Are you ready for it?

On November 15, 2022, I entered the Great War. At least, that is what it became known as when the pre-release tickets went on sale for Taylor Swift’s Eras tour. I had the opportunity to sign up for early access, which meant I might be able to pull off an impossible gift for my daughter-in-law, Brittany, who has been a massive Swiftie since Taylor first sang about teardrops on her guitar. Around the same age, and even eerily similar in appearance, Taylor and Brittany had a lot in common with their life experiences. To paraphrase Raj from The Big Bang Theory, T. Swift sang her truth, which is true for a legion of fans out there who equally wanted to get tickets for this epic concert Taylor had planned.

Brit entertained no illusions she’d be able to go, because she had never been able to go. She assumed the tickets would be way outside her price range, which, ultimately, they were. But a fellow concert-going friend of mine, Sarah, had told me some tips to enhance my chances getting some tickets for my superfan. Both Steven and I decided this would be the Christmas gift to end all Christmas gifts, and so we began our secret mission to get the impossible tickets.

History would record this day as the bloodbath it was, as I watched the clock to sign into the queue, and then watched the queue dwindle down from more than 2,000 until I could finally get my opportunity to purchase some tickets. Seconds went by like hours, with every person ahead of me ensuring there was one less ticket to buy. It was as stressful as if I had been buying a ticket to see my own idols. A lot was riding on this, even though Brit had no idea this was what I was planning. Should I fail in my quest, it would be my disappointment alone to harbor. I still grieve I never got to see Prince when I had the opportunity, or the Eagles with Glenn Frey. These were my childhood idols, and I missed my chance. Forever. It would have broken my heart if I couldn’t get her these tickets to a once-in-a-lifetime tour.

By the end of the skirmish, I was able to get two nosebleed seats for the face value of the tickets. I didn’t even wait till Christmas to let her know, and she remained in shock for the remaining few months until the March 2023 show in Las Vegas.

In between she had a baby, so she had other things keeping her busy as we awaited the night she had been waiting for since 2006. She planned an outfit, which apparently was a thing, and since we were driving from Southern California, she put together a playlist for the road that allowed her to listen to her favorite songs from Taylor’s extensive discography. I don’t think one song was repeated.

I was fairly new to the Taylorverse, so this doubled as my education for the concert I was attending because I’m also a good mom. My son isn’t a fan of crowds, so I landed on that grenade for him while he stayed at home with their newborn like the amazing dad he is. I liked Taylor well enough. I missed the country phase because I’m not that much of a country fan, mostly hopping aboard the Taylor Train in her Reputation era. This was thanks mostly to the era I myself was experiencing when the album was released. I liked Taylor with teeth, a little edgier than some of the other stuff that she had done previously. I had Mean on my playlist, thanks to a former boss that once told me I would always be a joke, and Shake it Off, cuz, well, didn’t everyone? But when it came to breakup songs, my scar tissue in the shape of a heart preferred a badass like P!nk, who extended her middle finger to heartbreak and would kick your ass quicker than cry over you.

When Look What You Made Me Do came out, it literally spoke my language. It struck every note of how I was feeling in the wake of the backstabbing betrayal of a “friend” turned enemy. This song immediately landed on my own emotional soundtrack.

The Lover era that followed gave me You Need to Calm Down and The Man, which made me respect the kinds of songs she was using her vast platform to introduce. She went from being a sweet country girl to extending her own middle finger, and I had to give her major props for that.

I, apparently, had no idea how many characters she wore like glittery bodysuits, or how many many lyrics could slice like the carefully sharpened blade of a Samurai.

During that Vegas road trip, I got to experience so many stories throughout her catalog, which intrigued the storyteller in me. But it was her lyricism that really impressed. The way she painted with words often took me by surprise and delighted me in unexpected ways. I began my own writing career with vast amounts of poetry, with hundreds of handwritten pages still in a tote in my closet. All those intense teen emotions found their way onto blank notebook paper, captured forever in a moment with a lyrical snapshot.

She did the same thing, and sold out album after album, arena after arena, striking an emotional chord with the masses I envied.

I have been to several concerts in the past few years, P!nk and the Eagles among them, but the Eras tour was an experience like no other. Most of that was because of the fans. It blew me away that so many people from all walks of life, men, women, black, white and every color in between, gay, straight and every orientation in between, young, old… parents, friends, lovers… nobody was left out in that sold out arena. Many mistakenly assume that her music is just for young girls, but nobody holds a monopoly on what she has created. She speaks to everyone.

