Taylor Brown

I was honored to learn yesterday morning that my story “World without End” was selected as one of eight finalists for the Doris Betts Fiction Prize, sponsored by the North Carolina Writers’ Network and judged by Liza Wieland, editor of the North Carolina Literary Review. This story was inspired by the 1976 Oscar-winning documentary Harlan Country, USA, which followed 180 coalminers striking against Duke Power in southeast Kentucky. We all know about Harlan from watching Justified these days, but I would recommend this documentary to anyone who wants to learn the bloody history of this part of the country.

In any case, Liza Wieland had some nice things to say about the story:

“I admired ‘World Without End’ for its dark and beautiful writing about murder and vengeance in a coal-mining community,” Wieland said of Brown’s story. “I am reminded of Flannery O’Connor’s injunction that the use of violence in fiction should never be an end in itself, but should show the qualities in the characters which are least dispensable—in this case loyalty and a deep sense of justice.”

Big congratulations go to Laura Herbst, whose story “The Cliffs of Mobenga” took first place!

The Spring 2014 Issue of Needle Magazine is available now! It features my story “An Unkindness,” as well as work from kick-ass writers like Heath Lowrance, Rob W. Hart, Patti Abbott, Jen Conley, Stephen D. Rogers, Court Merrigan, Sandra Seamans, Trent England, Christopher L. Irvin, William Boyle, William Dylan Powell, and Tom Joyce. And killer cover art!

“An Unkindness” is set during Prohibition, in moonshine country, and grew out of the research I was doing for the latest novel I’ve been working on.

Get your copy here!

SIGNED copies of my debut short story collection, In the Season of Blood and Gold, are now available for pre-order!  Here’s what Robert Morgan (The Road from Gap Creek) has to say about the book:

“Almost all Taylor Brown’s stories are family dramas, stories of blood and kinship, betrayal, and conflicted loyalties. Set sometimes in the past, other times in the present or future, and told with verve in a fresh and memorable voice, these stories reward the reader with surprise, authenticity, and the mystery of human connection.”

I’m so honored by these kind words from a true giant of Southern letters.  Robert Morgan has published fourteen books of poetry, eight volumes of fiction, and three books of nonfiction. In 2010, he was inducted into the North Carolina Literary Hall of Fame, a year in which a special issue of Southern Quarterly was devoted to essays about his work.

You can pre-order your signed copy here!

I’m excited to announce that my story “Black River” has been accepted for publication by The Baltimore Review.  I finished this story last year.  It’s actually set on a plantation during the Civil War.

Just want to thank Barbara Westwood Diehl and the rest of the staff for selecting this piece for publication.

Here is the link to the story.

I’m happy to announce that my first book, a story collection, has been accepted for publication by Press 53!  In the Season of Blood and Gold will be coming out on May 3, 2014, which is National Press 53 Day.  It contains 12 stories, 10 of which have been previously published in one journal or another.  Sample stories include:

• “Rider.”  Winner, 2009 Montana Prize in Fiction.
• “Kingdom Come.”  2nd Place, 2010 Press 53 Open Awards.
• “The Vizsla.”  Finalist, 2012 Machigonne Fiction Contest.

I’m so excited to be part of the Press 53 family!  The press release should be coming out this week.  Stay tuned for more details!

Update:  Signed copies of In the Season of Blood and Gold are now available! Pre-order here!

Exciting news:  my story “El Monstruo” has been accepted for publication in Spinetingler Magazine, one of the oldest mystery/crime fiction zines on the web.  They were nominated for an Anthony in 2011, I believe.  Pretty awesome.  Big thanks to editor Jack Getze, author of the Austin Carr novels Big Numbers and Big Money, for the kind words he had to say about my work.

Here’s the link to the story.

I heard this morning from Cameron over at The Crime Factory, and they’ve selected “Able Dog” for CF12!  I’ve been enjoying these short crime stories of late, and like “Plata o Plomo,” this story is set against the world of aerial drug-smuggling.

The Crime Factory was originally launched back in 2000 by an Australia-based editor, David Honeybone.  It was out of print from 2003 until 2010, when Cameron Ashley, an original contributor and proclaimed “Honeybone-conspirator,” relaunched the zine in ebook format – perfect for Kindle, etc.  You can read the full history behind this kick-ass Australian crime fiction/noir ezine here, and back issues are available via Amazon here.

Here’s how to read my story in Issue 12:

• In print here
• Via Kindle here
• Crime Factory blog post here