A local author donating 100 percent of the launch week proceeds from her debut novel to the Friends of the Cookeville Putnam County Animal Shelter.
Author Olivia Dunham said the Southern Gothic Appalachian folklore thriller is scheduled for release on October 29 through Amazon. Dunham said the “Read a Thriller, Help a Shelter Pet” campaign includes sales from the ebook and paperback versions of the story.
“‘Where the Mountains Sing’ grew from my love of mountain towns, family stories, and places that seem to remember every footstep ever taken across them,” Dunham said. “And although the town Everville may be fictional, the feelings that built it are real”
Dunham said the novel is set in October 1993 and follows a 20-year-old protagonist who rescues a Golden Retriever with uncanny abilities. The campaign utilizes a specific digital pixel that social media users can share to drive sales directly to the shelter.
“I’ve been rescuing animals all my life,” Dunham said. “Since I was teeny tiny. A little girl. My heart never learned how to turn an animal away.”
Dunham said her experience volunteering for the ASPCA in Orlando, Florida, provided insight into the significant needs of animal shelters. She also rescued her own dog, Roxy, from a Florida-based organization that is also participating in the book launch venture.
“I’m telling you that was the hardest and the most rewarding job I’ve ever done. And I don’t know, it just it just really showed me how much these shelters need,” Dunham said.
Dunham grew up in Livingston and returned to the area eight years ago to be closer to her mother. The story was influenced by a lifelong interest in mountain folklore and paranormal phenomena.
“The co-protagonist in your book is a rescue,” Dunham said. “Why not? I don’t know, it just came to me. You know, it was one of those things at 2 o’clock in the morning and I asked my one of my daughters. I said, what do you think? She goes, Mom, that’s a fantastic idea.”
The Friends of the Cookeville Putnam County Animal Shelter will use social media outlets to share the purchase link when the book goes live.
