Set in fictional Burfield County, Kentucky, these short stories unfold during the Great Depression, when coal mining was the dominant industry in the Kentucky mountains. The stories focus on three families caught between loyalty to the mines that feed them and resentment of the industry that devours them. In Appalachia during that period, families clung to each other despite poverty, tragedy, hardship and natural disasters. In "Rain on Chinquapin Holler," Wiley Hicks' heart is torn between his mountain-bred wife and a perfumed city woman who represents everything he both desires and despises. Meanwhile, bootleg whiskey offers both escape and enslavement. A devastating flood forces impossible choices that leave no one unscathed. "A Sprig of Purple Asters" follows May Owens, whose unemployed miner husband vacillates between pride and despair while their sons' bellies grow hollow. When her opportunistic brothers arrive, May's desperate gamble saves her family by nearly destroying it. The final story -- "Red Snow in the Kentucky Woods" -- follows young James Herald Gibson who, after losing his father and brother to a mine collapse, vows never to descend below ground himself, whatever the cost. His choice spirals into a decades-long mystery of family secrets and unbearable guilt. Throughout, characters speak in the lilting cadence of mountainfolk whose poetic speech preserves the rhythms and phrases of their Elizabethan ancestors. "Coal Dust on Purple Asters , Jeffrey L. Carrier's debut trilogy of short fiction set in the coal fields of eastern Kentucky, captures the fierce love binding families across generations, despite poverty, deadly mining cave-ins, and recurring flood disasters. Carrier's graceful prose, his compassionate narration of loss, and the detective work of a young descendant of coal miners in the third story will keep readers engaged." Beverly Matherne, U.P. Poet Laureate Emerita, author of Love Potions, Teas, Incantations. "Jeffrey L. Carrier's Coal Dust on Purple Asters is a short historical trilogy about three coal-mining families surviving in the rough mountains of Kentucky during the Great Depression. Some books give you goosebumps long after you've read the last page. Coal Dust on Purple Asters was such a book for me. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it." -- Ann Linus for Readers' Favorite. "Eloquent, original, deftly crafted, and a collectively fascinating read from start to finish, Coal Dust on Purple Asters: A Trilogy of Short Fiction by Jeffrey L. Carrier documents and showcases his complete mastery of the short story literary format." -- Midwest Book Review "In this trilogy of short fiction, Jeffrey L. Carrier delivers a haunting portrait of Appalachian life shaped by hardship, loyalty, moral ambiguity, and the endurance of families who rarely get a clean escape. Carrier writes with an unflinching eye, crafting stories that feel lived-in and painfully honest." -- The Book Torch "Jeffrey L. Carrier has written a wonderful collection of stories. Any reader who is interested in Appalachia, its history and literature, would do well to make this collection a prominent part of their spring reading." -- Matthew McCarty for Bestsellers World "These are short stories in the best tradition. You could read them in an afternoon, but you'll be turning them over in your mind for weeks. For fans of Ron Rash, Denise Giardina, and Harriette Arnow, Coal Dust on Purple Asters is an easy recommendation. It's a collection of three small, subtly devastating stories that feel like they've always existed, just waiting to be found. Read it slowly. Read it twice." -- Maria Ashford for Book-Shelfie "With its strong writing, engaging and heartfelt plots, and strong characters in each short story, Coal Dust on Purple Asters is a great read, and it gets an emphatic recommendation from me." -- Elijah B. for Explore Authors Magazine "This book would be a strong fit for readers who enjoy regional fiction, family sagas in short form or historical stories about working people and small towns." -- Literary Titan