Loralyn Coles

“Your version of Golden Songs/Water is Wide is one of the most beautiful I have ever heard.”
- Jon Stein, radio host of Hootenanny Cafe

"her drawn-out notes in, for instance, Golden Songs / The Water Is Wide give the listener goosebumps… a Judy Collins-esque voice”
- Mark S. Tucker, FAME
Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

Golden Songs, being my rewrite of the traditional folk song, The Water Is Wide, was published in Faith Petric's column in the 2002 issue of Sing Out! magazine.

Dangerous Voice

A soon to be released Young Adult Fantasy novel!

Learn to sing or die

Seventeen-year-old Lanie doesn’t have magic. Everyone in the village of Endsleigh knows that her mixed blood from an unknown elven father made it impossible for Lanie to inherit her mom’s magical legacy. Then, a blast of singing magic pours out of Lanie’s throat, strikes a local bully, and leaves him motionless at her feet.

Lanie’s first instinct is to dash for the safety of home, as the villagers chase her, wanting to hang her for murder. Her second instinct is to stay at home. Yesterday, she had vowed to search the nearby Spears Marsh for an herb to cure her mom’s dementia. But her aunt insists that Lanie flee their cottage to save herself.

Friendless, she’s on the run, carrying a change of clothes, a little food, and even less money. Somehow, somewhere, Lanie must find teachers to help her control her dangerous voice, before it attacks someone else.

Lanie will find them, but then she’ll face bigger challenges. The voice lessons are real—but the teachers aren’t human!

Banner Photo by
Cynthia Loden-Dowdle