Taylor Brown

I woke up this morning to this review of Rednecks from Shaun Slifer, Creative Director at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum. I have to say this one means one hell of a lot to me coming from someone who knows the story, material, and minutiae so well.

“That’s the power of fiction…the force of bringing the story right to your gut and making you feel it in a way that a work of straight history may never be able to make ‘real’, including and in particular the most uncomfortable parts. Taylor Brown’s forthcoming novel Rednecks is this kind of book, and it’s an absolute stick of dynamite.”

One of the most rewarding aspects is that Shaun, who designs the museum’s exhibitions and works hands-on cataloguing the museum’s many artifacts from the era, is in a rare position to recognize the deep digging for authenticity and detail that went into the book — the way it was built from the dirt up, from old shell casings and transcripts, obscure photos and actual objects from the battle itself.

“I found myself nodding along at so many little details while reading Rednecks, constantly registering the historical facts and sources that Taylor was working with. I couldn’t help it, I’ve been digesting the minutiae of this history for years, and so I could tell you that Taylor has ‘done his research’, but that’s honestly selling it short. He’s dug about as deep as you can go, pulling experiences from everywhere: from obscure photo captions and court transcripts, oral histories and actual objects on exhibit in the museum, building a novel from the grains of historical reality, piece by piece by piece.”

I just want to thank Shaun and everyone at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum for all of the work they do to unbury and illuminate this vital piece of history.  Y’all go see them in Matewan!

A pencil pressed into a shell casing, found at Adkins Fork.

And if you haven’t preordered Rednecks yet, you can do it right here: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/rednecks/

I don’t normally share reviews, but I received this very kind early review from a long-time reader, Randal White.

In less than 10 years, author Taylor Brown has developed into a undeniable force. About every two years, he turns out a new novel that one just cannot put down. “The River of Kings” and “Gods of Howl Mountain” are two of my favorite books of recent times. I honestly did not think he would ever be able to reproduce that level of writing again. Then I received an ARC of “Rednecks”, his latest novel (to be published in May 2024). Wow! Was I ever wrong in doubting his ability! I dare say Rednecks is his best work yet.

The book is set in the early 1920’s, in the coal fields of West Virginia. It’s the story of the underdog coal miners against, well, everyone else…the coal barons, the hired thugs of the companies, and even the government. I wasn’t familiar with the “war” that went on there, but am totally shocked at it now. HOW did this happen? It gives me a much deeper appreciation of the struggles and sacrifices of so many to unionize.

This is an incredible story! I guarantee that once you begin reading it, you will not rest until you finish it. Brown has written a great narrative of the war, using many varied characters. Each is well developed and feels real. The way he writes, you can see the landscapes, smell the gun smoke and sweat, taste the fear in the people, hear the guns as well as the silences. It’s all here. You will become immersed in the settings, and actually flinch when a gun goes off in the story.

At the end, you’re exhausted, unaware that anyone could write to make you feel such a range of emotions. And you will sit back in your chair, take a deep breath, and realize how lucky we are today because of the sacrifices of the people before us. I’m glad Brown only releases a book every two years, I honestly need the time in between to recover from the last one!

Three Things You Can Do to Support Rednecks

There are three things that would really support the book at this early and important juncture — I’d be so grateful if you considered them.

1. Add Rednecks to your Goodreads shelf.

2. Pre-order a signed copy from E. Shaver Booksellers.
(Or pre-order from your favorite retailer).

3. Forward this email to a friend or share this post on your social media.

I’m happy to share our first trade review for Wingwalkers, which releases on April 19. It’s from Publishers Weekly, who calls the novel “elegant and thrilling.” Huzzah! What’s more, the book is now available for preorder — details below!

Wingwalkers is now available for preorder, which means that you can have the book arrive in your hands on publication day. I’d be so grateful if you considered preordering, as it’s a very important indicator for stores, retailers, and in-house marketing/publicity to get excited about the book.

• For Signed Copies: E. Shaver Booksellers
• For Signed Copies: The Book Lady Bookstore, (912) 233-3628
• Supports Indie Bookstores: bookshop.org/a/2809/9781250274595
• Large West Coast Indie: Powells
• Barnes & Noble
• Amazon

We’ve been very lucky to receive some rave reviews for Gods of Howl Mountain, both from trade publications and indie booksellers.

Trade Reviews:

“Brown (The River of Kings, 2017) immerses the reader in the mountain landscape, such that one can feel the rich soil as Granny May digs for roots, listen to nocturnal howls carried on the crisp night air, and smell the pig roasting over the fire. Brown’s dialogue, too, is magical, capturing the local idioms and cadences and rendering them musical. Ultimately, though, it’s the characters, so wonderfully vibrant and alive in their all-too-human variety—scared, tightly wound, angry, damaged, yet resourceful and resilient, some honorable, some not—that demonstrate Brown’s prodigious talent. Brown has quickly established himself in the top echelon of Southern writers, and his latest will please readers of Wiley Cash and Ron Rash.” —Booklist

“Powerful…explosive…Brown’s lyrical prose invokes a verdant landscape whose rich past is woven into its roots and people; their dependence on the land and respect for its great mysteries are palpable.  This tale of loyalty and retribution will linger with readers.” —Publishers Weekly

“In his third novel (after River of Kings), critically acclaimed novelist Brown gazes unflinchingly at the Howl Mountain community of 1950s North Carolina…Not to be missed, this bold, dark, gritty novel is another coup for Brown, whose lyrical descriptions of the landscape only add to the captivating story of indomitable but isolated folks bound by folklore, tradition, and a hardscrabble life.” —Library Journal

Bookseller Reviews:

Rachel Watkins from Avid Bookshop in Athens, GA:

“Taylor Brown’s writing grows sharper with each book and you’ll love GODS OF HOWL MOUNTAIN as the people and places inevitably win your heart. Korean war veteran Rory Docherty and his forest shaman grandmother May have a deep connection to their North Carolina town, and when Rory’s bootlegging business gets rocky, deep family secrets may have something to do with the trouble. This is a lyrically beautiful book. If you haven’t read Taylor Brown, I’d start with this one.”

