the source of my creative inspiration - and this podcast, Episode 1, is an introduction to *Fatal Equation*.

It's largely set in:
- Hampshire - Portsmouth, Gosport, the Isle of Wight, Wickham and the Meon Valley
- And also London, Liverpool, Dublin and Tipperary

These backdrops are spectacular and sharply contrasting.

Ali lives in Portsmouth, where he was sent as a teenager by his odious father - to live with friends of the family, to avoid the fallout from a scandal. It's been his home for a long time now, and despite his abrupt arrival and severance from his family, Ali has developed into a strong, independent and informed young man - and he did it all by himself.

But music is his first love: writing and recording his own songs. Second comes his DJing, which he's worked hard to establish, and he's found himself in demand on the corporate event circuit for his niche sets featuring retro 70s and 80s rock and pop.

All this is a far cry from his day job, acting as an unofficial bailiff for his father's property business. God, he hates it.

He's booked to DJ at a private function in the grounds of a manor house in rural Hampshire - watercress country. His speciality music has been requested by the wealthy owners, who just love a bit of class.

It's at this gig that Ali meets Laura O'Brien, who just happens to be working for the event organiser as the "meeter-and-greeter".

### Song: "Lavender" - Coolstar feat. Nick Bowen

### Laura's New Life in Hampshire

I'm Gethyn Jones, standing on Stokes Bay Beach in Gosport, Hampshire - the source of my creative inspiration - and this podcast is an introduction to *Fatal Equation*.

Laura is now living in Hampshire thanks to her pal and one-time sponsor, Alice Kingston.

Alice is bright and bubbly, persuasive, a bit New Age and unmistakable with her cascade of flowing golden ringlets - New Age and charismatic. She's 53, English, and met Laura at an AA meeting in Dublin, becoming Laura's sponsor after the breakdown of Laura's first marriage.

After her own divorce, Alice moved to Wickham in Hampshire, offering beauty treatments from her home to locals. Her alternative ideas and spiritual beliefs raise a few eyebrows in affluent and rural Hampshire.

After countless WhatsApp video calls, she persuades Laura to up sticks and relocate to Hampshire just as she did herself.

She's been "dry" for many years and is convinced that her friend could get over the trauma of her second husband's sudden death and her ghastly, baying stepchildren, and start a new life if she makes the move to Wickham too.

Alice is a brilliant organiser, with a heart of gold and a deep sense of compassion.

### Song: "Healer" - Coolstar feat. Paige

Join me next time to listen to more tracks from the *Fatal Equation* album and to learn more about Ali Kurmi and Laura O'Brien.

We'll also meet more characters from the book:

- Finn O'Donnell - the retired Navy captain, now an events planner and unwitting catalyst in getting Ali and Laura together.
- And there's Laura's late husband, the racehorse-breeding billionaire Frank O'Brien. Irish folk love a legend, and Frank ticked all the boxes - his name will live on forever.
- We'll also meet Frank's formidable daughter, Stephanie, whose sole ambition in life now is to bring down her stepmother Laura and retrieve Daddy's inheritance - whatever it takes.

See you next time.

[Music]

*Fatal Equation* the novel is available in various formats at Amazon and other outlets, and the accompanying album by Coolstar is streaming on all major platforms.

[Music - outro]

[Music]

Narrator: Fatal Productions music podcasts...

FATAL EQUATION - Romance Novel Podcast
Episode 2 - Why Music Is Integral to the Story

[Music]

Narrator: Fatal Productions music podcasts.

[Music]

The novel Fatal Equation by Gethyn Jones is published by Amazon as an ebook, paperback and audiobook. It's coupled with a companion album of original songs by Coolstar. In this podcast series, Gethyn talks more about this highly unusual combination of book and album and how it came to life.

[Music]

Hello again. I'm Gethyn Jones, and this is Episode 2 of my podcast series featuring my novel and companion album Fatal Equation.

"Fatal equation, holding hopes and building dreams ..." [Music - brief vocal hook from "Fatal Equation"]

I can almost hear you asking, "What is he on about? Is it a book or an album? Make up your mind!"

Well, it's both:

- A romance novel about a songwriter and producer trying to make his way in the music business
- And an album of his actual songs

So: read the book, listen to the tunes.

Last time, I introduced this podcast from the beach, because it's a place that genuinely inspires me - so much so that I included it in the novel that this podcast is all about.

We were talking about what it is that fires artists - painters, composers, poets - to persevere with their creative work. I can't speak for anyone else, but for me it seems to come from, dare I say it, another dimension.

Words, tunes ... they just come when you start strumming your guitar or typing the keyboard. It's like a sense of knowing - a trust in what's taking place and letting it flow. And that feeling brings a sense of euphoria or ecstasy that you get whilst going through the creative process.

