Michael Morris

Michael Morris is an American author who has published several works of fiction. Morris is best known for his novels, exploring family, faith, and redemption themes in the American South. His works have been finalists for various literary awards, including the Christy and the Southern Book Critics Circle Awards.

Michael Morris is a fifth-generation native of Perry, Florida, a rural area near Tallahassee. This area is the foundation and inspiration for his stories and novels. After graduating from Auburn University, Morris worked for U.S. Senator Bob Graham and later became a sales representative for pharmaceutical companies.

Despite his professional endeavors, Morris nurtured a long-standing desire to write, which he pursued in his spare time. It was not until Morris accepted a position in government affairs and relocated to North Carolina that he began to take his writing more seriously.

While studying under author Tim McLaurin, Michael wrote the story that became his first novel, A Place Called Wiregrass. The book was released in April 2002 and is currently in its third printing.

A Place Called Wiregrass was named a Booksense 76 selection by American Independent Booksellers Association and is part of the southern literature curriculum at two universities.

His following work, Slow Way Home (2003), was named one of the best novels of the year by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Publishers Weekly named his latest novel, Man in the Blue Moon, the best book of 2012. Critics have noted that it is a beautifully written portrait of small-town southern life, "where poverty, tragedy and human love engage in a ritualistic dance."

Man in the Blue Moon was also a top three recommended book club read by the independent booksellers association and won the 2014 Best Novel category from the Alabama Library Association.

Michael and his wife, Melanie, reside in Fairhope, Alabama.

Photo credit: www.michaelmorrisbooks.com