ASHEVILLE, NC, UNITED STATES, February 1, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Jeffrey L. Carrier releases Depression-Era Trilogy of Fiction, Coal Dust on Purple Asters
“Eloquent, original, deftly crafted… showcases his complete mastery of the short story literary format.” — Midwest Book Review
“Some books give you goosebumps long after you’ve read the last page. Coal Dust on Purple Asters was such a book for me.” — Ann Linus, Readers’ Favorite.
After penning six non-fiction works, author Jeffrey L. Carrier returns to his cultural roots with his fiction debut, Coal Dust on Purple Asters: A Trilogy of Short Fiction. Set to be released on March 1, 2026, this evocative collection—inspired by real events—transports readers to the coal fields of eastern Kentucky during the height of the Great Depression.
Coal Dust on Purple Asters explores the lives of three families surviving in the rough Kentucky mountains through an industry of mining that served as both a lifeline and a destroyer. Midwest Book Review describes the work as an “unreservedly recommended addition” to contemporary American literary fiction collections. U.P. Poet Laureate Emerita Beverly Matherne praises Carrier’s “graceful prose” and “compassionate narration of loss,” noting how the collection captures the fierce love binding families across generations despite poverty and natural disasters.
The trilogy includes:
• “Rain on Chinquapin Holler”: A story of desire and bootleg whiskey where a coal miner is torn between his family and the comfort of an enchanting city girl as a devastating flood forces a life-altering choice.
• “A Sprig of Purple Asters”: A mother’s desperate struggle to save her family from the brink of ruin as she manages the meager resources provided by the mines.
• “Red Snow in the Kentucky Woods”: A young man’s vow to escape an ill-fated destiny below ground leads to a decades-long mystery of family secrets and guilt.
A hallmark of the collection is Carrier’s use of the “lilting cadence” of mountain speech. Drawing on his heritage and his background in English literature, Carrier preserves the rhythmic, poetic phrases of the region’s Elizabethan ancestors, a style Readers’ Favorite notes, adds a “realistic” and “enchanting” element to the prose.
“In Appalachia during the Depression, the coal mines fed you, but they could also devour you,” says Carrier. “I wanted to capture that struggle and the beautiful, poetic language of the people who lived it.”
Jeffrey L. Carrier was born and raised in Mountain City, Tennessee. A graduate of Northern Michigan University, he has authored six previous books, including a memoir, regional histories and Hollywood biographies. Now a resident of Asheville, North Carolina, Coal Dust on Purple Asters marks his first foray into the world of fiction.
“Coal Dust on Purple Asters: A Trilogy of Short Fiction” (100 pages, $14.99 Paperback / $5.99 eBook) is available for pre-order now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and other major online retailers.
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Note to Editors: High-resolution cover art, author headshots, and digital review copies (ARCs) are available upon request. Jeffrey L. Carrier is available for interviews, readings, and appearances.
Jeffrey L. Carrier
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jcarrier@hevanet.com
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