The Song of the Midnight Rider Is Now Available
- Lex Enrico Santí, LCSW, MFA
- Mar 5
- 4 min read
Updated: 7 days ago
After years of writing, revising, and carrying the story in my head, I’m excited to share that my debut novel, The Song of the Midnight Rider, is now available.
At its core, the book is a literary noir road novel—a story about loyalty, found family, and the restless pull of the American road.
The novel follows Jordan Samson, a young man moving through a fractured landscape of ambition, violence, and uneasy alliances. Along the way he encounters hustlers, drifters, and unlikely companions while searching for something that might resemble redemption.
The story moves with the rhythm of the road, but it is also deeply concerned with the interior lives of its characters—the choices people make when they are caught between obligation and escape.
Early Praise for the Novel
“A love letter to found family and the American road, Lex E. Santí’s The Song of the Midnight Rider is fast, violent, and full of heart.”
— Kelli Jo Ford
“Lex E. Santí’s first novel is a wild ride… I won’t soon forget Jordan Samson and his headlong journey on the road to, and then away from, his fate.”
— Richard Bausch
“Lex E. Santí has a poet’s heart; his work is a wonder.”
— Cara Hoffman
“Combining the muscular pleasures of a thriller with sharp literary meditations on redemption… Lex Santí’s novel keeps grace just one chance away.”
— Michael Nye
The Long Road Behind the Novel
The Song of the Midnight Rider was not written quickly. The novel grew over more than two decades.
I first began writing the book after completing my BA in English, when I pursued an MFA in Creative Writing at George Mason University in 2005. The MFA taught me how to write seriously—how to shape voice, narrative momentum, and the deeper currents that move through a story.
But like many young writers, I eventually faced a more practical question: how to build a life that could support the work.
I decided to pursue a second degree, earning an MSW and training as a psychotherapist. That decision led me into a profession that I care deeply about, but it also came with an enormous financial burden. Over the years, the loans accumulated—eventually growing to more than $500,000 with interest.
During those years of the MSW, I continued returning to the novel, revising it while building a career in mental health. At times the process felt uncertain and frightening. I was taking on more and more debt while trying to build a life and a profession, unsure whether any of it would ultimately work out.
Listening closely to the stories people carry—their fears, hopes, contradictions—inevitably shaped the way I approached fiction. The work of therapy deepened my understanding of character, of the invisible struggles people carry, and of the long roads people travel to become themselves.
Four months ago, after 11 years working in public service and mental health, I received the letter that my federal student loans had been forgiven through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
That long arc—obligation, uncertainty, perseverance, and the search for redemption—mirrors many of the emotional currents that run through The Song of the Midnight Rider.
In many ways, the novel is about that same journey: the long road between who we once were and who we are still trying to become.
Watch the Promotional Video
Where to Get the Book
You can also order directly from me by emailing lexsantiwriter@gmail.com or reaching out however you normally connect with me—text, Instagram, Facebook, etc. I’m happy to sign a copy and mail it to you for the same price you’d pay elsewhere.
If you read the book and enjoy it, leaving a review is incredibly helpful for a new novel. Reviews on Amazon or Goodreads help other readers discover the book and make a big difference for independent authors.
Learn more about the book here:
If you’d prefer to order right away—or if you’re looking for the Kindle edition (unfortunately I haven’t figured out how to sign those yet)—you can find both the Kindle and paperback editions on Amazon:
Local Bookstores
I’m also planning to stock the novel at Buffalo Street Books and Odyssey Bookstore in Ithaca, NY. I’ll share updates as those become available in store.
If you’d like to see the book in your local bookstore, feel free to reach out to me as well—I’m always happy to connect with shops that are interested in stocking it.
The Soundtrack of
The Song of the Midnight Rider
Music was part of the pulse of this book from the beginning.
To accompany The Song of the Midnight Rider, I created a public Spotify playlist — The Song of the Midnight Rider V1 & V2 — featuring songs that helped shape the novel’s mood, velocity, and emotional landscape.
The playlist moves through blues, Southern rock, soul, folk, and classic rock, with tracks from Gregg Allman, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Marvin Gaye, Neil Young, Otis Redding, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Doors, Warren Zevon, and the Allman Brothers Band.
These songs carry many of the same currents that run through the novel: found family, danger, longing, grit, grace, and the restless pull of the road.
A few of the artists and tracks in the playlist helped evoke the world of Jordan Samson in particular — the haunted motion of “Midnight Rider,” and guitar strumming of Gregg Allman the outlaw energy of John Lee Hooker, the storm-front mythos of Creedence and The Doors, and the raw ache and redemption that thread through soul and blues.
Media Coverage
Coverage is forthcoming from:
The Ithaca Times
The Cornell Daily Sun
I’ll update this page with links as those stories appear.
Media Contact
Lex E. Santí
Email: lexsantiwriter@gmail.com
Website: https://www.lexenricosanti.com
Thank You
Writing a novel is a long road. I’m grateful to the writers, teachers, readers, and friends who helped this story reach the world.
And I’m excited to share the ride.
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