Journey To 1940s NYC Through Chatham Author's 'Ballad Of Dreams'

CHATHAM, NJ — Fans of television shows like "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" will want to pre-order a copy of Chatham-based Allyson Hernandez's "Ballad of Dreams," which follows the lives of two cousins in 1940s New York City.

Hernandez's book, which will be out in paperback in late December, is available for pre-sale for the next 10 days, she told Patch. The story is told in a non-linear fashion, with chapters based on themes like love, loss and dreams and musical lyrics spread throughout.

"Ballad of Dreams" follows Audrey, a fiery, ambitious Irish-American young woman who dreams of playing at Carnegie Hall; and Rose, her cousin and best friend, an elegant voice of reason who plays host to her husband's glamorous life in New York City theater.

While Audrey and her boyfriend are following their dreams and preparing to audition for a Carnegie Hall performance, a tragic loss strikes their family. Concurrently, Rose is experiencing a loss of her own, as she watches her marriage crumble.

"'Ballad of Dreams' sings of the power of friendship and demonstrates the shift in how women saw themselves, and their identities, through different eras of society spanning from the 1930s to the early 2000s," the book's website reads. "While inspired by true events and influenced by key moments in history, the story and characters are fictionalized."

Hernandez, an executive coach with a degree and background in the performing arts, said she drew inspiration for the book from the lives of her grandmother and her great-aunt.

When inspiration struck, she interviewed family members and learned more about her grandmother's life before she became the family matriarch and a mother of 13.

"I wanted to know about this whole stage of her life," Hernandez said. "Who was she before being a mother and grandmother defined her?"

Hernandez's initial idea was for "Ballad of Dreams" to be a musical, she said, and she had even done two readings of it with her network of musical theater colleagues in New York City before the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Though her idea morphed into a book over time, she has already funded an audiobook and is planning to release the musical's soundtrack as well. In an ideal world, she said, the story would become a staged production, concert or Netflix miniseries.

"All of those streaming services are looking for content," Hernandez said. "And everybody loves musicals."

Anyone who preorders "Ballad of Dreams" will receive a signed copy in early January, Hernandez said, and beginning in late December the book will be available for purchase on Amazon and Barnes & Noble's website.