Zipless

Rocking, rolling and romancing in New York City -- Scottish style!

Unable to perform due to paralyzing anxiety, singer-songwriter Lou Marzaroli has been managing her brother''s band for years, driving them out of Scotland and into the big time. But days before their American network debut, the band is imploding and Lou is relieving her stress in a no-strings-attached sexual encounter with an aging scenester she''s nicknamed Zippy.

The Zipman is sometimes remembered as Crash Burns, formerly of seminal L.A. glampunk band, Snakebite. It''s been years since he''d trashed the eyeliner and hairspray, and he hasn''t written a song since. Now he''s penning lyrics about the mysterious woman he last saw sprinting barefoot in a miniskirt down West Twenty Third. She''s the muse he''s been longing for, and he''s determined to be more than her one night stand.

When the head honchos learn Lou wrote the band''s material, they agree to give her the TV spot, sending her to be coached by their performance guru, Crash Burns. Now Lou must put herself in Zippy''s hands as he coaxes a life-changing performance from her. And the man who used to perform in nothing but a leather thong must find ways to get her confident on stage— and content in only one bed.

"Dooley does spend a lot of time. . .on character development, so the reader becomes involved in Lou''s dilemmas and in the romance." –Library Journal

20,390 Words