New Book about State Prohibition in Mississippi in the Works

Although I don't have a title yet for my new book about state prohibition in Mississippi, I'm well into researching and writing about Mississippi's "liquor issues" that spanned almost six decades. The anticipated release date for the book, published by the History Press, is Spring 2015. Mississippi's own prohibition law was passed in 1908, a little over a decade before the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified on January 16, 1919. In fact, Mississippi was the first state to ratify the amendment. Ironically, however, many considered the Magnolia State to be the "wettest state in the country" until the state's lawmakers passed a local option law in 1966 during the early administration of Governor Paul B. Johnson, Jr. This will be my second book published by the History Press of Charleston, SC, and I'm pleased to be associated with such a fantastic publishing company. Although the History Press is a UK-based company, it has had a Canadian location and a U.S. location in Charleston, SC. Recently, Arcadia Publishing purchased the U.S. portion of the History Press. Just in case you aren't familiar with Arcadia Publishing, the photographic history books about various places throughout the country, including the recently released Yazoo, by John E. Ellzey, long-time reference librarian at the Ricks Memorial Library in Yazoo City, are part of the company's Images of America series. Since the History Press is retaining its name, my new book will still be published with the History Press imprint. I'm so happy be associated with the largest publishers of regional history in the country (and maybe the world!).  And I hope you will follow the progress of my new book about state prohibition here and on Twitter, until I can set up a Facebook page with its official title. In the meantime, maybe you will want to read my earlier book, The Juke Joint King of the Mississippi Hills: The Raucous Reign of Tillman Branch, set in Holmes County, Mississippi. You can find it in a bookstore near you and online at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, www.booksamillion.com, and on other websites.

The Juke Joint King of the Mississippi Hills

Great News!  The History Press has announced a March 11, 2014 publication date for my book, The Juke Joint King of the Mississippi Hills: The Raucous Reign of Tillman Branch. The book, my first, is a mix of regional and family history and the elements of a true crime that occurred in Mississippi in April 1963 and will be for sale online and in local book retailers.

Announcing My New Book Project: "Tillman Branch, King of the Mississippi Bootleggers"

I am happy and proud to announce that I recently learned The History Press, an independent publisher located in Charleston, South Carolina, has accepted my book proposal, with plans to publish "Tillman Branch, King of the Mississippi Bootleggers," in April 2014.  I am especially delighted to be associated with The History Press, which publishes books in 50 states and was named by Publishers Weekly as a "2012 Fastest-Growing INDIE PUBLISHER."

I wrote about Tillman on this blog several years ago.  Well-known as a bootlegger in Attala and Holmes Counties, Tillman was shot and killed in 1960's Mississippi.  Not only did Tillman make and sell liquor that was illegal during the time in which he lived and in the state where he grew up, he also ran nightclubs where the liquor was sold. Locally known during that time as "juke joints," Tillman's clubs offered entertainment to patrons that featured blues music and moonshine, a combination that often resulted in a little mayhem to boot.  Some of the bluesmen who performed in Tillman's clubs, including David "Honeyboy" Edwards, would later leave Mississippi and become well-known throughout the country.

I have a personal interest in the life of Tillman Branch, since my paternal great-great-grandfather and Tillman's father were brothers. Although I never met Tillman, I was often fascinated by the many stories about him that I heard as a child.  Surprisingly, others knew Tillman as a person who was quite different from the one who lived and worked on the other side of the law. In this book, I hope to present both sides of Tillman's life and the significance of the history and culture of the place where he lived. 

Watch here for updates on the book's progress.