Diane Thomas-Plunk was accepted this year as an Authors’ Alley participant at the prestigious Mississippi Book Festival which last year attracted 6,500 guests. A Pushcart Prize nominee, she was also recognized by NPR when her entry was designated a “favorite” in the Three-Minute Fiction contest. Her story, “Cassie’s Chair,” was a finalist in the Nivalis 2016 short fiction competition. More than a dozen of Thomas-Plunk’s short stories and poetry have appeared in Deep South Magazine, Belle Reve Literary Journal, The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, Steel Toe Review and China Grove Magazine.
Opal, a collection of related short stories set in 1950s rural Mississippi, is Thomas-Plunk’s first book. Opal Pratt shuns confrontation like a yard dog shuns a skunk. In this book you’ll see her as a plain, reclusive spinster who’s not afraid of people; she just avoids them. Yet, when push comes to the inevitable shove, she overcomes fears and reluctance and steps up for those she loves. In this collection you’ll also meet the stripper, the pregnant teenager, the immigrant Baptist preacher, Opal’s only suitor, the County sheriff and his nearly out-of-control deputy, the blind shopkeeper, and Opal’s young friend, Billy.
Excerpt from a review by a book review blog:
“ This book is Southern writing at it’s finest.”
And from a reader review on amazon:
“Opal is a collection of stories unlike anything I’ve read before. The depth of the characters, the layered plots, the wonderful writing. I was captivated from beginning to end.”
Thomas-Plunk was born and raised in Memphis, TN.
