PERMISSION TO FLY

“If Layng Martine Jr was only a prose stylist, he would be outstanding. Add to that a deep core of music, a joyous sense of adventure, and an abiding and healing love for his family, and you have an artist in the truest sense of the word. I loved this book.” ―Anne Rivers Siddons, New York Times bestselling author of The Girls of August and Peachtree Road

“PERMISSION TO FLY is Layng Martine Jr.’s love letter to the journey of a free life. If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like to live out your life’s dreams, to pursue your passions against the odds, and to love with all you’ve got, this is the book to grab now. As Layng writes, “Love is so much better than everything else.” The thrill of the reader becoming a voyeur into the life of a Nashville Country Music songwriter only adds to the depth of this memoir Charming, humorous and inspirational, this is a read that will both enchant and enrich.” ―Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of Becoming Mrs. Lewis

“Meet Layng Martine Jr. who befriended a famous musician as a child, worked for Time magazine while still in his teens, met and married the love of his life, and moved south to Nashville to raise a family and become a hit songwriter. Permission to Fly is about a passion for living, victory of the human spirit in the face of adversity, and maybe the best true love story you'll ever read. Warning: this book is addictive and very hard to put down.” ―Bobby Braddock, Member of The Country Music Hall of Fame and The Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, co-writer of D-I-V-O-R-C-E, and He Stopped Loving Her Today

“Layng Martine Jr. and his wife, Linda, have lived extraordinary lives, partly by their own choices and partly by fates completely out of their control. Layng has proven himself not only to be a world-class songwriter, but a husband, father and friend with few equals. Permission to Fly is a joy to read as you watch Layng take the lessons he was given as a child and form them into a life worth living.” ―Robert Hicks, New York Times bestselling author of The Widow of the South and A Separate Country

“PERMISSION TO FLY is a gorgeous book, a true story told through the innocent, optimistic and wondering eyes of a young boy – ending most of a lifetime later in essentially the same innocent, wondering, and grateful voice. Permission To Fly is intensely funny, poignantly, achingly sad, related by the master storyteller who lived it. You can pick up the book and begin anywhere. What you cannot do is put the book down.” ―John S. Beasley ll, Vice-Chancellor, Emeritus, Vanderbilt University and inveterate reader