Fidelities

by Valerie Nieman

Fidelities is the first collection of eighteen short stories to be published by this multi-faceted author. The stories in Fidelities , which are mostly set in West Virginia, are both heartrending and beautiful. Nieman published her first novel, Neena Gathering , a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel, in 1988. She has also published two poetry chapbooks, Slipping out of Old Eve and How We Live . Her second fictional work, Survivors , was published in 2000.

150 pages, Paperback

First published September 21, 2004

About the author

Upon the Corner of the Moon: A Tale of the Macbeths, is the first of two novels about the rise of Scotland in the 11th century and the historical Macbeths who shaped it. Deeply researched, it has a speculative element in the creation of an ancient goddess religion. “Steeped in the myth, mystery, politics, and culture of Celtic Scotland, Upon the Corner of the Moon presents the world of the young Lady Macbeth and Macbeth with authenticity, a deft hand, and a poet’s voice,” says Susan Fraser King, author of Lady Macbeth: A Novel.

Dead Hand, the sequel to To the Bones, a genre-bending folk horror/mystery set in coal country that was shortlisted for both the Manly Wade Wellman Award and the Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award. Available in print and e-book on Amazon.
"...a hard-fought battle, from West Virginia to Ireland, for a future free from legacies of pain and plunder. Nieman crafts a richly atmospheric folk horror tale with a thumping heart of environmental justice; like Manly Wade Wellman for a new generation.”—Meagan Lucas, author of Songbirds and Stray Dogs and Here in the Dark

In the Lonely Backwater received the 2022 Sir Walter Raleigh Award for the best book of fiction by a North Carolina writer. Past recipients include Jason Mott, Lee Smith, Allen Gurganus, Charles Frazier et al. The book also was named winner in the Mystery/Suspense category of the American Writing Awards and was a finalist at Foreword Reviews.
The novel is "a page-turning psychological thriller" and "an intricate and intriguing work of art." With a style both Southern Gothic and realist, and its deep immersion in nature, the novel appeals to lovers of suspense and YA reader alike. "Nieman achieves a suspenseful narrative full of compassion, haunting, and desire, and instruction about the power of storytelling" wrote another reviewer.

My most recent poetry book, "Leopard Lady: A Life in Verse," is set in a mid-century carnival sideshow and features poems that have appeared in The Missouri Review, Chautauqua, and other journals. More than 15 years of writing -- and a week of study at Coney Island Museum -- went into telling the story of Dinah and The Professor.

My first novel, Neena Gathering, a post-apocalyptic tale set in West Virginia, was reissued as a classic in the genre, and is also available on Audible.

I've been a doughnut-maker, farmer, reporter, sailor, professor, and always, a walker and observer. All my experiences find their way into my work, from memories of high school drama to a visit to the working face of a coal mine to the insights gleaned from working the police beat at a small-town newspaper.

I have held grants from the NEA, North Carolina and West Virginia arts councils. I earned degrees from West Virginia University and Queens University of Charlotte.

Follow me on Facebook @valerienieman1, and on Instagram and Twitter @valnieman. My Youtube channel has reading videos and more.

Reviews

[Marjorie Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Val Nieman continues to amaze me. Having read an advance copy of her new book about to be released, In the Lonely Backwater, I dug into her past publications, and this was the only one I hadn't read, I think. The stories completely pulled me in, the characters are all on the edge -- of the economy, of married life, of survival -- in the rural and factory worlds of Pennsylvania and upstate New York. And yet, as always, the turns of phrase, the embodiment, the language have such sensitivity, there is no room for the reader to categorize or dismiss the characters as clichés, rather they are reminiscent of Richard Russo's hard luck small town people of the north, saved by clear-eyed truths.