Taylor Brown's Blog

I’m thrilled to announce that today is the publication day of the Rednecks softcover — woot! My publisher designed this new cover for the paperback, which I truly love.

I’m usually a paperback reader myself, and I know some of you are, too. If you’re interested in getting a copy, you can order from your local indie bookstore or one of the options on my publishers website: us.macmillan.com/books/9781250329356/rednecks/

Today, in 2025, I believe this story is more important than ever. In solidarity is hope. In unity we are strong. Much love to you all.

This week marks the 104th anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest labor uprising in US history and largest armed uprising since the Civil War. Coal miners — many of them WWI veterans — who’d been living under the iron heels and guns of company thugs and civilian vigilance committees (aka “law and order” brigades) had had enough, especially after the murder of their hero, Sid Hatfield, in broad daylight. One million rounds were fired, bombs were dropped on American soil, and “rednecks” of many different ethnic backgrounds stood together against tyranny.

This is a vital story in our nation’s history, which is more relevant than ever, and the suppression of stories like these is how we backslide from the kind of progress that would benefit all Americans, not just a small class of oligarchs that gets richer year after year while working people still struggle to meet their daily needs.

This is a story that needs to be taught in schools, and the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum’s Education Advisory Panel has put together a Reading Guide and Lesson Plans for Rednecks and several other books on the subject.

“Every student of American history should read this book.” -Matt Bondurant (Lawless) has said:

The Reading Guide is perfect for high-schoolers and meets several key standards (WV CCR ELA 11th grade aligned). You can find the Reading Guides and Lesson Plans at wvminewars.org/lesson-plans/

Thank you to the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum for keeping this history alive and in the hands of the next generation.

Please share with your teacher friends!

I’m thrilled to reveal the cover for my new novel, Wolvers, coming out April 7, 2026 from St. Martin’s Press! Here’s the skinny:

From the Southern Book Prize winning author of Rednecks: a thrilling novel of pursuit, survival, and redemption between two species in the American Southwest…

Broke, dispossessed, and angry at the government after losing his family’s New Mexico ranch, Trace Temple is looking for revenge. He’s living out of his truck when a shadowy militia movement hires him to take down the legendary she-wolf of the Dark Canyon pack, One-Eleven. But One-Eleven is no ordinary wolf. Cunning, fiercely protective of her young, and seasoned in the ways of men, she leads her pack deep into the forbidding desert peaks and canyons, always one step ahead of pursuit.

After a harrowing brush with death in the backcountry, Trace has a change of heart?only to be replaced by a professional hunter and assassin named Murdoch, who ruthlessly pursues his animal quarry while stalking Trace himself.

To survive, Trace must join forces with a pair of unlikely allies: a survivalist animal protector who deploys feral senses and deep wilderness skills to protect the wolves, and Imogen Cruz, a local rancher, childhood friend, and unrequited love of Trace’s early years. Together, they must fight to protect not only themselves and the Dark Canyon pack, but ultimately, the Gila Wilderness itself?the world’s first designated wilderness area.

In Wolvers, award-winning author Taylor Brown presents a suspenseful, thrillingly-written tale set at the burning edge of today’s Southwest, where once-extinct wolves have returned, the land is tinder-dry and fragile, and desperate men seek to reclaim what they believe is theirs to rule.

The novel is now available for pre-order from bookstores.  Here’s a link to landing page with more information: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/wolvers-9781250401373/

And the 2025 Audie Award in Fiction and Weatherford Award in Fiction!

I just want to thank all of you who’ve read and supported Rednecks and my other work over the years. From a boy, many years ago, reading Where the Wild Things Are in his room, to the Southern Book Prize, is a dream I could hardly imagine.

A special thanks to my buddy, freelance editor, former officemate, and native WV son Jason Frye, to whom the book is dedicated; to my editor, George Witte, and agent, Julie Stevenson, and everyone at St. Martin’s Press who supported this novel; to all the good folks at the West Virginia Mine Wars Museum and Bitter Southerner for working so hard to keep stories like these not just alive, but growing; to my mom, my sister, and my old man’s memory and spirit, which continue to guide me.

I like to think my grandmother — and her father, my great-grandfather, who inspired Doc Moo — would be proud.

An enormous congrats to Annabelle Tometic (The Mango Tree) and Meredith Adamo (Not Like Other Girls) who won the Nonfiction and Young Readers categories, respectively.

Rednecks also received the 2025 Audie Award in Fiction at the 30th Annual Audie Awards Gala in NYC. Thank you so much to our incredible narrator Ramiz Monsef for voicing this story — I hope we get to work together more in the future.

And last but not least, Rednecks has also received theWeatherford Award in Fiction alongside No Perfect Mothers by my new friend Karen Spears Zacharias.

“The Weatherford Awards are given by Berea College and the Appalachian Studies Association annually to honor books that ‘best illuminate the challenges, personalities, and unique qualities of the Appalachian South.’ The three categories recognized are fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. The conferring of this annual award in each of the three categories has come to be recognized as a major Appalachian event.”

