Sweetie's Spotlight

Since my biggest loves are music and books, this site is dedicated to furthering the careers of my favorite artists and authors. Please check out the links on this page. They will take you to the sites of some wonderfully talented musicians and some great literary talents. You will also find links to a couple of user-friendly instant message programs that I have used for years and other "don't miss" sites.

Musician Links

Greg Austin is a down-home, straight-forward singer, songwriter, and musician. He has been diligently writing and performing contemporary country music for almost 15 years. His first CD of 10 original songs is simply titled "Greg Austin." Greg has been featured onMP3.com's syndicated radio show, "Country Download," and made it all the way to the Top 10 in the "Nashville Star" regional finals. With a commanding stage presence, a great country voice, and top-notch songwriting abilities to back it up, Greg Austin has the winning formula for success in the country music industry. Greg currently lives in his hometown of Aiken, SC, and performs throughout the Southeast. Click the link to the left for his show schedule, sound clips, and additional biography information. Or click HERE to visit the site I created for Greg and order his CD.

Severed Ties is a rock band based out of Charleston, SC. The band has been rocking the Lowcountry since September of 1994. Severed Ties plays a variety of music, including rock from the 60's and 70's, metal from the 80's and some favorites from the last decade. Lead singer, Shane Myer, is a vocal chameleon. Lead guitarist, Patrick "Archie" Archibald, is untouchable. Rudy Ferreira, bassist, and Jimmy Danner, drummer, rival all of the greats throughout the years. Click the link to the left for audio clips, photos, bios, and a complete schedule of future and past gigs. Severed Ties is by far THE best local band in the area!

These three blonde Southern girls have revolutionized Country music. Their first album, "Wide Open Spaces," features hit songs I Can Love You Better, Wide Open Spaces, There's Your Trouble, and Tonight The Heartache's On Me. The new CD, "Fly," contains controversial hit Goodbye Earl, as well as, Ready to Run, If I Fall You're Going Down Wtih Me, and Cowboy Take Me Away. Check out the Chicks' fun website and you'll see why their personalities are as much of a factor in their success as their talented musical abilities.

Look out Kenny G! Joe is taking soft jazz to new heights! This site lists tourdates, Joe's extensive resume, and includes sound bites. On top of having good looks, Joe is quite talented and a sweet man. Check him out!

Tracy Lawrence is one of the best country artist around. I've seen Tracy in concert nine times over the last few years in four different cities, and every show has been great! The link to the left features pictures, information on Tracy's albums, tour dates, fan club information and merchandise offers. Check out Tracy's sound bites and see why his fans rave about him!

By far the best new band out there, Staind grabbed my attention with hit It's Been Awhile. If you don't know the song, go straight to the website by clicking the picture on the left and listen to a soundbyte on Staind's site. The song is astronomical! There's no other way to describe it. Then check out Fade. Lead singer, Aaron Lewis has an awesome soulful voice that ranks right up there with the best! Words can not do justice to the talent of Staind, though, so see for yourself. No matter what your musical tastes, there is something for everyone on their current album,  "Break the Cycle."

If you like rock, you'll love Alanis Morissette! She is best known for her album "Jagged Little Pill" which features sassy and rebellious lyrics, but her follow-up effort, "Former Supposed Infatuation Junkie", features songs that depict a wiser, calmer, softer Alanis. See for yourself...

I just recently started using Yahoo! Messenger, but it's a great program. It's just as easy to use as ICQ, and it's also free. Go to the link at the left, download, install, then look me up. My ID is raylenesoles.

Authors

I have read every single V.C. Andrews novel ever written since I was a teenager. Although V.C. is no longer alive, her work lives on through a writer that was hand-selected by her family to contine writing the wonderful series that V.C. laid out before her death. The link to the left will take you to a wonderful, fact-filled site that features every book planned by Mrs. Andrews.

Tess Gerritsen completed her internal medicine residency then worked as a physician. On a whim, she submitted a literary short story and won first place. A chance dinner conversation led to her first medical thriller novel, HARVEST. Since then Tess has written LIFE SUPPORT, BLOODSTREAM, GRAVITY and THE SURGEON. She is heralded as "the reigning champion of the medical thriller." Click the link to the left to read synopses from her novels. You'll be hooked immediately!

I have just recently discovered Dr. Robin Cook. He is widely credited with introducing the word "medical" to the thriller genre. 20 years after his breakthrough novel, Coma, he continues to dominate the category he created. He writes about current issues that concern the medical field. Some of his books have been adapted into movies, but movies never do justice to the book.

ROBIN COOK

If you haven't checked out The Weather Channel's website, click on the logo on the left. There is great information, and you can get your local forecast when TV access is not an option. Since Charleston is a prime location for hurricanes (remember Hurricane Hugo?) I've included a direct link to the Tropical Forecast Update that The Weather Channel provides. Click on the hurricane to the right to get vital storm and hurricane information.

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