Two runaway boys let music save their souls.

There could not have been two more different boys in Segovia High School than Monty McBride and Simon Smallwood. Monty came from an affluent, albeit broken home, and was a popular student in school due to his outgoing personality and success in team sports.

In contrast, Simon's parents died when he was fourteen, leaving him to be raised by his young adult sister Lizzie. Simon and Lizzie survived at close to the poverty level, both working their way through school. Simon's tough life had left him antisocial, and an outcast, with no friends other than his punk girlfriend Gina. But when the boys respective older siblings fall in love, they're forced to interact.

At first, they only need to collaborate on writing a wedding song, but when the yacht owned by Monty's father is destroyed, killing the wedding party, the boys' lives are irrevocably changed. Not only are they blamed for the explosion that destroys the yacht, but the real killers are also hot on their trail! Forced together in this desperate situation, the two boys run away. Using their talent as musicians to survive, they flee to the Midwest, where in the seedy world of broken-down bars and strip clubs they must deal with the temptations and dangers of life on the wild side.

Monty McBride:
Monty McBride is a big man on campus, the heartthrob at Segovia High School. He's got good looks. He's a natural athlete. He's also a good guitarist and singer-songwriter with confidence that makes him a natural on stage. If he has a fatal flaw, it is that he's never had a true friend, and he doesn't really know what he wants to do with his life. Then, a tragic accident turns everything on its head, and Simon, who he couldn't stand before, may be the only one he can trust.

Simon Smallwood:
In spite of his punk-rock looks, to Simon, life should make sense and be logical; everything should be fair and equitable. He loves mathematics, and for the same reason, the complexity of music, particularly classical music. The patterns and processes simply make sense! However, Simon has a lot to learn about life, and about people. Monty's ability to create songs on the fly is both baffling and intriguing to him.

Jake McBride:
Monty's father, who is pragmatic without being particularly practical. He raised Monty on a diet of baseball and baseball aphorisms, which turns out to be useful in unexpected ways.

Harley Kyle:
A failed actress turned "bad cop," Kyle loves honesty and birds and has little tolerance for the corruption of the world around her, even as she immerses herself in it. She makes her deal with Yamada when she sees an opportunity to get rich and out of her current situation.

Yamada:
The mysterious man in sunglasses who appears to be behind the disaster that destroys Monty and Simon's lives. He seeks revenge on Jake McBride, but even Kyle, who is aiding him, isn't sure exactly why.

Allan Gross:
He has been described as a Renaissance man. Before embarking on his career as a writer, Allan earned advanced degrees in electrical engineering and education, working as a successful software designer and project manager. He began his career writing with Insight Studios Group in Baltimore MD. In addition to working for major comic book companies and television, Allan has lived a childhood dream and written Tarzan stories, both in comic book form and for the syndicated newspaper strip.

Joanna Estep:
She is a recent graduate with degrees in graphic design and Japanese Language. Her personal passion for comic books led her to pursue skills and knowledge in the realm of comic making and sequential art. Joanna wrote and designed the textbook Timing: Expressions of Time in Sequential Art and Design, which received the Charles Logan Smith award for excellence in design, as well as various other accolades. Her other credentials include publication in comic anthologies such as Fractured Kisses, Zacherley's Midnite Terrors, and 21st Century Romances.

When asked by someone in Sales or Marketing to sum up Roadsong, the simple way is to say that it's a "band on the run story," but in actuality, the book caught me right off the bat as something really fun and different. It's a story that's difficult to peg with a single genre, but at least in my mind, that's actually big part of the appeal. There are sports elements, music elements, romance, drama and suspense, and a little comedy thrown in for good measure (And strippers! And cute guys! And crooked cops!)!

Needless to say, from the first time I saw the pitch, I couldn't wait to dig in and find out more about Simon and Monty and their life on the road. Joanna's art is wicked cool and stylish, and Allan's writing just has so much flair. They're an interesting partnership, and they've turned out a fantastic book!

~Lillian Diaz-Przybyl, Editor