Shy, bookish, Sonny Jackson attends a family funeral and, in that instant, transforms his future. From a student pianist to playing with legends, this is the tale of how one extraordinary meeting can change your life. Ruby, the striking young widow, tears up the rule book, and pushes Sonny to believe he can escape his semi-detached suburban hell in Manchester. Ruby pulls the strings, schemes with others, and manipulates Sonny as she sees fit. London’s calling and New York is on the horizon, but behind the fancy façade are dark secrets.

Hang on tight as the past catches up with the present.

Sam Emony is a jazz promoter who has longed to write novels for 40+ years. He studied English and Drama and began writing in his teens. Sam built and managed his own software business and ran a live music venue in South Manchester for almost 20 years. When opening LPs as a child, he always read the lyrics first, and it is this love of words and phrases that power his work. The Old Familiar Places is his debut novel - inspired by a line in a song called ‘I’ll be seeing you’ (https://vimeo.com/378848590). Each chapter is a song title and Sam's love of jazz runs throughout the novel. Born in Bristol, Sam now lives in Ramsbottom, Lancashire and is the proud father of four. He has run dementia & Parkinson’s-friendly choirs in recent years and also founded and led a huge private community centre for 17 years called The Cinnamon Club in Altrincham, which attracted 1,000 visitors every week, and which he sold in 2020 in order to become a writer.