Sandy and Wayne

by Steve Yates

Fiction. In SANDY AND WAYNE, Steve Yates reveals his talents in this gorgeous swoop of prose. Arranging his characters intimately against the vast Ozark Mountains, Yates moves flawlessly between the lives of Sandy Coker and Wayne Sheridan to the road crews reshaping the land. From their harbored ambitions to the secret that threatens to pull their lost hearts apart, this beautifully written novella tells a story of worlds colliding, of truths and consequences, as two people fall in love, reluctant to change with the world around them.

155 pages, Paperback

Published February 2, 2016

About the author

Born and reared in Springfield, Missouri, Steve Yates is an M.F.A. graduate from the creative writing program at the University of Arkansas. Unbridled Books published his third novel The Legend of the Albino Farm in 2017. Lauren Groff chose his novella, Sandy and Wayne as the inaugural Knickerbocker Prize winner, and it was published by Dock Street Press. His collection, Some Kinds of Love: Stories, won the 2012 Juniper Prize in fiction and was published by the University of Massachusetts Press in 2013. His novel, Morkan's Quarry and its sequel, The Teeth of the Souls, were published by Moon City Press. His fiction has won two fellowships from the Mississippi Arts Commission and one from the Arkansas Arts Council. Portions of Morkan’s Quarry first appeared in Missouri Review, Ontario Review, and South Carolina Review. A novella-length excerpt was a finalist for the Pirate’s Alley Faulkner Society William Faulkner / Wisdom Award for the Best Novella. Yates has published short stories in TriQuarterly, Southwest Review, Turnstile, Western Humanities Review, Laurel Review, Chariton Review, Valley Voices, and many other journals. He is associate director / marketing director at University Press of Mississippi in Jackson, and lives in Flowood with his wife, Tammy.

Reviews

[Susan O'Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good novel takes you places you've never been. The words take you away and put you in another person's shoes. That's exactly what Steve Yates has done with "Sandy and Wayne," a novella that proves doing the right thing is not easy.

Sandy is an inspector for road development, a job where she has to be tough and rough. Wayne is the foreman on a road crew brought in after the previous contractor went broke. He's from the East; she's hard-core Arkansas. Thrown together in unexpected circumstances, they learn the value of being true to themselves even though it hurts.

Yates has done his homework to bring readers into the world of road construction, heavy machinery and tough crews. Yet he also immerses them in the beauty of the landscape and the love of being outdoors.

As a novella, the story isn't long. You can choose to read the book or listen to the audiobook. If there was a real Sandy, she'd have the voice of this narrator. "Sandy and Wayne" moves along quickly and leaves you wanting to hear more. Let's hope Yates has more in store!

[Pete · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book.