Sharyn McCrumb

Sharyn McCrumb is an acclaimed American author, best known for her crime fiction, mystery novels, and Appalachian fiction. She has written several series, including the Elizabeth MacPherson series and the Ballad series. McCrumb has received numerous awards for her work, including the Edgar Award, Agatha Award, Nero Award, Anthony Award, and Macavity Award. She earned her Master's Degree in English from Virginia Tech, and her novels have been translated into eleven different languages.

McCrumb's unique identity and voice have made her one of the most successful authors in her genre. Raised in Virginia, she noticed the differences between what she calls the "flatland people" and the "mountain people" from a young age. Frustrated that the south was primarily represented by plantation culture, she has made it her mission to highlight the lives of the early mountain people, a culture she feels more a part of. Her work is set against the backdrop of the Appalachian Mountains, where she commands her readers' hearts to investigate the often forgotten, often heartbreaking lives of the people who came before her.

McCrumb is a celebrated Southern writer, named a Virginia Woman of History by the Library of Virginia and a Woman of the Arts by the national Daughters of the American Revolution. She has received the Mary Hobson Prize for Arts & Letters in 2014, and her books have been named New York Times and Los Angeles Times Notable Books. She has presented programs at universities, libraries, and other organizations throughout the US and has taught a writer's workshop in Paris. McCrumb has also served as writer-in-residence at King University in Tennessee and at the Chautauqua Institute in western New York. Her work has received numerous accolades, including the 2003 Award for Literature given by the East Tennessee Historical Society, the AWA Outstanding Contribution to Appalachian Literature Award, the Chaffin Award for Achievement in Southern Literature, the Plattner Award for Short Story, and AWA's Best Appalachian Novel.