New Releases by Sean Dietrich

"A story of deeply complicated people having a deeply human experience." --Laura Kate Whitney, Editor at Large, Good Grit Magazine It''s never too late to find purpose. Woody Barker steps out of prison planning to live out his years on his houseboat docked on the Alabama Gulf Coast. As a defrocked priest with a heart condition and an ex-wife who still runs his life, he needs peace and a path to redemption. Caroline Boyer is seventeen, pregnant, and stuck in a loop of bad choices. At her mother''s deathbed, Caroline finds herself at the center of an unexpected plot that has the potential to turn her world upside down. At the funeral, she discovers a father she''s never known . . . Whether she likes it or not, her life will never be the same. Soon Woody, Caroline, and an emotional support goldfish named Gary are on a grand adventure through the Deep South. Chased by the men who are desperate to learn what Caroline''s mother told her before she passed away, they use every skill they have as a new family to stay one step ahead of danger. To make it worse, former parishioners of the church that cast Woody out are determined to throw him a welcome home party. As Caroline and Woody look for answers and try to avoid disaster, they also learn how to redefine family, hope, and faith they thought they''d lost. With dry humor and compassion, beloved writer Sean Dietrich highlights the good of humanity and the light that''s always just around the corner. This standalone novel includes discussion questions, which makes it perfect for book clubs. Also by Sean Dietrich: Kinfolk, The Incredible Winston Browne, Stars of Alabama, and You Are My Sunshine

A collection of columns by Sean Dietrich, writer, humorist, and stand-up storyteller, known for his commentary on life in the American South, and for his solo performances throughout the U.S. His humor, columns, and short stories appear in various publications throughout the Southeast, and he makes appearances on the Grand Ole Opry.

Sometimes it’s the most unlikely meetings that give us life’s greatest gifts. 1970s, Southern Alabama. Sixty-two-year-old Jeremiah Lewis Taylor, or “Nub,” has spent his whole life listening to those he loves tell him he’s no good—first his ex-wife, now his always-disapproving daughter. Sure, his escapades have made him, along with his cousin and perennial sidekick, Benny, just a smidge too familiar with small-town law enforcement, but he’s never harmed anyone—except perhaps himself. Nub never meant to change his ways, but when he and fifteen-year-old Waffle House waitress Minnie form an unlikely friendship, he realizes for the first time that there may be some good in him after all. Six-foot-five Minnie has been dealt a full deck of bad luck—her father is a convicted murderer serving a life sentence, her mother is dead and buried, and she has a Grand Ole Opry–worthy singing voice with no place to perform. Oh, and there’s the small fact that she’s unexpectedly pregnant, courtesy of a no-good high-school boy. Gradually, Nub realizes the gift he’s been given: a second chance to make a difference. Beloved Southern writer Sean Dietrich, also known as Sean of the South, once again brings people and places to life in this lyrical song-turned-story about found family, second chances, country music, and the poignant power of love and forgiveness. Heartwarming Southern fiction from Sean of the South Stand-alone novel Includes discussion questions for book clubs Also by Sean Dietrich: The Incredible Winston Browne, Stars of Alabama, and You Are My Sunshine

A laugh-out-loud funny true story of a loving relationship, a grand adventure, and a promise kept. It was only a few years after the starry-eyed young couple got married when scary news threatened to take the wind out of their sails. But Sean Dietrich''s wife, Jamie, wouldn''t let it. She dared to hope for and plan for a great big adventure, and she made him promise to do it with her. For love and the promise of biscuits along the way, Sean--who was never an athlete of any kind--undertook the bike ride of a lifetime and lived to talk about it. In this true-life tale, master storyteller Sean Dietrich--also known as the beloved columnist and creator of the blog and podcast "Sean of the South"--shares their hilarious, touching, and sometimes terrifying story of the long bike ride to conquer The Great Allegheny Passage and the C&O Canal Towpath trail. As you laugh out loud through every hard-won mile and lose yourself in his signature poignancy, you''ll experience a great adventure that, in the end, will remind you of what''s most important in life, the value of keeping your promises, and the importance of connection in your most treasured relationships. A feel-good read you won''t be able to put down, You Are My Sunshine dares you to hope for an adventure of your own.

Beloved writer Sean Dietrich—also known as Sean of the South—will warm your heart with this rich and nostalgic tale of a small-town sheriff, a mysterious little girl, and a good-hearted community pulling together to help her. Folks in Moab live for ice cream socials, baseball, and the local paper’s weekly gossip column. Sheriff Winston Browne has watched over Moab with a generous eye for a decade, and by now he’s used to handling the daily dramas that keep life interesting for Moab’s quirky residents. But just after Winston receives some terrible, life-altering news, a seemingly mute runaway with no clear origin arrives in Moab. The residents do what they believe is right and take her in—until two suspicious strangers arrive and begin looking for her. Suddenly Winston has a child in desperate need of protection—as well as a secret of his own to keep. With the help of Moab’s goodhearted townsfolk, the humble and well-meaning Winston Browne still has some heroic things to do. He finds romance, family, and love in unexpected places. He stumbles upon adventure, searches his soul, and grapples with the past. In doing so, he just might discover what a life well-lived truly looks like. Sometimes ordinary people do the most extraordinary things of all. Praise for The Incredible Winston Browne: “Sean Dietrich has written a home run of a novel with The Incredible Winston Browne. Every bit as wonderful as its title implies, it’s the story of Browne—a principled, baseball-loving sheriff—a precocious little girl in need of help, and the community that rallies around them. This warm, witty, tender novel celebrates the power of friendship and family to transform our lives. It left me nostalgic and hopeful, missing my grandfathers, and eager for baseball season to start again. I loved it.” —Ariel Lawhon, New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia “Make no mistake. [The Incredible Winston Browne] is a classic story, told by an expert storyteller.” —Shawn Smucker, author of Light from Distant Stars Stand-alone historical novel set in the 1950s Includes discussion questions for book clubs Also from Sean Dietrich: Stars of Alabama

