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Dolly Parton’s latest novel is finally here! The country music legend teamed up with bestselling author James Patterson to co-write Run, Rose, Run, the companion piece to Parton’s new album. The duo appeared on Good Morning America on Monday (March 7), recalling how the project got started.
“James called my office and said he’d like to write a book with me, and so I thought, ‘why does he wanna write a book with me? He’s doing alright on his own!’ And I said, well, sure, I’d love to hear about it. So, he came to Nashville,” Parton said on the show. She quipped later: “I can tell you, truly, he’s a better writer than he is a singer.” Patterson responded: “She’s as good a writer as she is a singer.”
Run, Rose, Run marks Parton’s first-ever novel. It’s “a fiction thriller about a young singer-songwriter on the rise and on the run, determined to do whatever it takes to survive,” the iconic artist’s website reads. The companion album — which includes “Big Dreams and Faded Jeans,” “Blue Bonnet Breeze,” “Woman Up (And Take It Like A Man)” and other songs — released on Friday (March 4). Parton explained on Good Morning America that she identifies with all of the characters in the new book, “especially to those two strong women.”
Parton and Patterson are gearing up for a virtual book tour. She previously said in a tweet: “It has been such a pleasure writing [‘Run, Rose, Run’] together and we can’t wait to share the characters’ stories with all of you.” See the upcoming tour dates here:
- Sunday, March 6 — Independent Bookstores Virtual Launch Event, sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, at 4:30 p.m. PT/7:30 p.m. ET
- Wednesday, March 9 — Books-A-Million Virtual Event, at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET; Indigo Virtual Event, at 4 p.m. PT/ 7 p.m. ET
- Thursday, March 10 — Fan Online Virtual Event (UK), at 1:30 p.m. ET/6:30 p.m. GMT
- Wednesday, March 16 — Amazon LIVE Virtual Event, at 1:30 p.m. PT/4:30 p.m. ET; Barnes & Noble Virtual Event, at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET
- Friday, March 25 — AARP Books Virtual Event, at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET
Watch a clip of Parton and Patterson on Good Morning America here: