Contemporary Character 2017: A Song for the Season

Published: 2017. Author: Kellen Hertz. Cover design Angela Jun.

Summary

Following an exhilarating performance at Belle Starr’s final stop in her world tour, Tenney and Logan find themselves gaining more and more internet fame—enough to justify their own, much smaller tour. They’ll play five locations around Nashville the week before Christmas, returning home Christmas Eve. Tenney is excited, but sad she’ll be missing out on some of her holiday traditions and time with her friends, mom, and siblings (her dad is coming, as is their manager). Logan is more reserved, worried about Jude. But they set out optimistic.

The first performance is a nightmare. The sound system goes haywire, and by the time it’s fixed, half their allotted time is gone and much of the audience has left. Tenneyand Logan power through, bringing back some viewers, but are understandably disappointed with how things went. The next performance has a hitch as well: they’re double-booked with a children’s choir. They work out singing some songs with them, which delights both the younger children and a set of sisters who drove a long way to see them. Zane gives the sisters tickets to their next performance, which will be in a proper concert hall, unlike the two previous bookings. That one goes well, aside from Logan slipping up a few times. Well, and Tenney snapping at him on stage about it (away from the microphone, fortunately).

Logan’s been so tense and withdrawn during the trip, no matter what Tenney does to draw him out of his shell (maybe leave him alone for half a second?). And one evening Tenney overhears her dad and her manager discussing how if Tenney and Logan don’t stop getting on each other’s nerves, maybe they’re not ready to record an album. Tenney tries to find a time to talk to Logan, but it never seems right. Finally, on the way to their last venue Christmas Eve, she gets her chance...when the van gets stranded in a snowstorm (her dad walks to get help while their manager tries to flag down a passing car). Logan reveals that he’s upset not just because of his brother, but because he figured his dad had so much fun touring that he rarely visits, but seeing how much of it is draining and grueling makes him wonder how his dad can choose that over his family.

By the time the group gets towed into town, Tenney and Logan have made up. But while the fix is relatively simple, the shop is backed up and the snow has closed a main road. They’re stranded until at least the morning. The group checks into a hotel, worried about how they’ll spend Christmas. Tenney decides to make the best of things, and with the okay of the hotel owners, her dad, the manager, and Logan, she and Logan put on a performance right in the lobby for other stranded travelers.

The morning greets the group with a working car and clear roads. They’re all able to make it back in time to spend at least most of Christmas with their loved ones.

Misc

Dedicated to Mikayla, Kaiya, Owen, and Kieran.

Aubrey wants to learn to play another instrument, because she only knows accordion. I understand wanting to expand her repertoire, but accordion is hard! If she’s good enough to say “only accordion” shoe must be really good.


One concert is in Franklin, TN. I have a fridge magnet from there, with (fake) ladybugs on it.

We stayed in hotels on Christmas Eve in 2014 and 2015. Both times the hotels had festive decorations, not dusty relics like in this book, and last year the staff put a stocking on everyone’s room with some treat so inside. We use that stocking for our pets now. That hotel was in Washington, the 2014 one in Texas.