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“The Ballad of Laurel Springs” started with the music, says author Janet Beard, who grew up in Tennessee listening to Appalachian folksongs. “I was particularly curious about murder ballads,” she says of the songs like “Knoxville Girl” and “Pretty Polly” that eulogize young women.
This interest inspired her to dig deeper into the stories behind the songs and write a historical novel that intertwines the stories of multiple generations of women in East Tennessee over the past 100 years.
Listen to the PRosé podcast for more from Janet Beard and the connections between the generations of women in her novel.
– Vikki Locke, C2 Communications