Seriously, if you haven’t seen grown ass men singing You Belong With Me at the tops of their lungs, you haven’t truly lived.

Not only is that fandom diverse, it is welcoming. We stayed at a hotel across the highway from Allegiant Stadium and walked across the bridge they had closed off for foot traffic when it was time for the show. Even before we left hotel property, other Swifties recognized we were part of the fam by our outfits. They instantly started up a conversation, hyped up and ready to share such a momentous occasion with, well, everyone. When we got to the stadium, lines were long everywhere, to get in, for food, for merch, but the spirits were high. Strangers became friends bonded by endless handcrafted bracelets traded by the bathroom, in lines, at the seats.

To this day, I can’t hear Long Live and not get emotional.

Even when we went to see the concert film in the theater (four times,) Brit would share the hundreds of bracelets she made to the delight of women and girls, but guys as well.

Then, there was Taylor herself. Going through intense emotional upheaval behind the scenes, you’d never know it to watch the show. We were at the second stop of her tour, and she literally kicked ass with a broken heart. She was the ultimate professional, giving her fans one hell of a show. Three hours, over 40 songs, and she killed it. She even made me like songs from the albums I hadn’t cared for originally.

The fans met her enthusiasm. Even up in the rafters, everyone was on their feet, shaking the floors, screaming out every single lyric to every single song. It was a church unlike any I’d ever attended.

I may not have gone into that arena a Swiftie, but I left as one. That level of feminine badassery is my catnip, from Ann and Nancy Wilson singing about barracudas in the music biz in the 70s to Miley Cyrus singing how she can buy her own self flowers rather than wait for any man to do it. I am continually inspired by the women who create our popular music. Whether Cyndi Lauper is singing a cheeky song about feminine self-pleasure or Billie is embracing her inner bad guy, these women use their platform to shoot rockets through those glass ceilings and empower all women to do the same.

Janet helped us create boundaries, Cher defied the limits of age, Beyonce, well… she damn well IS the Queen.

And let’s not forget Stevie, who managed to make hits with her exes.

Then there’s P!nk. I was on board from the There You Go video, where she ran a motorcycle through the window of her two-timing ex. She got back together with her own ex during a video where she basically dissed him with So What? In her video for That’s All I Know So Far, where she lands on an island full of men who can’t withstand her ferocity, and then there’s Cary just soaking it in like the badass he would have to be to stand at her side, her equal. I had honestly never felt so seen.

These women are my freaking heroes.

When I finally decided to write about a female singer instead of my usual hot rocker guy romances, I had a very deep well to draw inspiration. They all show up in this book in some way or another.

All these women have been brave enough to withstand a world stage where they have been reduced to how they look, what they wear, who they love; judged for being messy or complicated – complete human beings beyond an image on an album cover, poster or stage.

With Infamous, I wanted to dig into their world and live in their skin. I took all the lessons they taught me to create Channing Grace and Theo Shepard, who guide us through this story of love, heartbreak, redemption and, yes, the limits of perceptions and reputations.

I hope you love these new characters as much as I do, who have been liberated to tell a story unlike the others I have written.

And for Brit… this one is for you. It never would have existed without you, and it turned out to be one of my favorite stories and some of my favorite characters. They were all born of the time we shared and exist solely because of what I learned from you. I hope I make you (and Taylor) proud.

- Love, G

INFAMOUS, now available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple, and other major booksellers.

She’s one of the hottest pop stars on the planet, turning broken dreams into platinum records since she was seventeen. Now in her 30s, the world is at her feet but true love remains seemingly out of her reach.

He’s a rakish aging playboy and confirmed bachelor, turning heads and breaking hearts since the 90s. He has a type, young, blond, beautiful…and temporary.

Both have a love/hate relationship with the tabloids, who have made bank on their unsuccessful love lives for decades.

Thrust together one night trying to escape the relentless paparazzi, Channing Grace and Theo Shephard end up finding unexpected refuge together. These two titans of their industries have a lot in common, including an undeniable attraction certain to land them back on the front page. Neither are equipped to resist, although both have their reasons to avoid another doomed relationship… including ghosts from the past determined to derail their future together.

But what’s a love affair without a few scars?

The Groupieverse expands yet again as author Ginger Voight returns you to the glitz and glamor, love and passion of the rich and famous in her 35th full length novel, with all the angst and emotional gut punches you’ve come to expect.

Big secrets. Big temptations. Welcome to the world of Infamous.