Winner, 2025 Southern Book Prize, awarded by SIBA:  Rednecks

Winner, 2025 Audie Award in Fiction: Rednecks

Winner, 2024 Weatherford Award in Fiction, Appalachian Studies Association and Berea College: Rednecks

Winner, 2024 Ron Rash Award in Fiction, awarded by Broad River Review for “The Trembling Earth”

Winner, 2021 Georgia Author of the Year Award for Literary Fiction:  Pride of Eden

Winner, 2009 Montana Prize in Fiction, awarded by CutBank, judged by Joy Williams:  “Rider”

 

Finalist

Finalist, 2026 John Steinbeck Award for Fiction

Longlist, 2025 Mark Twain American Voice in Literature Award

Finalist, Townsend Prize in Fiction, 2023

Finalist, 94th Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition (2025) for “Rise, River, Rise”

Finalist, 2025 Florida Review Prize for “The Ghostbird”

Finalist, 2024 Doris Betts Fiction Prize, awarded by NC Literary Review (“Rise, River, Rise”)

Finalist, 2024 Florida Review Prize for “Rise, River, Rise”

Finalist, 2024 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize, awarded by NC Writers’ Network (“Heartstone”)

Finalist, 2023 Thomas Wolfe Fiction Prize, awarded by NC Writers’ Network (“Old Man Howl”)

Finalist, 2019 Southern Book Prize, awarded by SIBA:  Gods of Howl Mountain

Finalist, 2018 Southern Book Prize, awarded by SIBA:  The River of Kings

Finalist, 2017 Southern Book Prize, awarded by SIBA:  Fallen Land

Finalist, 2016 Danahy Fiction Prize, awarded by the Tampa Review

Finalist, Short Story Category of 2015 International Book Awards:  In the Season of Blood and Gold

Finalist, 2015 Rick Demarinis Contest, awarded by Cutthroat (“Rhino Girl”)

Finalist, 2014 Wabash Prize in Fiction, awarded by Sycamore Review (story withdrawn due to publishing conflict)

Finalist, 2014 Doris Betts Fiction Prize, sponsored by NC Writers’ Network and awarded by NC Literary Review

Finalist, 2012 Machigonne Fiction Contest, awarded by The New Guard, judged by Rick Bass

2nd Place Short Fiction, Press 53 Open Awards:  “Kingdom Come”

Other Distinguished Mystery Stories, “Cajun Reeboks,” Best American Mystery Stories 2010

Writing Residencies

2024 Storyteller in Residence, Flagler College

2019 Visiting Writer, University of North Carolina-Wilmington

Other Recognition

2017 Books All Georgians Should Read, Georgia Center for the Book:  The River of Kings

2016 Books All Georgians Should Read, Georgia Center for the Book:  Fallen Land