Larry Brown Biography

I'd heard of Mississippi author Larry Brown, but after reading this great review of his biography in Southern Literary Review, I realize I need to get cracking and read some of his work! His books include Dirty Work, Father and Son (which won the Southern Book Award), and Big Bad Love, which inspired a 2001 movie by the same name. He passed away in 2004 at the age of 53.

Selp pub writer wins Southern Fiction Award

I am quite excited about this news because it shows that self published authors can have as much quality and clout as "regularly" published authors. Jessica James (I like that name, too!) has won the 2011 John Esten Cooke Fiction Award for her historical fiction novel Noble Cause.

The award is presented each year by to an author of a historical novel dealing with the South. According to a press release: "Other John Esten Cooke Award winners include New York Times bestselling authors Donald McCaig for Jacob's Ladder, Robert Macomber for Point of Honor, and Harry Turtledove for The Guns of the South."

In the coming months and years, I hope more self published books win literary awards, as it will show agents and publishing companies that they really need to pay attention to indie writers! Do you know of any other indie award winners? Please let me know, and I'll post them here.

Christmas Sale!

Please grab a copy of my ebook, Rocky Road, for only $1 while the sale lasts! Just enter code FX88C at checkout. You can find it at: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/92580

Rocky Road is a mini collection of four short stories, all wacky and set in the South. You can read free previews on the website above. Sale ends Christmas day!

Southern writer Jesmyn Ward

Mississippi author Jesmyn Ward has won the U.S. National Book Award for her second novel Salvage The Bones about a family living through Hurricane Katrina. Check out this interesting article about her in The Guardian.