NashvilleHype!

I would rather read a screenplay than watch a movie.  I don’t know what it is about reading a screenplay that makes them more interesting, but there seems to be a little more imagination involved.  You can read page by page and see what you want to, as well as what you’ve been told to.

If you enjoy reading screenplays, or are just a big fan of ‘buddy movies’ you’re going to enjoy The Adventured of Slim & Howdy, a new novel from Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn (with help from Bill Fitzhugh).  It’s essentially a screenplay for a new movie that’s yet to be shot (it may never make it to the big screen, but I’m betting it will).

Please ignore the horrible cover of the book.  This cover is actually the worst thing about the book itself - as it doesn’t tell you anything that the book is about and doesn’t interest you to buy it in the first place.  The book on the other hand is really good.

It’s based around two guys, Slim and Howdy, who as presented, are a couple of life’s losers in the monetary fashion and each looking for something.  You would think they’re a couple of dilweeds, floating through life without much of a clue - but you soon find out they have a knack for not only summing up a situation pretty quick, they also can’t do anything wrong.  Well, they can’t do anything right that doesn’t turn out wrong, but then, they always seem to get out of the situations they put themselves in.

Soon after they meet they are knee deep in trouble.  It’s the kind of ‘good cop/bad cop’ buddy movie trouble that’s fun to read and keeps the action moving along pretty quickly. 

From mean guys to loose women, and bar ballads to bar fights, Slim and Howdy seem to have the time of their life - even if they’re always being hunted and in real trouble.  In between they work towards their ultimate goal of singing and writing songs, and you’ll recognize several of the songs they sing - after all, some of those big songs are based on Slim and Howdy themselves.

This is the kind of novel that’s easy and fun to read and should be a really big hit.  And this is one story that can have numerous sequels.  It’s going to be fun to watch as their lives together progress.  Where do they go from here?  I’m already waiting on the next installment to find out.  

Kip Gayden is a local author that has written a great court room drama based around true events that happened here in Nashville.

Miscarriage of Justice is a book about love, lust, and murder.  Based on the true story of Anna Dotson, a young mother of two, who falls for the wrong man when her Doctor husband is too busy to satisfy her needs.

When her husband finds out about the affair, there’s only one thing that can happen - her lover has to be taken care of - one way or another.

Kip writes this novel beautifully.  In fact, his writing is far and away some of the best writing I’ve read.  He easily describes people, places, and events in the tone of the times - never forgetting the era when this story took place (1913).

He really excels at his own creative license (though based on a true story, obviously he wasn’t there and certain accounts had to be embellished for the good of the story), writing in a way that completely sucks you into the story.

If I had a complaint about this book it would be two fold:

1. I couldn’t wait to get near the end to see what was gong to happen (that’s not so much a complaint as much as it’s telling how good this book is)

and

2. After I got there, I was disappointed as the style of writing changed from excellent prose, to merely reporting.

As I said, Kip really excels at making up the story in his own mind and placing it on paper.   But after the murder takes place, it’s almost as if having to rely on the actual events that took place at the trial sucked some of the life out of the story.  I would’ve much preferred this story been completely made up by Kip rather than having to slide into the “this happened, that happened” style of writing reality - which can sometimes lead to leaving out important parts of the overall story (why were the kids at the trial after going to considerable lengths to protect them?).

What made this book at least partially appealing for me to read was the fact it’s based here in Nashville.  This was an extraordinary story at the time and Kip was kind enough to include actual news clippings from the “Tennessean” (though sadly missing were actual photographs of Anna and the other players).  (As an aside, the writing in the Tennessean is some of the best writing you will ever read - back then they believed in ‘reporting’ a story, not placing their personal commentary after every sentence.)

Much is made about the book centering around the women’s suffrage movement that had gripped the country, but that part of the story only seemed a sub-plot and easy to look over because of the nature of the characters and the life they were living.  Until the surprise ending that is, when in great fashion, Kip ties it all together.

Overall, this is a great book and I certainly enjoyed reading it.  You will too.  Kip Gayden is a heck of a storyteller - fact, fiction, or otherwise.