McCrumb, Sharon

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McCRUMB, Sharon

Born 26 February 1948, Wilmington, North Carolina.

married; children: Spencer, Laura

Sharon McCrumb's fiction falls into three categories. As a Southerner descended from ancestors who once lived in the Great Smoky Mountains, she writes novels and short stories to dissolve stereotypes of those who live in the Appalachian Mountains. Called the "Ballad" series, many of these novels are taught in college courses. As a descendent of Scots, McCrumb also writes several novels in the Elizabeth MacPherson mystery series dealing with trips to Scotland, clan games in America, and other adventures tied to Scotland or Scottish Americans. Finally, there is the Jay Omega series, also whodunits, which consist of a satiric look at the world of science fiction and fantasy fandom.

McCrumb's childhood was spent reading and listening to family tales. At seven she knew she wanted to be a writer, so after graduating from high school she intended on going to nearby Chapel Hill to major in English. Her father talked her out of it, advising her to choose a major with good job prospects. McCrumb ended up with a degree in communications and Spanish from the University of North Carolina in 1970, then sought out journalism jobs in her area. At one point, she worked at the local newspaper in Bryson City, North Carolina, a sleepy little tourist town adjacent to the defunct eastern gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. McCrumb also taught journalism and Appalachian studies in Virginia. After 10 years, however, she went back to college and secured a master's degree in English from Virginia Tech in 1985. Only then did she begin to write novels, becoming a full-time writer in 1988.

McCrumb began with a murder mystery featuring a female forensic anthropologist turned detective. The first novel, Sick of Shadows (1984), about a murder occurring at the wedding of Elizabeth MacPherson's cousin, an heiress, was followed by Lovely in Her Bones (1990), which won the Best Appalachian Novel award for that year. By 1995 McCrumb had written five more books in the series, each noteworthy for its wit. If I'd Killed Him When I Met Him… (1995) depicts the murder of a divorced man and his new bride by his ex-wife, a ménage à trois consisting of a middle-aged woman, her husband, and the sixteen-year-old he has brought home to be his second wife, as well as a woman who wants to marry a dolphin.

An experience at a small local science fiction convention at which she was the featured guest author led McCrumb to write a satire of such gatherings. A murder mystery featuring the detective work of science fiction writer Jay Omega (alias Dr. James Owen Mega, professor) and his colleague, Marion Farley, Bimbos of the Death Sun (1987) won an Edgar award from the Mystery Writers of America in 1988. At the annual science fiction convention Rubicon, bestselling fantasy author Appin Dungannon arrives as the guest of honor. It turns out he loathes his adoring fans, insulting and injuring them whenever possible. Between the costume ball and the Dungeons and Dragons game, he is murdered. While Jay Omega searches for the culprit, Dungannon's fans are traumatized, and the hucksters increase the price of his autographed books. McCrumb followed with a second spoof, Zombies of the Gene Pool, in 1992.

McCrumb's third series of books eschews humor while focusing on the lives of latter-day Appalachians. If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O (1990) presents the 20th reunion of the class of 1966 at Hamelin (Tennessee) High School. The fellow classmates are shown dealing with relationships, Vietnam, and problems facing today's working women. The novel won a New York Times Notable Book citation and the Macavity award. The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter (1992) centers on a mass murderer as well as the effects of water pollution. The novel won the Best Appalachian Novel award, a New York Times Notable Book citation, and a Los Angeles Times Notable Book citation. In She Walks These Hills (1994), McCrumb brings in the past in the form of a ghost from the 18th century. This novel also won multiple awards, including a Los Angeles Times Notable Book citation, and the Nero, Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards. McCrumb's ambitious attempt to bring the Appalachians up to date also garnered her the Outstanding Contribution to Appalachian Literature award in 1997 and the Thomas and Lillie D. Chaffin Celebration of Appalachian Writings Award in 1998.

Other Works:

Paying the Piper (1988). Our Separate Days (with Mona Walton Helper, 1989). The Windsor Knot (1990). Highland Laddie Gone (1991). Missing Susan (1991). MacPherson's Lament (1992). The Rosewood Casket (1996). Foggy Mountain Breakdown and Other Stories (1997). The Ballad of Frankie Silver (1998).