Death in the Black Patch

In the spring of 1906 in Kentucky, Wes Wilson stands in his freshly plowed field gazing at furrows that will soon be filled with young dark-leaf tobacco plants. This crop is his life's blood, the product that allows him to feed and clothe his family. Wes is determined that nothing-not the powerful monopoly trying to drive prices down, or the growers' association demanding that farmers hold back their crops-will stand in his way. But the secrets and lies which plague the community smother Wes as he struggles to decide whether he should join the Association or sell out to the tobacco company. In the days that follow, Wes realizes that he's a threat to his family's peace. So, like the Night Riders who wear masks to hide their identity, he puts on a mask of control to hide his troubled mind. Wes is blind to the dangers he faces-the devious tobacco buyer; the ever-present Night Riders; and the cousin who is hiding a deadly secret- grow more intense the longer he takes to decide what to do with his crop. The conflict erupts and soon rages out of control with a result both surprising and tragic. 

Bruce Wilson of Silver City, NM

Bruce Wilson is a writer, historian and educator living in Silver City, New Mexico. He is a graduate of California State University-Fullerton and Western New Mexico University where he currently teaches American History. He is a contributing author to the anthology Bug Tales by Paul Klebahn and Gabriella Jacobs and his story "Raven's Nest" received an Honorable Mention in the Desert Exposure 2015 Annual Writing Contest. Recalling the stories his father used to tell, one tale in particular kept popping up in his thoughts, so Wilson traveled to Kentucky to do some research on his family heritage and discovered the actual events of the story. Last year, he returned to the home of his ancestors in Kentucky and walked the country roads and trudged through the rows of the tobacco fields. Unable to get the story out of his mind, he turned the event into a novel- Death in the Black Patch.