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Sharyn McCrumb (born Sharyn Elaine Arwood February 26, 1948, Wilmington, North Carolina) is an American writer whose books celebrate the history and folklore of Appalachia. Educated at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Virginia Tech, she has also taught Appalachian studies. She is married to David McCrumb, a corporate environmental director, and has two children, Laura and Spencer.

McCrumb has written two large series of novels, The Ballad series and the Elizabeth MacPherson series. The Ballad series includes:

• Ghost Riders (2003)
• The Songcatcher (2001)
• The Ballad of Frankie Silver (1998)
• The Rosewood Casket (1996)
• She Walks These Hills (1994)
• The Hang-man’s Beautiful Daughter (1992)
• If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O (1990)

The Elizabeth MacPherson Novels:

• PMS Outlaws (2000)
• If I’d Killed Him When I Met Him (1995)
• MacPherson’s Lament (1992)
• Missing Susan (1990)
• The Windsor Knot(1990)
• Paying the Piper (1988)
• Highland Laddie Gone (1986)
• Lovely in Her Bones (1985)
• Sick of Shadows (1984)

Other shorts stories and essays include: Our Separate Days (1985) and Foggy Mountain Breakdown: Short Story Collection (1997). McCrumb also wrote Bimbos of the Death Sun (1987) and Zombies of the Gene Pool (1993), two satirical mystery novels set in the world of science fiction conventions and fandom. Her 2005 novel St. Dale is a modern take on The Canterbury Tales as filtered through the world of NASCAR.

• Lovely in Her Bones - 1985 Best Appalachian Novel; Appalachian Writer's Association
• Bimbos of the Death Sun - 1988 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original Mystery; Mystery Writers of America
• The Hangman’s Beautiful Daughter - 1992 Best Appalachian Novel; Appalachian Writer's Association
• She Walks These Hills - 1994 Nero Award, Agatha Award, Anthony Award, and the Macavity Award
• If I’d Killed Him When I Met Him - 1995 Agatha Award

McCrumb received the 1997 Outstanding Contribution to Appalachian Literature from the Appalachian Writer’s Association. She also received the Appalachian Writer of the Year Award from Shepherd College in 1999 and the Wilma Dykeman Award for Regional Historical Literature from the East Tennessee Historical Society in 2003. McCrumb has also received the Chaffin Award from Morehead State University, the Plattner Award from Berea College, and the Flora McDonald Award.

• Sharyn McCrumb Home Page