Dolly Parton to headline audiobook cast of her debut novel with Patterson

Dolly Parton will headline the audiobook cast of her debut novel Run Rose Run (Century) along with singer and songwriter Kelsea Ballerini in the role of protégée to Parton’s character.  

Parton co-wrote the Nashville-based thriller with author James Patterson and will simultaneously release an album of the same name, consisting of 12 original songs inspired by the book. Run Rose Run will be published in hardback, e-book and audiobook by Century, Penguin Random House UK, on 7th March 2022. 

“Pairing Patterson’s brilliant character building and dramatic skills with Dolly Parton’s unparalleled insight into the music world’s star-making machinery, Run Rose Run will be the blockbuster novel of 2022,” the publisher said. 

“Though Run Rose Run is the first novel Dolly Parton has ever written, she is no stranger to either audiobook recording or major acting roles, so found herself on familiar territory when she stepped into a Nashville recording studio to read the part of Ruthanna Ryder, a beloved country icon attempting to retire from the business when a gifted young performer begins to captivate audiences in the bar she owns.” 

Parton said: “I’m thrilled to share the news that Ruthanna’s fledgling counterpart in the story, a brilliant young singer/songwriter with a mysteriously dark past, is narrated by Kelsea Ballerini, who I knew from the beginning could bring the right balance of vulnerability, ferocity, and sparkling wit to the character AnnieLee.” 

“I think our fans are going to love hearing us in a totally different way than they’re used to, and they’re going to love following our characters on their unpredictable journeys through the Nashville music scene and beyond. We just can’t wait to share our performances, woven into the work of the rest of the amazing cast of professional narrators, with Run Rose Run.” 

Ballerini commented: “Working on a creation from the ever-brilliant mind of Dolly Parton has to be a dream job for anyone, especially as a young artist in country music. And as a writer myself, to be asked to join this project that is also a collaboration with James Patterson — another incredible storyteller, not to mention bestselling author — has been truly thrilling. It is an incredible privilege to voice the story and character of AnnieLee, a girl who has seen the worst of what people can do to each other, but who still has the pure ambition to want bigger and better things for herself. She has an unwavering belief in her innate talent and relentlessly pulls herself from the depths of hell into finding her platform to share her gifts with the world.” 

Patterson said: “The cast for Run Rose Run’s audiobook edition is truly beyond compare. With Dolly Parton and Kelsea Ballerini headlining, we’re the hottest ticket in town, no question. And the rest of the cast, headed by award-winning narrator Soneela Nankani, really bring the characters to life in exactly the way Dolly and I envisioned when we were writing.”