Writing

About the southern novel "A Simple But Kind Gesture on What Was an Otherwise Ordinary Day"

“Butter Stubbs hadn’t had a bath in more days than she had fingers and toes.” The opening line to Rebecca Newton’s first novel, “A Simple but Kind Gesture on What Was an Otherwise Ordinary Day“, tells the story of Butter Stubbs’ interesting, somewhat troubled, sometimes complicated, but always entertaining life growing up in Bristol, Tennessee. The novel is a “fictional memoir” and Newton’s first attempt at writing prose. A longtime songwriter and storyteller, Rebecca jumped head first into the world of novel writing, all the while receiving encouragement and “much needed” help from longtime southern writers and friends Clyde Edgerton and Lee Smith. “I’m also in a writing group with excellent writers, published writers, in fact. We meet once a month and they are so encouraging. My brother recently joined the group and has been UBER helpful. He’s been writing and teaching creative writing at Johns Hopkins most of his life. I had no idea how good he was! I was always way too ADD to read fiction. I’d get 10 pages in and SQUIRREL! I couldn’t write anything other than music and lyrics, which was simple for me because it was so compact. You tell a story in 4 verses and a chorus. Viola!“ Rebecca attributes her recently acquired attention skills and abilities to concentrated/immersive meditation, which she began around 2015. “Game changer!” Newton exclaims.

As for writing prose, “I have no idea what I’m doing,” she openly admits, “and I was so relieved to hear several writer friends say ‘None of us do, Rebecca.’ It made me feel like I wasn’t quite as naïve or a wannabe… I have something to say and so, I’m saying it.” Rebecca points out how she especially loves live readings from her book, following the readings with songs that point to various chapters of her novel. “I’ve had a great response to this read/sing medium,” she says. “Now I just want to do it at every gig. There’s something very soothing about it.”

In November 2022, Rebecca and her musical partner and “most excellent friend” David Burney held a record/storybook release event. The two friends produced the joint record release at The Haw River Ballroom (link) located in Saxapahaw, NC. A local legend with an amazing voice, Pam Smith, read the excerpts from the music story book and Rebecca and the musicians who collaborated and recorded on the record followed each excerpt with songs from the record/storybook Riding Ponies to the Moon. Rebecca is also the executive producer of Burney’s first solo album entitled “I Forgive it All.”

Newton hopes to finish “Butter” by mid 2023. “Then there’s the work of figuring out what comes next. But I sure am enjoying myself on this wild literary ride.”

The talented actor and voice over artist, Kate Forbes, reads excerpts from “Butter” on “Riding Ponies top the Moon”. Enjoy!