Fiction | Chapter 16

Sloughing Off the Nay-Sayers

How J.T. Ellison learned to ignore the damning voices and get on with writing thrillers

By J.T. Ellison | August 1, 2014

August 1, 2014 “The farcical means by which I returned to a life as a writer—adopting a stray cat, going to work for the vet who saved her life, mopping up dog urine and watching the castration of a Siamese cat, and then, on day three of this unique torture, herniating a disc and needing back surgery—is fit for fiction itself. During the recovery, I discovered a writer named John Sandford, and something clicked, and I had one, simple, arrogant thought. If he can do it, so can I.” J.T. Ellison will appear at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville October 10-12, 2014. All festival events are free and open to the public.

A Princess in a Tower

In Guests on Earth, beloved novelist Lee Smith reimagines the last days of Zelda Fitzgerald

By Ed Tarkington | July 31, 2014

July 31, 2014 Lee Smith’s literary gifts make her distinctly qualified to take on the treacherous task of reimagining the last days of Zelda Fitzgerald, the muse behind The Great Gatsby, whose tragic life and more tragic end have haunted readers for generations. Smith will appear at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville October 10-12, 2014. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Before the Water Came

Amy Greene’s new novel, Long Man, tells the story of a place lost to progress

By Maria Browning | July 29, 2014

July 29, 2014 In Amy Greene’s richly told second novel, the year is 1936, and the fictional Tennessee town of Yuneetah has been doomed by a TVA dam project. Long Man is the story of a crisis among the community’s last holdouts, and it brings a lost world to life. Greene will appear at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville October 10-12, 2014. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Cuss Away, Junior Ray

The third installment in John Pritchard’s series features a foul-mouthed deputy

By Michael Ray Taylor | July 24, 2014

July 24, 2014 John Pritchard’s Sailing to Alluvium may be one of the most profane novels ever published, but it’s a distinctly Southern profanity, delivering surprisingly sophisticated social commentary. It is also a real hoot. John Pritchard will appear at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville October 10-12, 2014. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Leaving the Maid to Clean up the Mess

Ariel Lawhon’s debut novel reveals a plummy, pernicious mystery

By Sarah Norris | July 23, 2014

July 23, 2014 The Wife, The Maid, and The Mistress, the debut novel by Nashville resident Ariel Lawhon, revisits the real-life mystery surrounding the 1930 disappearance of New York Supreme Court judge Joseph Crater. Ariel Lawhon will appear at the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville October 10-12, 2014. All festival events are free and open to the public.

Couples Therapy at the End of the World

Edan Lepucki’s California is a uniquely domestic turn on the post-apocalyptic novel

By Ed Tarkington | July 17, 2014

July 17, 2014 Thanks to an unexpected bump from comedian Stephen Colbert, Edan Lepucki’s debut novel has been lifted up from the crowded field of post-apocalyptic novels to wide notice and acclaim. A unique take on the form, California focuses less on the sensational aspects of Armageddon than on the complications of domesticity in a crumbling world. Lepucki will appear at Parnassus Books in Nashville on July 29, 2014, at 6:30 p.m.

Tias and Primas: On Knowing and Loving the Women Who Raise Us

By Prisca Dorcas Mojica Rodríguez, illustrated by Josie Del Castillo
Seal Press
304 pages
$30

“Within these pages, I found my abuela, my tías and my primas — laughing, crying, and nodding alongside me. This book is a gift of understanding, and loving one’s family, even when our families are complicated and painful. It’s a beautiful reminder of the power of storytelling and the profound connection of kinship.”

~ Paola Mendoza, author, organizer and filmmaker