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Winner Announced for the 10th Annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize

January 8, 2023 By

January 9, 2023

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Kera Yonker, kerayonker@gmail.com

Caroline Frost Wins $5000 Crook’s Corner Book Prize for Debut Novel
SHADOWS OF PECAN HOLLOW

Chapel Hill, North Carolina, January 9, 2023—Shadows of Pecan Hollow by Caroline Frost, published by William Morrow, is the winner of the tenth annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize for the best debut novel set in the American South.

Chosen by this year’s judge, National Book Award Finalist Ben Fountain, Shadows of Pecan Hollow is a hauntingly intimate and distinctly original debut about the complexity of love—both romantic and familial—and the bonds that define us.

Fountain says, “With Shadows of Pecan Hollow, Caroline Frost delivers a stunner of a debut novel that reads more like the work of an accomplished master. Everything you could want in a novel is here: rich, evocative settings, conflicted loyalties and hearts, and a slow fuse of a plot that throws off plenty of sparks on its way to final ignition. This immersive, full-bodied novel will keep its hooks in you long after the last page is read, and marks the arrival of a tremendously wise and talented writer. I think we can look forward to many more fine books from Caroline Frost.”

The winner was chosen from the Shortlist announced in September 2022. The three shortlisted titles also included All Her Little Secrets by Wanda M. Morris (Morrow/HarperCollins) and Bewilderness by Karen Tucker (Catapult).

Caroline Frost has a Master of Professional Writing degree from the University of Southern California and is a licensed marriage and family therapist. Although she currently resides in Pasadena, California with her husband and three small children, her roots in Texas run deep. Shadows of Pecan Hollow is her first novel.

The Crook’s Corner Book Prize, established as a collaboration between the iconic Southern restaurant Crook’s Corner, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation, was inspired by the prestigious book awards long given by famous “literary cafés” in Paris.

Submissions are now open for next year’s Prize. For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit www.crookscornerbookprize.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

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VIRTUAL: 10th Annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize Discussion

December 31, 2022 By

with Judge Ben Fountain and This Year’s Winner

Tuesday, January 10, 2023 – 7:00 pm
Virtual via Crowdcast

Scroll to the bottom of this page to purchase copies of the shortlisted authors’ and judge’s books!


Join us for the 10th Annual Crook’s Corner Award Winner Discussion hosted online by Chapel Hill Public Library, Flyleaf Books, and the Crooks’ Corner Book Prize Foundation. We’ll chat with the winner (to be announced on January 9!) and this year’s judge, Ben Fountain (Beautiful Country Burn Again and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk).

Shadows of Pecan Hollow: A Novel By Caroline Frost Cover ImageShadows of Pecan Hollow: A Novel (Hardcover)
By Caroline Frost
$27.99
ISBN: 9780063065345
Availability: at Flyleaf
Published: William Morrow – February 8th, 2022
Bewilderness: A Novel By Karen Tucker Cover ImageBewilderness: A Novel (Paperback)
By Karen Tucker
$16.95
ISBN: 9781646221264
Availability: at Flyleaf
Published: Catapult – June 28th, 2022

All Her Little Secrets: A Novel (Paperback)All Her Little Secrets: A Novel By Wanda M. Morris Cover Image
By Wanda M. Morris
$16.99
ISBN: 9780063082465
Availability: at Flyleaf
Published: William Morrow Paperbacks – November 2nd, 2021

Beautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, and Revolution By Ben Fountain Cover ImageBeautiful Country Burn Again: Democracy, Rebellion, and Revolution (Paperback)
By Ben Fountain
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062688750
Availability: at Flyleaf
Published: Ecco – September 17th, 2019
Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk: A Novel By Ben Fountain Cover ImageBilly Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk: A Novel (Paperback)
By Ben Fountain
$16.99
ISBN: 9780060885618
Availability: at Flyleaf
Published: Ecco – November 27th, 2012

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10th Annual Crook’s Corner Book Prize Shortlist Announced

September 14, 2022 By

September 15, 2022

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CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA, SEPTEMBER 15, 2022—Today, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize Foundation announces the three finalists for its annual Shortlist – vying for best debut novel set in the American South. The winner, to be announced in January 2023, will be awarded the $5,000 literary prize. The purpose of the Crook’s Corner Book Prize is to highlight emerging fiction writers, who typically face some of the toughest obstacles in publishing.

