George Weinstein is the award-winning author of the beloved Southern historical novel Hardscrabble Road, its sequel Return to Hardscrabble Road, the kidnapping thriller Watch What You Say, the amateur-sleuth murder mystery Aftermath, the modern relationship drama The Caretaker, and the novel of forgotten US history The Five Destinies of Carlos Moreno.

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He has always written: at six years old, he wrote a collection of superhero plays for his stuffed animals to act out, to entertain his brother and sister. And, his family will attest, he loved telling lies as a youth, even when there was no penalty for telling the truth, just to see what he could get away with and for how long. So, it’s little wonder he still writes fiction.

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His work has been published locally in the Atlanta press and in regional and national anthologies, including A Cup of Comfort for Writers. His first novel, the children’s motivational adventure Jake and the Tiger Flight, was written for the nonprofit Tiger Flight Foundation, which is dedicated to the mission of leading the young to become the “Pilot in Command” of their lives. He wishes that there had been such an organization in Laurel, Maryland, where he misspent his youth.

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George is the twice-former President and current Executive Director of the historic Atlanta Writers Club (AWC), which was founded in 1914. Since 2008, he has directed the twice-yearly Atlanta Writers Conference for the AWC, bringing in acquisitions editors and literary agents to help members understand the business of writing and achieve their dreams of publication.

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He lives with his wife—author Kim Conrey—her two daughters, and their furry, four-legged children in Marietta, GA.

Hardscrabble Road​

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The entire MacLeod clan is haunted by secrets—and young Roger “Bud” MacLeod doesn’t realize he carries the biggest secret of all. Growing up poor in Depression-era South Georgia is hard enough, but Bud is also cursed with a stutter and a birthmark that disfigures his face. His hateful father and amoral mother make life worse still, despite his brothers’ efforts to shield him. To survive, Bud must discover his strengths and confront the sins of his parents. First, though, he’ll need to grasp his own truth: that he can’t embrace his future until he comes to terms with his past.