High Cotton is an extraordinarily rich account of the dreams and inner turmoils of a new generation of the black upper middle class, capturing the essence of a part of American society that has mostly been ignored in literature. The novel's protagonist journeys from his childhood home in the midwest to college, a stint in New York publishing, and Europe, yet the issue of his "blackness" remains at the heart of his being.

This dirt-under-the-fingernails portrait of a small-time farmer follows Zack Killebrew over a single year as he struggles to defend his cotton against such timeless adversaries as weeds, insects, and drought, as well as such twenty-first-century threats as globalization. Over the course of the season, Helferich describes how this singular crop has stamped American history and culture like no other. Then, as Killebrew prepares to harvest his cotton, two hurricanes named Katrina and Rita devastate the Gulf Coast and barrel inland. Killebrew's tale is at once a glimpse into our nation's past, a rich commentary on our present, and a plain-sighted vision of the future of farming in the Mississippi Delta. On first publication, High Cotton won the Authors Award from the Mississippi Library Association. This updated edition includes a new afterword, which resumes the story of Zack Killebrew and his family, discusses how cotton farming has continued to change, and shows how the Delta has retained its elemental character.

Twenty-one horror, crime, and alternative history stories.

Second book in the Neely Kate Mystery series, a companion series to Rose Gardner Investigations. Neely Kate’s life is finally coming together. She’s living and working with her best friend, Rose. Her newly discovered brother, Joe, has decided he’s done hiding that she’s his sister, and her new boyfriend, Jed, is everything she could have dreamed of and more. Only things aren’t going as well as she’d hoped. Neely Kate is still keeping secrets from Rose. Joe wants to introduce her as his sister at a high society dinner even though she doesn’t know the difference between a soup and a dessert spoon. And Jed is spending more and more time away from her and won’t tell he what he’s up to. She’s worried he’s changed his mind about them, not that she’s surprised—can you build a relationship on digging up a body together? Now someone’s calling Neely Kate about her Ardmore secrets, and her sister Kate might be locked up on a psych ward, but she has a few surprises of her own. Neely Kate can’t help wondering if it’s time to come clean about her past with the people she loves. The dead body that turns up in her basement might be the kick in the pants she needs. Because the truth will set you free, or if you’re Neely Kate, land you in hot water. Series order: Rose Gardner Investigations Series Family Jewels For the Birds Hell in a Handbasket Up Shute Creek (Fall 2018) Neely Kate Mystery Series Trailer Trash In High Cotton (July 31, 2018)

Cultured, attractive, and strong-willed, Shelby Collins is mature for a sixteen-year-old. Her family lives in Cartersville, Georgia. Her mother has taken a trip to Alabama to tend Shelbys ailing grandmother. Shelby has been left at home to care for her younger brother and sister and to see to the needs of her father. One night her father, who has come home drunk, tries to molest her. Frightened, she fights him off and flees, but it isnt long before her angry father tracks her down and places her in a reform school in distant Birmingham.While Shelby is able to make a new life for herself in Birmingham, she suffers greatly. But, through her many difficulties, she learns that blessings can come in unexpected ways.This poignant and heart-warming novel addresses several fundamental human longings. Is there an overshadowing influence for good that can help direct our lives? Can we learn to trust again after weve been betrayed? Is there a power that can come into our hearts to help us forgive?