Bucket List -- 'Music Producer'

I wanted to produce a record (with the video).
What used to be called 'goals' is now called your "Bucket list."
The closest I came to being a record producer occurred when I was teaching high school. A group of the senior students had formed a musical group to enter a local talent contest.
Some of them knew I had done radio production and had some background in music. They asked me if I would help them get their band together.

I proposed one condition: they could submit musical numbers, we would work on them and then I would make all final decisions.
Agreed!
At our first rehearsal, I discovered:
– Many of them could read music (while I had only the basics).
– Their musical choices were rather limited: Two guys, both guitarists, wanted to sing material by (Carlos) Santana, who was quite popular at the time, but were not avid followers of other musical styles.
– The gals were into folk music, and wondered how that style would fit in with the Rock material.
– Our excellent bass guitarist was an "import," a young man in his mid-20s

'Conclave' - A Novel

This book's theme is short: The Pope is dead.
The one hundred twenty members of the College of Cardinals from all over the globe will gather to elect a new pope.
Over the next seventy-two hours one of these holy men -- who also have political and other ambitions -- will become the most powerful spiritual figure on earth.

This process, held behind the locked doors of the Sistine Chapel, is the world’s most secretive election.
Many of us of an age, Dear Reader, can recall the news coverage in 1978 of the election of Pope John Paul I, his mysterious death only a few weeks later, and the election of John Paul II.
(John Paul's death has never been solved, though many [conspiracy] theories, crime reports and even several books have been advanced.)
One of these, 'The Vatican Murders,' states the case. "The political infighting that goes on when a pope is elected is often fierce. There have been times it has turned to murder ... ."
The most recent papal election led to the global -- almost 'rock-star' -- phenomenon of Pope Francis, who continues to shake the cobwebs around the papacy and the entire Catholic Church.
I first heard about this book a couple of months ago,