Sand in my Boots

A young songwriter comes to Southport, North Carolina, searching for inspiration. A woman from California arrives searching for something of her own. When a chance encounter on the beach turns into whiskey by the water, wandering historic streets, dinner at sunset, and a kiss beneath the stars, two strangers find themselves caught inside the kind of love story they both thought only existed on paper. But morning is coming, and she carries a truth she hasn’t told him—one that makes following him home impossible, no matter how badly she wants to. By sunrise, all he’ll have left of her is a paperback, a little sand in his boots, and the beginnings of a song about the girl he may never see again. Inspired by Morgan Wallen’s bittersweet hit “Sand in My Boots,” this original story is featured on Songbook—the serialized fiction podcast where songs become stories. Each episode transforms the feeling behind a beloved song into an original work of short fiction, followed by a behind-the-scenes episode exploring the music, artists, places, and memories that inspired it.