''Pretty Paper'' is a Christmas novel co-written by

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...

and

David Ritz David Ritz (born December 2, 1943 in New York City) is an American author. He has written novels, biographies, magazine articles, and over a hundred liner notes for artists such as Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Nat King Cole. He has coauthor ...

. The book presents a fictional account about the life of the street vendor who inspired the song of the same name.

Overview

In 1963, Nelson wrote the song "

Pretty Paper ''Pretty Paper'' is the first Christmas album and 24th studio album by country singer Willie Nelson. It was also his last release of the 1970s. Nelson reunited with producer/arranger Booker T. Jones, with whom he had collaborated on the acclai ...

", inspired by a street vendor he often saw in

Fort Worth, Texas Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...

during the Christmas season that sold pencils on the door of a department store. The song was later made famous by

Roy Orbison Roy Kelton Orbison (April 23, 1936 – December 6, 1988) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician known for his impassioned singing style, complex song structures, and dark, emotional ballads. His music was described by critics as ...

, while Nelson recorded his own version in 1979. Published on October 25, 2016 by

Blue Rider Press Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when obse ...

, the book was co-authored by

. In the fictional account, Nelson decides to learn more about the man, who he learns to be a fellow musician. The man by the name of Vernon Clay initially resists his inquires, eventually later showing Nelson his proficiency on the guitar and singing.

References

{{Willie Nelson Books by Willie Nelson 2016 American novels Collaborative novels Christmas novels Blue Rider Press books