Sounds terribly pretentious, doesn't it? That's the best way I can put it, though: a natural high that you don't want to stop.

Why Create At All? Ego & Drive

Another question frequently asked of authors is "Why?"
Why write the book? Why write the song? Why grab that brush and watercolours?

Let's embrace the elephant in the room straight away: ego.

I'm sure ego is one of the main reasons such people create and then go on to share their work. But it isn't necessarily a negative thing. You actually need a level of ego to give you the strength and determination to go about your creative work, and it's what sets you apart from others who choose to spend their time doing other things.

Ego is drive.
I try to use mine positively. But if it should ever get out of control, I can rely on being told to get off my high horse very swiftly - that I know.

Anyway, back to why we're here: looking at the romance novel Fatal Equation.

Last time I introduced you to the main characters:

- Ali Kurmi
- Laura O'Brien
- And Laura's pal Alice Kingston

Today, we'll meet more of the colourful folk who support Laura and Ali as they weave their loving way through a series of obstacles that threaten their love for each other - not least Laura's stepdaughter in Ireland, who's bitterly resentful towards Laura and furious that Laura inherited anything, let alone a fortune, from her late father.

Talking of Frank O'Brien, we'll be hearing how he made his fortune in racehorse breeding.

Ali's Father, and More Key Characters

Javed Kurmi is Ali's father. When Ali was just 16 years of age, Javed removed his son from the family home to live with friends 80 miles away in Portsmouth. He says it was to protect his son from the fallout from a major scandal. Time has since proved that it was more about protecting his own business interests.

We'll also meet:

- Becky Davis - Ali Kurmi's close pal and occasional lover at the start of the book
- Finn O'Donnell - the events organiser who brought Ali and Laura together, albeit unwittingly

And we'll be hearing some more of the songs from the Fatal Equation album by Coolstar.

All the tracks on the album are written by Ali, whose quirky taste in 70s and 80s rock and pop rubs off on his songwriting. However, I should stress that Fatal Equation is not a musical, so Ali doesn't burst into song to move the story along. His music is incidental to the storyline.

[Music]

Song: "I'm Back" - Coolstar feat. Liam Wakefield

[Song excerpt - paraphrased for brevity]

"When I'm feeling down, I'm looking for some place to hide, You're the only one I need right by my side ... All through the night ... You're always there to bring me back ... When I'm falling out of line, I'll turn to you and feel just fine ... In the darkest hours of the night ... I reach out my hand and I feel all right, 'Cause my baby's got my back and now I'm right on track ... I'm back ..."

"I'm Back" by Coolstar, featuring Liam Wakefield - one of 18 tracks on the album Fatal Equation that's released in conjunction with the romance novel of the same name. And I'm the author, Gethyn Jones.

Recap of the Story So Far

So, to recap on the storyline:

Sick of roughing up late rent payers for his despicable father, Ali Kurmi is determined to make a go of his songwriting and DJing. Could a chance meeting with an older woman, Laura O'Brien, at one of his gigs help him realise his dreams?

Despite the couple's obvious differences in age and culture, they're completely blown away by each other. The stunning Laura O'Brien changes his life in an instant.

They date and soon become inseparable. They make plans:

- How to kickstart Ali's music career
- And how to make use of the ridiculous amount of money Laura has inherited from her late, famous racehorse breeding husband, Frank O'Brien

But the pair's backstories combine to conspire against their genuine happiness, as they're led on a tortuous - and sometimes life threatening - journey.

Let's just say that their relationship is tested to the nth degree. The cruel challenges they face would wreck most relationships.

Ali's Mindset and "Law of Attraction"

Ali considers himself to be a rational thinker, but he happily admits that he's a bit of a dreamer too. He'd have given up his musical ambitions long ago if he'd based his decisions on hard reality.

He's dabbled with many motivational ideas over the years - some quite esoteric, very "out there". He became fascinated with the law of attraction at one stage, liking the idea of welcoming and facilitating realities.

From that came this song - another that illustrates how incredibly diverse his songwriting is.

Song: "Living in the Now" - Coolstar feat. Nick Bowen

[Song excerpt - paraphrased]

"Some things never change, everything just stays the same ... Some folks are stuck inside the groove, glued to their world, too scared to move ... Inside, outside - step into the vortex, start living in the now ... I'm looking at my life, searching for the best ... I'm in the vortex, I'm in my space, I'm in the here and now ..."

"Living in the Now" - a track from Coolstar featuring Nick Bowen on vocals, one of 18 songs on the companion album to the novel Fatal Equation, which chronicles the passionate and somewhat unlikely romance of Ali Kurmi and Laura O'Brien.

In this episode, we're meeting some of the other characters in the story.