THE SHORTLIST


Shadows of Pecan Hollow
by Caroline Frost
(Morrow/HarperCollins)

A gritty yet tender novel, “Shadows of Pecan Hollow” follows a feisty young woman and her abductor, turned partner-in-crime, as they make a life for themselves that includes an infamous string of robberies. Set in Texas and spanning three decades, the story explores the complexity of love and the bonds that hold us together. Frost has a Master of Professional Writing from the University of Southern California and is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. 


All Her Little Secrets
by Wanda Morris
(Morrow/HarperCollins)

In this fast-paced thriller, Morris crafts a deft mystery about a Black lawyer who gets caught in a dangerous plot after the sudden death of her boss. Set in Atlanta, “All Her Little Secrets” weaves a web of race, the legal system, conspiracies and dark secrets. Morris is a corporate attorney and has worked in the legal departments of some of America’s top Fortune 100 companies. She is a member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America and Crime Writers of Color.


Bewilderness
by Karen Tucker
(Catapult)

This piercing novel follows best friends through rural North Carolina as they scheme and hustle to feed their opioid addiction – until a new boyfriend steps in to change everything. “Bewilderness” is told as a dialogue between the girls’ addicted past and hopeful future to provide an intimate look at friendships and the way they can shape every woman’s life. Tucker’s short fiction has appeared in outlets such as The Missouri Review, The Yale Review, Boulevard, EPOCH, Tin House, and American Literary Review. She teaches fiction and creative nonfiction at UNC Chapel Hill.


“The Prize’s commitment to supporting and encouraging debut novelists has felt especially critical over the past two years,” says Anna Hayes, Foundation President. “This year’s Shortlist represents an impressive range of books by three talented new authors.” 

Although eligible books must be predominantly set in the South, authors may live anywhere, and all genres of fiction, except for Young Adult, are eligible. 

This year’s Shortlist will be judged by Ben Fountain. His most recent book is “Beautiful Country Burn Again,” a narrative, with history, of the 2016 presidential election. He is also the author of the novel “Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk,” which was adapted for film by three-time Oscar winner Ang Lee, and the short story collection “Brief Encounters with Che Guevara.” His work has received the National Book Critics’ Circle Award, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Award, the Flaherty-Dunnan First Novel Prize, and a Whiting Writer’s Award, and has been a finalist for the National Book Award. His novel “The Jacmel Wreck” will appear in 2023. 

The 2022 Prize, awarded last January, went to Eric Nguyen’s “Things We Lost to the Water.”

About the Crook’s Corner Book Prize

Inspired by the literary prizes awarded by famous Parisian cafés such as the Deux Magots and the Café de Flore, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize honors the iconic Crook’s Corner, which for 40 years was a culinary, literary, and artistic beacon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Sadly, Crook’s Corner closed in 2021. However, the Crook’s Corner Book Prize will continue its annual award, a fitting homage to the unforgettable restaurant. For more information on the Prize and submission guidelines, please visit www.CrooksCornerBookPrize.com or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

CONTACTS:
Cindy Hamel, cindyhsellars@gmail.com
April Starling, april@getlinkcommunications.com


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10th Annual Virtual Announcement Party

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10th Annual Book Prize Winner

Shadows of Pecan Hollow
by Caroline Frost
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10th Annual Book Prize Judge

Ben Fountain was born in Chapel Hill and grew up in eastern North Carolina. His most recent book is Beautiful Country Burn Again, a narrative, with history, of the 2016 presidential election. He is also the author of the novel Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, which was adapted for film by three-time Oscar winner Ang Lee, and the short story collection Brief Encounters with Che Guevara.
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