There's a Song in the Holler This Halloween Season!
As of this writing it is early October and Spooky season is in full swing! People are preparing for the coming Halloween holiday and the holidays in general. I've already seen people on social media putting up their Christmas trees. Hey, you won't get any argument from me. There is so much joy to be had in looking at sparkling Christmas lights twinkling on trees...and there's NEVER a bad time for it! Heck, we need this feeling year round nowadays. And...I might have already put up two of my small trees just to capture some of that essence.
But today I want to talk a little about my book, SONG OF THE HOLLER. It was published back in July. There is something to be said for books about ghosts, and there appears to never be a bad time throughout the year to read them. This could have easily been released right before Spooky season commenced, but it's proving to be a great read any time of the year.
This story came to me out of the blue (much like several of my titles have). I had given a lot of thought to one day writing a Bluegrass-themed novel, set in the hills of Eastern Kentucky. I just hadn't planned on writing it in 2026, much less any time soon. But here we are. After all, I also own an Internet Bluegrass radio station (Bluegrass Planet Radio) and LOVE Bluegrass music! So, it only seemed fitting to write a novel with these themes.
As I was writing this story, I began to wonder if this story could potentially be a Bluegrass song. It has all the elements that make Bluegrass songs what they are (haunting lyrics, inspired story songs, and tales that stand the test of time). One of my characters in the novel (Silas Boone) is loosely based and inspired by Hank Williams, Sr, Bill Monroe, and Dr. Ralph Stanley - three legends who helped make Bluegrass music what it is today.
I kept thinking about a song for this story because I wanted to include song lyrics in one of the chapters. Heck, I'm no songwriter, but penned lyrics to a song that I felt would fit the story. I decided to reach out to one of my colleagues, Bluegrass artist, Marty Falle, to get his opinion on my song lyrics. As I shared the synopsis of the story, Marty not only believed the story would make a great song, but he decided he wanted to pen his own lyrics for it. Within a week, he had lyrics written and shortly thereafter, he had the music developed for it. One thing leads to another and Marty informs me that he is in the middle of recording his next album and needs one more song for it. Talk about timing!
He goes into a Nashville studio and meets with Jenee Fleenor (5 time CMA Musician of the Year, & an award winning multi-instrumentalist, singer and songwriter known primarily for her fiddle playing). In fact, Jenee is the only woman to ever be nominated as CMA Musician of the Year (and winning the title 5 times)! Not only does Jenee play fiddle on the song but provides her masterful vocals, which elevate the song. Marty decides he would name the song, "Song of the Holler". But beyond that, to my surprise, Marty ended up naming his current album, "Song of the Holler" as well. Talk about honored!
Since the album released in July, it has spent 8 weeks as the #1 Album on the Roots Music Report charts. When it debuted on Airplay Direct, it was the #1 Album on the Bluegrass album and Global Top 50 Albums charts, and "Song of the Holler" was the #1 single on the Bluegrass charts.
The rest, they say, is history!
So, what is this story, SONG OF THE HOLLER, all about you might ask?
SONG OF THE HOLLER follows aspiring Bluegrass musician Caleb Marlow, as he chases his dreams of making it big. He knows he's talented and meant for stardom because he's been told that by fellow musicians, the residents of Red Clay, and others most of his life. The only problem is, he has a hard time believing it.
One evening as he's leaving the weekly Saturday night jam at Sutton's General Store, Caleb travels down a dark backroad towards home when he sees a man standing in the middle of the road waving frantically. He pulls his truck over to offer help. But when he gets out, the man is nowhere to be found. He searches the side of the road thinking the man has gone into the woods nearby...only it's as if he has vanished into thin air. Caleb believes he's seeing things. Something shiny lying on the ground catches his eye. As he kneels down to get a closer look, he realizes it is a guitar pick. He doesn't recognize it as being familiar but assumes someone has dropped it. He picks it up and takes it home with him.
From there every time Caleb sits down to play his guitar with the pick, he starts experiencing unexplained sounds that he swears he doesn't play. Caleb begins seeing things and believes he's losing his mind. One thing leads to another and suddenly Caleb finds himself investigating a hidden truth never meant to be found about Red Clay's own, Silas Boone, one of the biggest Bluegrass legends to ever grace the stage.
With the help of his childhood friend, Emma Dawson, Caleb sets out to solve the mystery of what happened to Silas Boone. What the residents of Red Clay, KY have been told about his untimely death have never added up. It's up to Caleb and Emma to follow the clues that lead them to the truth.
This story is a little bit suspense, a little bit slow-burn romance, a little bit funny, and everything you might imagine would be included in a Bluegrass music novel. It's heartfelt, emotional, and will leave you turning pages until the end like there's no tomorrow. It will draw you in and make you want to pull up a chair inside of Sutton's General Store and sit a spell while listening to Bea Sutton whip every patron into shape as she serves you a slice of fresh baked apple pie with a smile...well, almost everyone...the Whitaker boys notwithstanding.
As one reader said recently, this story made her feel like she was right there alongside the characters inside the story. That's probably the highest compliment I could receive and am so grateful for it.
If you want a fast-paced read chock-full of story, that is perfect for this time of year (or anytime really), and leaves you asking for more, then give SONG OF THE HOLLER a try! I'd love to know what you think! If you love the story, please tell everyone you know about it.
Ready to visit Red Clay?
Read the story → Buy the book → Hear the music that came from it.
Until next time...
K.D. McIntyre
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