Becky Davis

Becky Davis is 26 - bright, determined and clever too. She has long, straight dark hair that reaches down her back. She didn't fancy launching straight into a law career after getting her degree and has had a string of temporary jobs ever since.

She's currently biding her time waiting tables at a Mexican restaurant in Portsmouth.

At the start of the book, she's Ali's pal - well, a bit more than that actually. Quite a lot more. She enjoys spending time with Ali - an arrangement that suits her very well. She likes the fact that he's considerably older than her, and she admires his general take on life.

They share a similar sense of humour, both like good food, and meet up when one or the other feels like it - nice and casual. She's got too much going on in her head at the moment and doesn't need the complication of a more formal relationship.

Just as well, because when Ali meets Laura O'Brien, things change very quickly.

Laura, Her Stepchildren, and Stephanie O'Brien

Laura has relocated to live in Hampshire to escape the memories of her short but happy marriage to Frank O'Brien, one of the world's richest racehorse breeders. He left her:

- A lot of money
- And a pair of spiteful, angry stepchildren

Stephanie and Richard O'Brien are bent on destroying their stepmother. Stephanie's hatred for Laura is off the scale; she'll do anything it takes to recover her late father's estate from his widow.

Stephanie O'Brien, a devout Catholic, is 38 - slightly younger than her brother Richard. She married another O'Brien, much to everyone's amusement.

She's a tall, striking woman who mastered the art of turning men's heads many years ago - more often than not taunting, teasing and turning on admirers on their approach. She knows how to work men and gets whatever she wants - and that includes her long suffering husband, Shae. How or why he agreed to marry her is a mystery to many.

Stephanie O'Brien doesn't do weakness. Full stop. She's a successful businesswoman with a string of bars that she runs with a fist of iron. Needless to say, she's not popular with her staff.

She pays great attention to her appearance - from her eyelashes to her toenails and everything in between. Her beautiful face, high cheekbones and perfect set of white teeth disguise her true, unfriendly and bitter persona.

But how far will she go?

Song: "May December" - Coolstar feat. Erin Newman

[Song excerpt - age gap romance theme]

"I see you, I need you, can't believe it's really me here right beside you ... No matter what they say, they can't take it away ... May-December, we just fell in love ... We know we're breaking the rules, but come on, we're thinking it's love ..."

"May December" by Coolstar, featuring Erin Newman - Ali Kurmi and Laura O'Brien in a nutshell.

Frank O'Brien's Background

There's been much talk about Frank O'Brien. We know he was enormously successful as a racehorse breeder and extremely rich. We also know he died far too young, leaving behind his second wife of just four years, Laura, in pieces.

What's his background?

Before his rise to success in breeding, Frank was a successful businessman with money to spend and invest. To start with, racing was an amusement, really. He bought a couple of horses without too much thought - it was a way of entertaining business associates at the races. He admits he didn't really know anything about horses.

It wasn't until he bumped into Joe Kelly that he realised there was a business opportunity as well. Joe was, at the time, a big name in racing circles as a trainer, and he told Frank he'd soon be wiped out if he didn't change his ways and create some form of plan. He told Frank that the real money in racing lay in breeding and stallions.

So, on a handshake, they decided to work together - and the rest, as the well worn saying goes, is history. Frank O'Brien hit the jackpot.

Sadly, the love of Frank's life, his wife Katherine, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Her drawn out demise was painful, and after her death Frank struggled to look at life without his beloved partner. His children were of little help, internalising their own grief and anxieties and doing little to console their father.

Eventually, the pain eased, and Frank looked differently at his success and the wealth it had brought him. He became very grateful, and proud of his Irish heritage. His tragedy had, ironically, heightened his popularity. Everyone adored Frank O'Brien. He brimmed with likeable self confidence. I'd like to think he was master of his own destiny.

However, out of the blue, an extraordinary thing happened. When his grieving for Katherine eased, he hadn't been on the lookout for a new companion, so when a bright young journalist arrived on his doorstep one day - with a photographer - to write a story for the Dublin News, he thought little of it.

But that's how Laura Conran became Laura O'Brien.

Song: "Homeland" - Coolstar feat. Erin Newman & Alan Finland

[Song excerpt - paraphrased]

"Deeply run the waters of my home, where my heart is free ... I won't forget my homeland, I can't forget my homeland ... My memory keeps feeding me with history that seems so real ..."

"Homeland", with vocals from Erin Newman and Alan Finland.

Javed Kurmi and Ali's Dilemma

When asked what his top life priorities are, Javed Kurmi - Ali's father - will always say: family.

Ali would beg to differ. He would say:

- Business
- Business
- And more business

Closely followed by Javed Kurmi himself.

