Art by Cedar Sposato

Laney Parker has a secret, and so do I. Though I am initiated to give the gift of Oneness Blessing Deeksha, which some would say is “New Age” at best and “Sacrilege” at worst, I am descended from a long line of evangelical preachers. The first book in honor of both Deeksha, the healing energy of the Divine, and the Grace that flows from Christ is TENNESSEE TUSSLE.

Actually, Laney Parker has two secrets. First, she is the daughter of a full-blooded Seneca elder who is currently serving a life sentence in state prison for killing a man. Second, even though she is completely devoted to God’s Gift, her church, in order to support herself and her disabled little girl, she plays the fiddle in an old-time country music band.  This wouldn’t be a problem because though her church is strict, it does allow music. However, her band is not doing well and the band members decide to use a gimmick in order to continue making money. They change their band’s name from Bluegrass Dragonfly Band to the Tennessee Tussle Band, playing an eclectic mix of blues, Appalachian ballads and erotic bluegrass. The women in the band, including Laney, have to wear overalls, and are completely naked underneath. The lead singer wears a codpiece, an item that grows in size as he plays his guitar. No way can Laney let anyone from her church know what she is doing to make a living. She insists that the band members wear masks and demands that each venue not reveal who they are. To the band members’ delight, their new band is a success. Laney dreams that she will make enough money so her mother can retire, and she dreams of Jesse Murdoch, the new pastor of her church. 

Jesse Murdoch has a secret too. As son of an evangelical preacher whose congregation is wide and wealthy, and grandson of a famous preacher renowned for the ability to handle poisonous snakes without getting bitten, Jesse is expected to follow in the footsteps of his forefathers. Born with a unique gift of healing with the touch of his hands, Jesse served in his father’s church and people from all over the world came to see the famed “Healing Jesse of the Holy Mandate Church.” His father fully expected Jesse to continue in his mission, to draw people to the Holy Mandate who would support the style of life the Murdochs had come to enjoy. However, Jesse’s father didn’t realize Jesse was intensely devoted to serving the Divine. No longer willing to take money for the evangelical work he performed, Jesse flees his father’s church and takes a position as pastor at God’s Gift, a small country church in Deauville, Tennessee. Jesse continues to use his power to heal, but he does this in private, with no fame or fortune. However, Jesse’s gift has a cost. Whenever he uses his gift to heal, awakening the power inside of him, this power demands to be fed with extreme sensual experiences. Jesse seeks to satisfy the power’s hunger by long, wild rides on his motorcycle. It wouldn’t do for the pastor of a church to be seen consorting with women of questionable morals, like the women of his father’s congregation who were all too willing to “service” the needs of the handsome young Jesse Murdoch. He hopes to feed the needs of his gift with rides on his Harley, and is able to do this until he meets Laney.  

Art by Cedar Sposato

Worlds collide when Jesse decides to date Laney Parker. He wants to hide his gift and the demands it makes of him from her and she wants to hide the fact that she plays the fiddle onstage with barely a stitch of clothes on. When a Hollywood agent discovers the up-and-coming Tennessee Tussle band, and Jesse’s gift makes greater and greater demands for its use, the jig is up.