Excited to see a reprint of Will Maguire’s review of Notorious in Nashville, first published in Well Read Magazine! Thank you, Maggie Ball and Mandy Haynes, editors of these literary magazines, and thank you, Will Maguire. https://compulsivereader.com/2024/02/03/a-review-of-notorious-in-nashville-by-phyllis-gobbel/
Fun at First Saturday Art Crawl!
Thanks to the staff at Chauvet for such a warm welcome at the Art Crawl Saturday night! Around 400 visitors came to the gallery to enjoy the art exhibition. I met some readers and got some great exposure for Notorious in Nashville. It was a big night, lots of fun!
First Scene of Notorious in Nashville
Everybody who knows Nashville and country music knows the Bluebird Cafe, so that’s where I wanted to start. Here is the opening scene:
Chapter 1
A hush hovered over the room.
Her voice. What was it about that voice? The way it came from something deep inside. Longing. Regret. Old pain for what was lost. Etched in a fresh face. How could a twenty-five-year-old possibly know all of it? But you believed she did when you heard her sing.
I’ve never been a fan of country music. Never followed country music, except for summer visits with my grandparents in south Georgia, when the radio was always tuned to the big clear channel, WSM, out of Nashville. Hearing a classic like Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You can still take me back to that simpler, sweeter time.
After those long ago summers, I didn’t pay much attention to country music.
But Willow Goodheart’s voice grabbed me, pulled me into what she was feeling, made me hold my breath.
The first chill of fall in the air
The smell of wood smoke in your hair . . .
The lyrics, unpretentious but elegant, and the hymn-like melody with a hint of blues. Her quiet rhythmic picking on the acoustic guitar. All of it. And the voice.
Not like any country song I’d ever heard.
Your heart’s first small crack
The part that you never get back . . .
The haunting verse climbed into the chorus that rang with raw honesty, with the resonance of an old soul.
There are things that will vanish,
But they don’t fade away.
Then, as Willow held the audience under her spell, another voice boomed from behind us. “That’s my song, Missy!”
A disheveled man, weathered face, wiry beard, staggered from the bar at the opposite end of the room from the stage. “Mine! You stole my song!” He lurched forward, heading toward the stage, stumbling into a table of four women. Their drinks spilled. The women shrieked.
“It’s mine!” he kept yelling.
Willow went silent in the middle of a line. The stillness in the room turned into a roar of disgruntled chatter. Several men, including Kyle, my daughter’s significant other, jumped up, but before they could rush to rescue the women, a linebacker-type from the bar swung a huge arm around the man’s skinny neck. And then, grasping his scrawny arm and gray scraggly ponytail, swept him out the door.
“Stupid drunk,” Kyle said, under his breath. He sat down and reached for his beer.
“Who is that?” Holly whispered.
“He’s Notorious.” Kyle took a long pull from the bottle.
First Book Club of the New Year!
My long-time friend Fran Mires invited me to her Book Club in Old Hickory. What a fabulous night! It began with a feast of Southern food to celebrate my book, Notorious in Nashville. All the members had read the book and it was so satisfying to hear their take on it! Thank you, lovely ladies!
Book Event in my Hometown
Many thanks to everyone at The Wayne County Museum for such a delightful book event on Saturday, December 2. It was an opportunity to talk about my new mystery, Notorious in Nashville, as well as my other books, and I was able to visit with many friends and meet some new ones. All of it took place in the building that was once a feed store, owned by my great uncles, now a museum. Later, I watched the Christmas parade that brought back many memories. A day I will not forget!
Well Read Magazine’s Book Review and Interview
I am so grateful to be included in Well Read Magazine’s November Issue. Thank you, Mandy Haynes!
If you check out the link below, it will take you to Will Maguire’s book review and interview with me about my new mystery, Notorious in Nashville. Below, you’ll find the magazine itself where you can access pages 96-103 for the complete book review and interview!
Book Review: https://issuu.com/articles/39214755
Book Event at Wayne County Museum, Dec. 2
I am so excited to be back in my hometown for a book event, Dec. 2! In conjunction with the Christmas parade, the Wayne County Museum is hosting the fundrasier, a free event with 10% of the proceeds from book sales going to the museum. I will be at the museum from 1-5, doing a reading at 2:00.
The home of the Wayne County Museum was once the building that housed a feed store, owned by my great uncles, Dodge and Walter Merriman. It will be a privilege to visit, and to take in the Christmas parade in the evening.
I look forward to seeing many friends from Wayne County at this very special event!
Thank You!
Thank you so much to all who joined me in celebrating the release of Notorious in Nashville at Parnassus Books this past Thursday night! I had such a great time, and I hope you all did as well!
Banned Books Week!
The Library/Media Center at Nashville State Community College, where I taught for twenty years, always made a big deal of Banned Books Week–and it IS a big deal. I won’t even touch banning Dr. Seuss for children, but college should be a place where students can grow in their ability to examine, explore, evaluate–basically, think for themselves. Thank you, Faye Jones at NSCC, for sending photos of this year’s display!
An Unfinished Canvas Audiobook Available Now
Based on the true story of the Janet March murder in Nashville, the story of this riveting cold case is now available in an audiobook!
To access the discount code for this audiobook, see the link below!