Thirteen years ago I spent the summer in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the biggest, scariest, most magical adventure of my life. Every morning I woke up in Belle Meade and drove to Music Row. I pitched my songs to publishers, attended workshops, co-wrote with anyone who would have me, listened to writer’s rounds in awe, and played as many shows as I could.
I would sit on a stool between old cowboys in honky-tonks, wearing a pink summer dress and a confident smile, and say, “my name is Alex and this is a song I wrote about a boy who broke my heart.” If I think of that summer for too long, I’ll cry. It meant everything to me.
Before I left for Tennessee my best friend said, “don’t meet some cute boy band, fall in love, and never come home.” Drinking an Arnold Palmer at Edgehill Café between meetings, that felt like a great idea for a book. I began writing, inspired by everything I was experiencing in Nashville—minus the cute boy band, unfortunately.
Unsure if anyone besides me would enjoy the story, I changed some key details and posted chapter one to bless ’ed Tumblr as a fanfiction. It found its audience, and oh my, did they ever champion it. What happened next was a dream come true.
I came home from Nashville and began University. On Christmas break I confessed to my mom that I had accidentally written an entire novel. After many rejection letters, I found an agent, who found us a publisher, who turned my manuscript into my debut novel, Tangled In Tennessee. I held it in my hands, and the cover was so soft. The sequel, Tangled On Tour, was published shortly after.
And so these two books existed in the world, like a time capsule of my life up until that point.
Graciously, I am not the girl I was back then, in both big and small ways. We both still romanticize everything, love pink summer dresses, can recite every Taylor Swift lyric, and dream of Nashville. However, the woman I am today knows better than I did at nineteen.
First, I have an English Literature degree, so I know that there is no need to constantly mention characters by name. Vague pronouns are a real threat to be conscious of, but girl, chill! I’ve also walked through a feminist revolution. Mackenzie, you don’t need to comment on a hot girl wearing a short dress. Be a girl’s girl! Finally, and most importantly, I HAVE NOW ACTUALLY KISSED A BOY! PRAISE GOD!
I was struggling to recommend people read these books, since they no longer felt like an accurate depiction of my writing, my beliefs, and my kissing ability. It was time for an edit. I am proud to say I now have the sole rights to these stories again, and have decided to release a second edition!
The heart of the story and writing absolutely remains, with some surface-level edits that better align with who I am today. You’ll find new scenes in the addition of a prologue and a bonus scene, tech and song updates, all your favourite tropes, my own songwriting scattered throughout, and a playlist of songs that inspired each chapter. What more could a person want!?
So on August 2nd, 2025, once again, I give you Tangled in Tennessee.
One city. One dream. One world-famous boy band.