Dolly Parton team ups with James Patterson for debut novel

Author James Patterson and singer Dolly Parton have teamed up to write a novel about a young woman who comes to Nashville to pursue her music-making dreams. 

Penguin Random House UK acquired UK and Commonwealth rights, excluding Canada, from Robert Barnett and Deneen Howell of Williams & Connolly for Run, Rose, Run. It will be published by Century in the UK, and Little, Brown in North America on 7th March 2022.

The book will be the first novel Parton has written. She will also simultaneously release an album of the same name, consisting of 12 original songs inspired by the book. The album is co-produced by Richard Dennison and Tom Rutledge and will be released on Parton's own Butterfly Records in partnership with another record label yet to be determined. 

Parton said: “I cannot be more excited about the release of my very first novel, Run, Rose, Run, with the great James Patterson. I also have a new album to go along with the book. All new songs were written based on the characters and situations in the book. I hope you enjoy the book and the songs as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it all together!”

Patterson added: “It’s been an honour—and a hell of a lot of fun—to work with the inimitable Dolly Parton, whom I’ve long admired for her music, her storytelling, and her enormous generosity. The mind-blowing thing about this project is that reading the novel is enhanced by listening to the album and vice versa. It’s a really unique experience that I know readers (and listeners) will love.”