In the wilds of Civil War-era Arkansas, plantation owner John Crowley has lost faith in the war and in the South. With his daughter Clara, he awaits the return of his son from the War, filling his time with plans of a scientific journey of discovery. Enter Emet, a golem, with a name but no memory, sold to Crowley as a slave and brought to the plantation. The “unfinished Adam” learns from Othello, a slave driver and master storyteller, while bearing the brutality of the plantation overseer, Mr. Winfrey, and his cruel sons. After tragedy strikes, Master John devises a plan to leave the South behind, to destroy it entirely, including his most trusted slaves. Emet struggles to obey his master as he tries to save Othello and the other slaves. With elements of magical realism and a dash of steampunk, this funny, engaging story redefines what Southern Literature is capable of being.

Virtual Book Tour Schedule:

MONDAY: Read why CL Bledsoe became a writer and how he got to where he is with his writing today at Kelcey Parker’s blog PhD in Creative Writing.

TUESDAY: [PANK] welcomes CL’s virtual book tour and shares an excerpt of Man of Clay that includes author insights into characters, history, and personal inspirations (like a grumpy rat).

WEDNESDAY: Why do the characters talk like that? CL explores regional idioms from his youth in Arkansas and how they play a role in Man of Clay over at Book Puke.

THURSDAY: The Next Best Book Club blog is home to an interview with CL about the content of his novel, including some wild, real-life inspiration for characters.

FRIDAY: For the last stop of the tour, Man of Clay heads over to Out Where the Buses Don’t Run. CL describes the Big John slave narratives in his novel and why storytelling is such a big part of his life.

CL Bledsoe is the author of four poetry collections, one short story collection, and five novels, including the Necro-Files series and the forthcoming Man of Clay (now available for pre-order!). His stories, poems, essays, plays, and reviews have been published in hundreds of literary journals, including Cimarron Review, Barrow Street, New York Quarterly, Gargoyle, Nimrod, Arkansas Review, Pank, Potomac Review, and many others. He’s been nominated for the Pushcart Prize thirteen times, Best of the Net four times, and has had two stories selected as Notable Stories of the year by Story South’s Million Writers Award. Bledsoe currently lives in Alexandria, VA, with his daughter.