Loretta Lynn’s family and estate announced that they will release a new book by the queen of country music. The legend completed the hardcover, titled A SONG AND A PRAYER, just before she passed.
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The trailblazer who grew up in Appalachia as a daughter to a Kentucky coal miner, died peacefully on Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2022, at her home in Tennessee. She was 90. Before her passing, she co-wrote a collection of uplifting prayers and lyrics with Dr. Kim McLean.
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The book is set to hit the shelves on May 23, 2023. “Originally slated to come out in December, Mom worked all summer to complete this book. It was so important to her because she had never devoted an entire book to her faith,” said daughter Patsy Lynn Russell. Mom was always open about her faith, but it was a deeply personal matter to her, one in which we knew at the core was the most important thing in her life. Her passing has made this project all the more special to us and we know her fans will feel the same way,” she added.
A SONG AND A PRAYER serves as the late icon’s last offering. Readers could expect a faith-centric novel that will also include lyrics that were inspired by her songwriting sessions throughout her sixty-year-long career in the music industry.
McLean said that Lynn stayed true to her values during the writing process and would encourage her to speak her mind on subjects that she felt were important.
“My writing sessions with Loretta were inspired by our friendship and faith,” said McLean. “She always told me we need to ‘write it the way we say it,’ and these are the things she felt were important to say. It is a capstone project, and a culmination of her wholehearted, unapologetic love of God, of people, and of life.”
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She continued, “We were similar in many ways and connected on a soul level, but her fans know that’s the only way Loretta ever connected—heart to heart. We laughed all the time when we wrote, sometimes argued, then laughed again. This book came about so naturally. Loretta said this project was special to her, and I’m honored to be her collaborator and friend. She was such an inspiration.”
Bookworms of all faiths can embrace month’s-worth of spiritual excerpts and learn how Lynn leaned on her religion to build resilience. According to the press release, the thought-provoking pages will remind Lynn’s fans that “God loves them more than they could imagine.”
Pre-order Loretta Lynn’s A Song & a Prayer, HERE.
Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images for Americana Music
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