Darwin Ellis from Books on the Common in Ridgefield, CT:

“Gods of Howl Mountain—Taylor Brown.  Although we all have or had grandmothers, it would be rare if one of them resembles ‘Granny May’ who dominates this tale of 1950s North Carolina backwoods seething with bootleggers, Feds, crooked lawmen and snake-handling Christians.  She has raised her grandson Rory, recently returned from Korea minus a leg and minus an explanation for who killed his father and made his mother mute with grief.  Granny May has a dark past but is now retired to the mountains where she is a force to be reckoned with as the local folk healer which she does with herbs and potions, and other tricks.  So take a visit to the hollers of North Carolina and meet the curious folk who once inhabited them with Taylor Brown as your guide.  His writing sometimes tingles the throat like that moonshine transported all other those hills with such passion, skullduggery , determination,  and ingenuity.”

Josh Niesse of Hills & Hamlets Bookshop in Chattahoochee Hills, GA:

“Two words: Granny May. The story of Rory Docherty and the illegal whiskey running business he is caught up in is good, great even. But Rory’s grandmother steals the show.  Granny May is a witchy Appalachian folk healer, herbalist, and bawdy former prostitute whose dark, earthy wisdom combines with her sly, miscreant humor to create a truly unforgettable character. I think Taylor Brown shook Tom Robbins and Flannery O’Connor in a cocktail shaker with whiskey, cannabis, and sassafras and out poured Granny May.”

Damita Nocton from The Country Bookshop in Southern Pines, NC:

“To read the work of Taylor Brown is to be given the capacity to enter any world his writing fearlessly creates. He is a well-spring of lyrical beauty.

“Gods of Howl Mountain carried me deep into the mountains of NC, post-Korean War, where moonshine ran like it sprang from the earth, where the embryonic seeds for NASCAR were being sown by moonshine runners in souped up cars, and where the people took care of their own, whether by home remedies gifted from the mountains or by brutality and revenge.

“The characters are unforgettable and remained with me long after closing the book. They are toughened by life, hopeful, and endearing—survivors all. Brown was able to brilliantly infuse humor and light into this gritty tale. Rory Docherty has returned from the war, leaving a leg in exchange for the horrors he can’t forget. His beautiful mother is a resident at Dorothea Dix Hospital, muted by a heinous act of violence, leaving Rory to be raised the inimitable Granny May. This diminutive force is his maternal grandmother; former prostitute turned healer, drawing from the folk knowledge that the mountains take care of their own. Rory’s livelihood options are limited, so he turns to running moonshine, chased by revenuers, lawmen, competing runners, and his own demons. There are questions from the past to be answered, grudges to bear, and redemption to be found.

“I lifted my head from this extraordinary novel in the wee hours of the morning, stunned by the time passed and grateful for the opportunity to read such a literary gift. A vision from the novel that haunts me is that of a lone surviving chestnut tree in front of Granny May’s cabin, branches filled with empty bottles to capture evil spirits and protect the home. The mountains are filled with spirits, good and evil.

“Gods of Howl Mountain captures those spirits like that lone bottle tree within its pages.”

Pre-Order Gods of Howl Mountain now!

• Amazon
• Kindle
• BN
• Nook
• iBooks
• Kobo
• Indiebound

I don’t usually review the books I read, but when I do it’s a book as good as Eric Shonkwiler’s Above All Men. There is a lot of comparing done these days of writers to Cormac McCarthy, and I find most such comparisons unmerited, to be honest.

Not in this case.

Rarely does a writer achieve heights that seem almost superhuman, that stun me because they’re just so damn good. Eric Shonkwiler does that, and does it with vicious restraint. I will not give you a synopsis; I will give you a passage:

Another bolt of lightning wired down and brightened, disappeared and flickered back. The sky and ground darkened and in the cloud were seams and wrinkles of cobalt that glowed as if the whole thunderhead were alight. The air shook. David took Samuel by the collar and guided him indoors. From inside they could only see the green air bright as neon. The wind bent the trees and the house creaked. Samuel went to look out the window in their bedroom and David followed, Helene behind him, and they watched a black cloud the shape of a slug twist down from the sky and a plume of dust rise to meet it.

I mean, Jesus Christ people. Now combine that with dialogue like this:

He breathed in and stabbed the fork into the meatloaf, let it stand.
Why don’t you stick around for the day?
They said this guy moves around a lot.
Danver’s face pinched. You’re giving me gray hairs.
You’re bald.
You’re givin’ someone gray hairs.
Probably myself. I haven’t looked in the mirror lately.
Maybe you should.

The family dynamics are handled exceptionally well, as is the inner strife of the main character, and the images of a dust-ridden Midwest are not to be missed. Above All Men has my highest recommendation. I can’t wait to see what Shonkwiler does next.