The Other Side of the Song

Book excerpt: Ten-year-old Missy Brown is surviving poverty and abuse in a drug-infested, Nashville trailer park. Sunlight comes into her life when, on TV, she sees the famous, beautiful country music star, Marty Abby, who sings a song about a mother's love. Missy's mother is a drug-addicted prostitute. The little girl writes to Marty, hoping and praying deep in her hear that her idol will take note and come for her. Her mother is so far gone in her addiction that she pimps her child to get money for her drugs and nearly kills Missy when she doesn't "perform." Her mother goes to jail; and Missy recovers because, and only because, her idol comes to the hospital, at the doctor's request, and sings to her little fan who is in deep coma Missy is placed in a loving foster home but was miserable and terrified of these strangers. She still aches to meet her idol, whose song in the hospital was only a dream to Missy. Will her prayer ever be answered? Will the two worlds ever come together? The world of fame, fortune, and romance on Nashville's country music stage and that of children thrown away by society.