Sharyn McCrumb (born February 26, 1948)[1] is an American writer whose books celebrate the history and folklore of Appalachia. McCrumb is the winner of numerous literary awards, and the author of the Elizabeth McPherson mystery series, the Ballad series, and the St. Dale series.
McCrumb is a Southern writer, perhaps best known for her Appalachian "Ballad" novels, including The New York Times best-sellers The Ballad of Frankie Silver and She Walks These Hills, and for St. Dale, winner of a Library of Virginia Award and featured at the National Festival of the Book. The Devil Amongst the Lawyers (2010) deals with the regional stereotyping of rural areas by national journalists. The Ballad of Tom Dooley (2011) tells the true story behind the celebrated folk song. In 2008 McCrumb was named a Virginia Woman of History for Achievement in Literature.
Her novels, studied in universities throughout the world, have been translated into eleven languages, including French, German, Dutch, Japanese, Arabic, and Italian. She has lectured on her work at Oxford University, the University of Bonn-Germany, and at the Smithsonian Institution. McCrumb has also taught a writers workshop in Paris and served as writer-in-residence at King College in Tennessee and at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York.[3]
McCrumb is the author of The Ballad Novels, a series set in the Appalachian Mountains. These books weave together the legends, geography and contemporary issues of Appalachia, and each centers on an event from North Carolina history.[5][6] She is also the author of the Elizabeth MacPherson mystery series, though her career has evolved beyond genre fiction.[7]
Ballad seriesedit
McCrumb, Sharyn (1990). If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O. Scribner. ISBN 978-0-684-19104-1.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1992). The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter. Scribner. ISBN 0-684-19407-4.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1994). She Walks These Hills. Scribner's. ISBN 0-684-19556-9.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1996). The Rosewood Casket. Dutton. ISBN 0-525-94011-1.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1998). The Ballad of Frankie Silver. Dutton. ISBN 978-0-340-71714-1.
McCrumb, Sharyn (2001). The Songcatcher. Dutton. ISBN 0-525-94488-5.
McCrumb, Sharyn (2003). Ghost Riders. Dutton Adult. ISBN 0-525-94718-3.
McCrumb, Sharyn (2010). The Devil Amongst the Lawyers. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-0-312-55816-1.
McCrumb, Sharyn (2011). The Ballad of Tom Dooley: A Novel (Appalachian Ballad). Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-0-312-55817-8.
McCrumb, Sharyn (2013). King's Mountain. Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-1-250-011404
McCrumb, Sharyn (2016). Prayers the Devil Answers. Atria Books. ISBN 9781476772813
McCrumb, Sharyn (2017). The Unquiet Grave. Atria Books. ISBN 9781476772875
St. Dale novelsedit
In 2005, NASCAR racing fan McCrumb wrote St. Dale.[8] Her inspiration for the novel came from her study of medieval literature at Virginia Tech and her desire to update Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales. It was Dale Earnhardt who became the saint of her tale, complete with the Dale Earnhardt Pilgrimage of fans.[9]
McCrumb, Sharyn (2005). St. Dale. Kensington. ISBN 0-7582-0776-X.
McCrumb, Sharyn (2007). Once Around the Track. Kensington. ISBN 978-0-7582-0778-4.
McCrumb, Sharyn; Edwards, Adam (2010). Faster Pastor. Ingalls Publishing Group. ISBN 978-1-932158-88-5.
Elizabeth MacPherson novelsedit
McCrumb, Sharyn (1984). Sick of Shadows. Avon Books. ISBN 978-0-380-87189-6.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1985). Lovely in Her Bones. Avon Books. ISBN 978-0-380-89592-2.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1986). Highland Laddie Gone. Avon Books. ISBN 978-0-380-89910-4.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1988). Paying the Piper. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-34518-5.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1990). The Windsor Knot. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-36583-6.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1991). Missing Susan. Ballantine Books. ISBN 0-345-36575-5.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1992). MacPherson's Lament. Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-36576-7.
McCrumb, Sharyn (1995). If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him. Ballantine Books. ISBN 978-0-345-38229-0.
McCrumb, Sharyn (2000). The PMS Outlaws. Wheeler Publishing. ISBN 978-1-56895-935-1.
Jay Omega novelsedit
These are satirical novels set in the world of science fiction conventions and fandom.
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^Williams, Wilda (November 15, 2004). "Q&A: Sharyn McCrumb". Library Journal. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2010.
^Critical Study of Sharyn McCrumb's Novels. Holloway, Kimberly, ed. From a Race of Story Tellers: Critical Essays on The Ballad Novels of Sharyn McCrumb. Atlanta: Mercer University Press, 2003.
^"Virginia Women in History: Sharyn McCrumb (1948-)". Library of Virginia. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
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^"Annual Virginia DAR Meeting | New Castle Record". newcastlerecord.com. July 25, 2017. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
^"West Virginia Library Association". facebook.com. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
^"New York Times bestselling author Sharyn McCrumb to receive Patricia Winn Award for Southern Fiction at Clarksville Writers Conference banquet June 4th - Clarksville, TN Online". Clarksville, TN Online. May 22, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
^"Hobson Lecture & Prize". Chowan.edu. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
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^"News of the Appalachian Literary Arts". Appalachian Heritage. 34 (4): 7. January 8, 2014. doi:10.1353/aph.2006.0122. ISSN 1940-5081.
^"Virginia Women in History 2008 Honoree Information". lva.virginia.gov. June 30, 2016. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
^"King University: Bestselling Author Sharyn McCrumb to Speak Oct. 7 at King University During QEP Week". king.edu. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
^"2004 Audie Awards® - APA". audiopub.org. Archived from the original on August 21, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2017.
^ abcThe rose & the briar : death, love and liberty in the American ballad. Wilentz, Sean., Marcus, Greil. (1st ed.). New York: W.W. Norton. 2005. ISBN 9780393059540. OCLC 55744543.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
^"The Appalachian Heritage Writer's Award". Appalink. 28 (2): 3. Spring 2005 – via Marshall Digital Scholar.
^Miller, Danny (January 8, 2014). "The 1997 Denny C. Plattner Appalachian Heritage Awards". Appalachian Heritage. 26 (1): 5. doi:10.1353/aph.1998.0040. ISSN 1940-5081. S2CID 150775389.
^"Morehead State University :: Chaffin Award". moreheadstate.edu. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
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^"Best Paperback Original Mystery Novel Edgar Award Winners and Nominees - Complete Lists". Mysterynet.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2012. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
^Modlin, Charles E.; Campbell, Hilbert H., eds. (1987). Stories From Sherwood Anderson Country; Contest Winners 1976-1986 (First ed.). Sherwood Anderson Association.
^"Mystery Readers International's Macavity Awards". Mysteryreaders.org. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
^"Wolfe Pack Nero Award Recipients chronologically". Nerowolfe.org. December 12, 2011. Archived from the original on May 14, 2013. Retrieved March 14, 2012.
Excerpts from “Keepers of the Legend: An Essay on the Influences of Family Legends and Folklore on Fiction” By Sharyn McCrumb at the Library of Virginia