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Sharyn McCrumb

シャリン・マックラム

Sharin Makkuramu

Aliases: Sharyn Elaine Arwood

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1948-02-26 （Wilmington, North Carolina, U.S.）
Nationality
American
Languages
English
Residence History
North Carolina → Virginia → Tennessee

Career

Occupations
novelist, author
Active Years
1984-2017
Affiliations
King College (first writer-in-residence), Emory & Henry College
Influenced By
Geoffrey Chaucer

Education

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
English
Degree: Bachelor's degree
Country: United States
Virginia Tech
Department of English
Degree: Master's degree in English
Country: United States

Awards

Edgar Award
1988
Work: Bimbos of the Death Sun
Category: Best Paperback Original
Organization: Mystery Writers of America
Result: won
Agatha Award
1995
Work: If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Malice Domestic
Result: won
Agatha Award
1994
Work: She Walks These Hills
Category: Best Novel
Organization: Malice Domestic
Result: won
Anthony Award
1995
Work: She Walks These Hills
Category: Best Novel
Result: won
Nero Award
1995
Work: She Walks These Hills
Category: Best Novel
Result: won
People's Choice Award for Fiction
2006
Work: St. Dale
Organization: Library of Virginia
Result: won

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O

1990 Ballad novel

A ballad novel based on Appalachian history.

Appalachian folklorehistory

The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter

1992 Ballad novel

Folklore and modern stories intertwine in the Appalachians.

folklorefamilydeath

She Walks These Hills

1994 Ballad novel

Story involving ghosts and history in Appalachia.

Appalachian historyghostsfreedom

The Ballad of Frankie Silver

1998 Historical fiction

Based on a real 19th-century murder ballad.

trialwomen's fateballads

St. Dale

2005 NASCAR novel

Parody of Canterbury Tales with NASCAR pilgrims.

modern culturesainthoodracing

Bibliography

  • If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O (1990)
  • The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (1992)
  • She Walks These Hills (1994)
  • The Rosewood Casket (1996)
  • The Ballad of Frankie Silver (1998)
  • The Songcatcher (2001)
  • Ghost Riders (2003)
  • St. Dale (2005)
  • Bimbos of the Death Sun (1988)
  • Zombies of the Gene Pool (1992)

Translations of Works

  • Novels translated into eleven languages including French, German, Dutch, Japanese, Arabic, Italian

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Blends Appalachian history and folklore with contemporary issuesBallad-style narrativeSatirical elements
Recurring Motifs
Appalachian balladsMountain folk lifeGhosts and legends

Legacy

Best known for Appalachian ballad novels celebrating history and folklore, multiple award winner, novels studied in universities worldwide and translated into 11 languages.

Trivia

  • Studied medieval literature at Virginia Tech, inspiring the St. Dale series.
  • First writer-in-residence at King College.
  • Lectured at Oxford University and Smithsonian.