Ali has good reason to hate his father, after all that has happened. He's sick and tired of being tied to his father, working for him with his two cousins, Ham and Kam, as a kind of bailiff - chasing up his father's late rent payers, often using force.

Javed Kurmi is a wealthy and stealthy man. His business empire extends across the south of England and parts of the north west. He has hundreds of properties, many of which are rented by students. Thank you very much, Tony Blair.

It's a business he built up from scratch and is run by him and various members of his family from Kurmi Properties Ltd in Bromley, Kent.

Javed is a big man - big ego, big business, big appetite, big belly - and he has big plans for Ali. He's used to getting his own way, with just one possible exception: his younger son. But he takes comfort in knowing that he has life changing leverage, and he won't be afraid to use it - probably sooner rather than later.

When just 16 years of age, Ali was whisked away from his family by his father to live with friends in Portsmouth, all to avoid the fallout from a scandal that Ali had triggered. Ali never returned.

Nearly 20 years on, Javed Kurmi is still using that scandal to force his son to work for his property rental business - a job Ali loathes and is deeply ashamed of. All Ali wants to do is write music and DJ. He sees his current life as a complete mess, and he's desperate to escape from his father's clutches.

Song: "It's a Mess" - Coolstar feat. Alex Laar

[Song excerpt - paraphrased]

"It's a mess, a dirty rotten mess, You tangle up my words and leave me in distress ... You're playing with my mind, my brain's on fire ... Oh my, my ..."

"It's a Mess" by Coolstar, featuring Alex Laar.

Finn O'Donnell & How Ali Meets Laura

I'm Gethyn Jones, and we're talking about my book Fatal Equation and the album that goes with it.

Okay - stand by your beds, here he comes: Finn O'Donnell.

Finn O'Donnell is an organiser of events and team building exercises. At 65, he's a sweet man - a gentleman. He's ex Royal Navy and, when in service, was responsible for organising a range of events, on several occasions functions involving members of the royal family.

He's made a great success of his business and lives in some splendour in a large Georgian house near Wickham in Hampshire with his wife, Samantha.

Samantha learned about Laura O'Brien when getting her nails done by Alice Kingston in the village. After hearing the shocking details, in a neighbourly gesture she suggested that Laura accompany Alice to a lunchtime party she and Finn were organising - to:

- Welcome Laura to the area
- Introduce her to other locals
- Help her settle in

Laura bashfully accepts, and is soon glad to have made that choice - having a great time and hitting it off with Finn O'Donnell. It's mutual. She fills him in on her extraordinary story and her career as a journalist at the Dublin News. She explains that she's now ready to integrate into the community.

Impressed and touched, he offers employment to Laura on a casual basis - an offer she gratefully takes up. And it's at the first event that Laura and Ali meet - and the cosmos lights up.

Song: "Midnight" - Coolstar feat. Ian Bartholomew

[Song excerpt - paraphrased]

"What do I see when I look in the distance? What do I feel in my heart? What do I hear when the wind is rising? What do I understand? ... Standing alone, holding on, I'm waiting, I'm waiting, I'm waiting for midnight ..."

"I'm Waiting for Midnight" by Coolstar, featuring Ian Bartholomew.

How the Whole Project Started (and Ian's Role)

I owe Ian big time. Ian Bartholomew is the reason this podcast is being broadcast.

Five years ago, he suggested that I write a story featuring my music - a screenplay or something similar. A logical home for my songs.

As well as being an experienced and accomplished actor, Ian is no mean singer, as you just heard there. He's done several spells in musicals in the West End - a far cry from his youth when, as a 14 year old, he appeared in a school pop opera that I wrote with a friend, Chris Brady, called The Sixth Day.

I'd like to think that early appearance helped his career - but I know it didn't. Of course it didn't.

Anyway, thanks to Ian and all the other fabulous singers and musicians who've contributed to the Coolstar album.

Coming Up Next Time ...

Next time, I'm going to take you out of Ali and Laura's world and bring you back to reality and look at the music.

I'm going to take you to the remarkable recording studio where we recorded all the songs for Fatal Equation - which also happens to be Ali's fictitious studio too. It's actually situated inside a functioning church, and I can't wait for you to meet my co producer, genius musician and friend Nick Bowen.

We're going to take you through how we put the Fatal Equation song together - from my demo recording here in my office, to the finished master.

How this ...

"When I first saw your smiling eyes it was ... whoa, here we go ..."

...turned into this ...

"When I first saw your smiling eyes, it was whoa whoa, here we go, A flash of light so warm and bright, We chased the stars all through the night ..."

Closing

Fatal Equation - the novel - is available in various formats at Amazon and other outlets, and the accompanying album by Coolstar is streaming on all major platforms.

[Music - "Fatal Equation" outro]