Miracles, Moonshine, and the Powers of Sisterhood: 5 Questions for Amy Jo Burns, author of Shiner – Our May Discover Pick of the Month

Shiner is a story of secrets and lies, family and faith that will have you holding your breath. There are characters you’ll fall madly in love with, and others that will simply drive you mad. It’s a portrait of a community, a powerful story of friendship and coming-of-age that you won’t want to end. The LA Times goes further, noting that “Shiner takes… faith versus reality, peril and those who self-righteously toy with it — and gives it a smart, stylish update.” We choose this evocative debut (and the perfect follow up to out last Discover pick, Valentine) as our May Discover Pick of the Month and jumped at the chance to ask Amy Jo 5 questions, from the inspiration behind her novel and her characters to what’s she’s reading now.
Appalachia, moonshine, snake handling…secrets and lies, family and faith. How did Shiner start for you?
Shiner began a long time ago when a friend of my mother’s died from pneumonia. Her family believed God would heal her and chose not to take her to the hospital for treatment. I remember the moment my mother said we all shared the blame for her death, because it was the first time, I’d heard her speak out against our church. This taught me that there’s always a story behind the story, and there’s usually a woman behind a man’s tale of great faith or great failure. In writing Shiner, I wanted to give women like this their own Appalachian legends and grant a different future for their daughters.
Your characters are fantastic; did you find them, or did they find you? Who appeared first as you were writing? (It feels like it might have been Ruby?)
I actually think that we found each other! You’re right—Ruby, who is very loosely based on my beloved grandmother, appeared first in my imagination—but she didn’t come alone. She brought her daughter Wren with her, and the steadfast bond between them gave this story its first heartbeat.
Did anything surprise you when you were writing Shiner?
I never saw moonshine coming, and I absolutely fell in love with it. While I was researching mountain life, I came across all these stories of moonshiners who make whiskey in the woods with nothing more than corn, water, and a copper pot over a fire. Making moonshine is so much more than a way to earn money—it’s a fine art, a family heirloom, and a cultural footprint. Once I learned about it, I knew I had to honor it in the novel.
Your first book, Cinderland, is a memoir set in the Rust Belt; is there anything you learned while writing that book that you relied on for Shiner?
Cinderland taught me that there’s true magic in writing about home—what it feels like to remain there, return to it, or leave it behind. I learned how powerful it is to write about things I once loved and lost, and how writing can give those things back to you. Every character in Shiner is on their own journey to discover what it means to have a home—and when they must choose to protect it, defy it, or prepare to lay down their lives for it.
We always have to ask: Who are you reading and recommending now?
I’ve read so many great books lately! My recent favorites are Kept Animals by Kate Milliken, Take Me Apart by Sara Sligar, and What We Become in Flight by Ellen O’Connell Whittet.