Chick Singer: A Novel

Rock & roll stardom is something you dream about when you're young, but for Libby Conlin the ‘80s and all their wild promise are ancient history.

What pulls her attention now is the unexpected arrival of Bridget, her newly divorced daughter, home again despite their historically fractious relationship and the chaos it inspires. Life quickly turns upside down when Bridget’s application to a local art school involves anonymously posting Libby's old music online, music that's good enough to garner the attention of industry gatekeepers. When Libby’s mysterious past—and all its dark secrets—comes roaring into the present, the reconfiguration of everything and everyone in her orbit is both bittersweet and life changing. Chick Singer explores a complex mother/daughter relationship against the backdrop of music, dreams, and love—and the art of redefining all three.

About the Author

An accomplished writer in several genres of the medium, Lorraine Devon Wilke, a Chicago native and one of eleven children, has built a library of expertly crafted work with a signature style that exudes intelligence, depth, and humor. She launched her “arts & politics” blog, Rock+Paper+Music, in 2010, and in 2011 became a popular contributor to HuffPost and other media, with essays reprinted and excerpted in academic tomes, nonfiction books, and literary journals. She maintains a column at Medium and a popular Substack, “Musings of a Creative Loudmouth.” Previous novels include After the Sucker Punch (2014), Hysterical Love (2015), and The Alchemy of Noise (2019). In 2026 she published the compilation, The Mother of My Reinvention: essays, stories & lyrical assemblages, and in Fall 2027, Sibylline Press will be publishing her next novel, The Weight of Fables. Devon Wilke lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Pete Wilke, where she stays politically active and sings with her band, Sixth & Third.