Floods and Fires, the first collection of stories by Dan Leach, tests Marilynne Robinson’s assertion that “Families will not be broken.” In the title story, a father harbors his fugitive son from the town bully-turned-sheriff and meditates on suffering in small-towns. In “Everything Must Go,” an estranged husband spots his ex-wife’s belongings at a garage sale and grapples with an onset of paranoia. In “Transportation,” a young boy attempts, through wild acts of imagination, to transcend his bleak existence in a trailer park. Wrestling against limitations that are Southern in aesthetic, but universal in nature, the characters in Floods and Fires seek redemption in the face of hard times. Quirky, outlandish, but in the end emotionally poignant, Dan Leach’s stories follow imperfect people struggling against their circumstances, their histories, and, most importantly, themselves.

Dan Leach’s stories have appeared in various literary journals and magazines, including The Greensboro Review, The New Madrid Review, and Appalachian Heritage. Born and raised in upstate South Carolina, he graduated from Clemson University in 2008 and has taught English in various schools across the state. He currently lives in Greenville with his wife and three children.

“Dan Leach’s beautifully-written, soul-shaking collection proves without a doubt that the best stories in America emerge from the universe of literary magazines. Each protagonist in Floods and Fires stands at a point when one simple decision needs to be made immediately, and chances are that the decision might backfire. These are stories of Love and Disaster–though not disastrous Love. Fans of Larry Brown, get in line pronto.”

– George Singleton, author of Calloustown

“In the vein of Ron Rash and the late Larry Brown, Floods and Fires is peopled with characters backed into corners, grasping for salvation any way they can find it. You can’t have grace without sin, and Dan Leach’s exceptional story collection delivers plenty of both.”

– Jon Sealy, author of The Whiskey Baron

“Dan Leach is a new voice in American storytelling. His first volume of short stories mixes bittersweet humor and haunting tragedy but always relies on sharply-drawn characters whose ever-present experience of loss draws the reader in. This author’s first collection is truly a delight to read.”

– Randy Spencer, author of What The Body Knows