Country Artist Scott Coner Writes Short Story That Sheds Light on Spousal Abuse Against Women

            NASHVILLE, Tenn. (February 2016) – Country artist Scott Coner has written a touching short story titled "When An Angel Cried" that reveals the often unspoken but devastating impact of spousal abuse on married women. 

            Scott says he was inspired to write a song after his wife, Cyndi, shared a true story about her mother being abused by an overbearing husband. He wrote the companion short story after recording the song in Nashville last year. A music video, "When the Angels Cry", has been viewed by thousands of people on You Tube and Facebook.

            "Like the song and video, I hope the short story will reach as many people as possible," the artist said. "We probably all know someone who has been abused in some way. There are all types of abuse. I have actually known of two different men who actually locked their wives in the house while they were gone to work. I think we have a lot to do in our society to raise awareness about spousal abuse."

            Individuals can read Scott's new short story, "When An Angel Cried", at http://www.scottconer.com/#!when-an-angel-cried/c1mci. The music video, "When The Angels Cry", can be viewed at https://youtu.be/SXUUgLl43TA.

            The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence reports that one in five women have been victims of severe physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime. Startling statistics show that on a typical day, there are more than 20,000 phone calls to domestic violence hotlines nationwide.

            "I think I am passionate about the issue in part because of my own wife having to live in an abusive situation as a teenager," added Scott, who has recorded songs with legendary artists such as Tanya Tucker and T. Graham Brown. "But there is more to it than that. I hate to see anyone lose her self-worth and identity because of someone else. We all deserve a voice, and we all deserve respect."

            His short story, "When An Angel Cried", opens with a young woman tearfully facing life-threatening spousal abuse. Deeply afraid of her violent husband, she attempts to come up with an "escape plan" that will save her life. But escaping her tortured situation won't be easy. She will have to endure a final beating and her own self-doubt before finally building up the courage to limp toward the front door to freedom.

Scott Coner (Photo by Cynnamae Media Productions)

            Scott wrote the song late one afternoon while he wife was preparing dinner. It tells the story of a woman who is abused by her husband night after night. In the lyric, the woman pleads with her spouse to stop. "You've taken all that I am... There's nothing left of me but this broken wedding band... Please don't hit me again... Please don't take my life... Look into these eyes for God's sake... That's your wife."

            "When my wife put the concept for the music video together, I began the process of writing the companion short story," he noted.

            Scott recorded the song with top-tier session players in Nashville, and the couple teamed up to shoot a stirring video on their rural farm near Franklin, Ind. The artist hopes the song and video will be a meaningful tool for organizations that are helping abused women realize their own potential while encouraging men to overcome a lifestyle of abuse. 

            Cyndi, who runs the family's Cynnamae Media Productions, brought the black and white video to life with realistic scenes of a Southern woman battered by an intoxicated, uncaring husband. In the end, the victim finally decides to run away. But when she opens a closet door to get her suitcase, a Bible falls out onto the floor. Listeners/viewers can hear Scott singing the chorus. "When the angels cry... You can almost taste the tears... Flowing like a river... It's been dammed up for years...."

            "The issue itself should be important to all of us," the artist continued. "If we know someone who is in such a situation and we have a relationship that allows for discussion, we should talk to that person. I don't know the answers to this problem, but if I could say one thing, it would be this: Christ died for each of us that day on the cross. Life can push us a long way from such truth sometimes. But if he was willing to die for each of us, then that means he loves each of us. If we are in a valley, maybe we should pray for his direction and his strength. If we can take a step in faith, then we are beginning to have 'Christ-esteem' as opposed to self-esteem. Maybe it all comes down to what we see in the mirror. Maybe somewhere we stop loving and respecting ourselves enough that we may feel we don't even deserve a better life. That is a lie that has been told for thousands of years. We are all deserving of God's love, and we are all his children."

            Scott Coner has recorded songs with a who's who of country legends including Tanya Tucker, T. Graham Brown, and Charlie Daniels. Scott's single "Maybe She Lied", a duet with Tucker on Reedy's Dream Records, hit number one on the United Kingdom's Hot Disk Top 40. Other songs, including "Sanibel" (a duet with Brown) and "Reedy's Dream" (with vocal and instrumental contributions from Daniels) have been heard on terrestrial and online radio stations around the world. Also an emerging author, Scott recently penned the book "Lynyrd Skynyrd: Ronnie Van Zant and Me" with Gene Odom, a survivor of the Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash.

            To learn more about Scott Coner or to download his songs and videos, visit www.ScottConer.com.