From celebrated storyteller "Sean of the South" comes an unforgettable memoir of love, loss, the friction of family memories, and the unlikely hope that you''re gonna be alright. Sean Dietrich was twelve years old when he scattered his father''s ashes from the mountain range. His father was a man who lived for baseball, a steel worker with a ready wink, who once scaled a fifty-foot tree just to hang a tire swing for his son. He was also the stranger who tried to kidnap and kill Sean''s mother before pulling the trigger on himself. He was a childhood hero, now reduced to a man in a box. Will the Circle Be Unbroken? is the story of what happens after the unthinkable, and the journey we all must make in finding the courage to stop the cycles of the past from laying claim to our future. Sean was a seventh-grade drop-out, a dishwasher then a construction worker to help his mother and sister scrape by, and a self-described "nobody with a sad story behind him." Yet he cannot deny the glimmers of life''s goodness even amid its rough edges. Such goodness becomes even harder to deny when Sean meets the love of his life at a fried chicken church potluck, and harder still when his lifelong love of storytelling leads him to stages across the southeast, where he is known and loved as "Sean of the South." A story that will stay with you long after the final page, Will the Circle Be Unbroken? testifies to the strength that lives within us all to make our peace with the past and look to the future with renewed hope and wonder.

In this heartfelt tale about enduring hope amid the suffering of the Great Depression, Sean Dietrich—also known as Sean of the South—weaves together a tale featuring a cast of characters ranging from a child preacher, a teenage healer, and two migrant workers who give everything they have for their chosen family. When fifteen-year-old Marigold becomes pregnant during the Great Depression, she is rejected by her family and forced to fend for herself. She is arrested while trying to steal food and loses her baby in the forest, turning her whole world upside down. She’s even more distraught upon discovering she has an inexplicable power to heal, making her a sought-after local legend. Meanwhile, middle-aged migrant workers Vern and Paul discover a violet-eyed baby abandoned in the woods and take it upon themselves to care for her. The men continue their search for work and soon pair up with a poverty-stricken widow, plus her two children, and the misfit family begins taking care of each other. As survival brings this chosen family together, a young boy finds himself without a friend to his name as the dust storms rage across Kansas. Fourteen-year-old Coot, a child preacher, is on the run from his abusive tent-revival pastor father with thousands of stolen dollars—and the only thing he’s sure of is that Mobile, Alabama, is his destination. In a sweeping saga with a looming second world war, these stories intertwine in surprising ways, reminding us that when the dust clears, we can still see the stars. Stand-alone Southern historical fiction set during the Great Depression Book length: approximately 98,000 words Includes discussion questions for book clubs Also by Sean Dietrich: The Incredible Winston Browne

A collection of short stories by Sean Dietrich, a writer, humorist, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His humor, columns, and short stories appear in various publications throughout the Southeast.

Lyla unerringly evokes the life of a troubled family and the love that grows in it. Quinn must learn how to exist in his mother''s troubled world without being consumed by her selfishness. Set during the Great Depression, on the upper coast of Florida, this touching story is dripping with the sepia tones of Old-South culture. It is about growing up in an achingly anguished household and finding a way to survive. A stirring memoir that delivers the reader to a harsh world that is captivating, at times shocking, and triumphant. Written with fervor and affection for a wounded past, Sean Dietrich''s newest work is an intense and heartfelt epic about the son of a restless woman, hard times, and those caught in the spurring drafts of fate.

art book

A collection of short stories by Sean Dietrich, a writer, humorist, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His humor and short fiction appear in various publications throughout the Southeast.

The first volume of a collection of short stories by Sean Dietrich, a writer, humorist, and novelist, known for his commentary on life in the American South. His humor and short fiction appear in various publications throughout the Southeast.

Small towns have a way of burying things, and small-town people have a way of keeping things that way. With reminiscence and narration, a local sheriff must comb through his own humid world to unravel the truth behind the death of a local boy. But it''s not as easy as it seems, because no one is talking. The Other Side of the Bay is a remarkable portrait of the unique people in the Panhandle of Florida. The story weaves itself into the tall longleaf forests, and along the crests of the uneasy bay, telling a tale of the human spirit. This is a novel of how things aren''t always as black and white as they ought to be, and how right and wrong aren''t always easy to tell apart. It''s an evocative tale that delivers its reader to the apricot sun rises and sepulchral storm clouds of their own bittersweet memories.The Other Side of the Bay is a remarkable portrait of unique people living in the Panhandle of Florida. Each page leads deeper into the mysterious longleaf forests, and along the crests of the bay uneasy bay. Things aren''t always as black and white as they ought to be, and right and wrong aren''t always so easy to tell apart.