Thank you so much to the award committee, the Appalachian Studies Association, and Berea College for bestowing this award. The past winners of the Weatherford Award read like a list of my literary heroes — Ron Rash, Barbara Kingsolver, Charles Frazier, Lee Smith, Silas House, Wiley Cash, John Ehle — the list goes on.

As for Rednecks, I hope it might continue to open the eyes, minds, and hearts of new readers. Family, community, and love cannot be easily broken, and we are stronger together than apart. Solidarity forever!

I don’t normally send out an email this often, but Rednecks has been selected as one of five finalists for the 2025 Audie Award for Fiction! Last year’s winner was Ann Patchett’s Tom Lake, narrated by Meryl Streep, so we’re in good company indeed.

Our narrator Ramiz Monsef did one hell of a job with Rednecks. He has incredible range, handling everything from Doc Moo’s Lebanese accent to Mother Jones’s fiery Irish brogue to Sid Hatfield’s laconic hard-man utterances, not to mention the voices of everyday miners, townspeople, and children caught up in the Mine Wars. This was no easy book for a single narrator to tackle, and Ramiz nailed it.

The winners will be revealed on March 4 in NYC at the 30th Annual Audie Awards Gala, hosted by Amy Sedaris. I don’t know yet if I’ll be attending, but pretty dang cool nonetheless.

And…today is the last day to vote Rednecks for the Southern Book Prize! Winners will be announced on Valentine’s Day — fingers crossed.

Lastly, I just want to thank all of you who read my work, and those who’ve already voted. Doing what I do was a dream of mine since I was a child reading Where the Wild Things Are in my room, and y’all are the ones who continue to make it possible.

The softcover jacket for Rednecks has arrived! What do you think?

Also, it’s the last chance to vote for the Southern Book Prize! As most of you know, Rednecks is one of six finalists for this prestigious prize. This is actually my fourth novel to be selected as a finalist by the booksellers and industry members of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), but we’ve never taken home the award. I’d be so dang grateful if you hit the ballot link below and voted. I recommend E. Shaver Bookseller for your bookstore to make sure your vote counts.  Let’s bring it home!

Hi everyone,

I recently learned that Rednecks is one of six finalists for the 2025 Southern Book Prize — hurray and huzzah!

But I need your help. While Southern Book Prize finalists are chosen based on the number of nominations they received from bookseller members of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance (SIBA), the final winner is chosen by popular vote.

This is actually my fourth novel (!) to be a finalist for the SBP, and it would mean the world to me (and my career) to win.  More than any of my previous novels, I feel this story is deserving of recognition — an incredibly important part of our history that was largely buried, and a story that helps redefine our cultural identity.

If needed, I’ve created this video that shows you how to vote. In the “Select your indie bookstore” section, I suggest entering one of my hometown SIBA member stores, E. Shaver Bookseller or Righton Books, to ensure your vote counts.

I’ve been reluctant to ask y’all to vote on anything right on the heels of the election — Lord knows we all got enough texts and phone calls asking us to vote — but this book was one hell of a battle to write and get published. Together, we can make the fourth time the charm! Leave a comment if you vote so I can thank you personally.

Thank you so much for your support and consideration — all fingers crossed!

I was over the moon to see this review by none other than Gabino Iglesias turn up on NPR.

“While this is a novel about something that happened more than 100 years ago, it also feels very timely. Even today, many big companies are very anti-union, and their focus on revenue is the same as it was for mine owners. The division between those who work for a living and those who profit the most from that work is still an issue, and makes this action-packed, character-driven novel feel extremely contemporary.”

It actually spent two days on the NPR.org homepage — incredible!

You can read the full review here: www.npr.org/2024/05/23/nx-s1-4976209/taylor-brown-rednecks-book-review

Rednecks was also selected by Strand Books of NYC as their Fiction Pick of the Month, and my interview with Steve Nathans-Kelly of the Chicago Review of Books is now available. I’ll be announcing some upcoming events in Wilmington (NC) and St. Augustine (FL) soon — stay tuned!

Rednecks is going on tour!

Here’s what we’ve got on the books so far (working to add a few farther afield over the summer). So excited to see friends and readers at some of my favorite stores and visit a few new ones — y’all come on out!

If you can’t make an event, you can preorder a signed copy from any of these stores and I can sign and/or inscribe your book when I’m there. If I’m not coming to your area, you can preorder a signed copy from my hometown store and make a note how you want it inscribed: www.eshaverbooks.com/book/9781250329332.

If the book sells well enough, I’ll be able to add more dates to the calendar — fingers crossed!

Rednecks is going on tour!

Here’s what we’ve got on the books so far (working to add a few farther afield over the summer). So excited to see friends and readers at some of my favorite stores and visit a few new ones — y’all come on out!