Erin Chandler
New Release!
Bluegrass Sons, a True Crime Memoir,
by Erin Chandler, is an honest account of the events and activities described in the Bluegrass Conspiracy and the fantastical origins of the Cocaine Bear.
Bluegrass Sons: A True Crime Memoir by Erin Chandler
Available in Paperback—Limited Edition Hardcover sold out!—
Bluegrass Sons is a true crime family saga set between Lexington, Kentucky, and the desert days and gaudy nights of 1970s Las Vegas, Nevada, with a little El Paso, Guatemala, and Savannah thrown in.
The story is about Bradley Bryant, a United States Marine who lived a double life. The FBI labeled him "a one-man crime wave" responsible for the largest gun-running, drug-smuggling network in the United States. His family considered him their rock, his mother's favorite, and a successful Philadelphia businessman.
For the first time in forty years, Brad Bryant tells his truth, recording hours of conversations with his niece, Erin Chandler. Bluegrass Sons includes historical testimonies from those who were along for that ride, giving exclusive interviews to Erin Chandler for this book. It's a tale of drugs, arms, assassinations, and espionage where your lies are your life even if you are one of the good guys.
Upcoming Events & Appearences
Join Erin Chandler at the Kentucky Book Festival!Sat, Nov 02Joseph Beth Booksellers
Author Event With Erin Chandler at A Likely StorySat, Oct 12A Likely Story
Grown Up Book Club Happy HourMon, Sep 30Winchester
Kentucky Writers Roundtable
Erin Chandler joins the
Kentucky Writers Roundtable with panelists Linda Bryant, Jay McCoy and Kevin Nance, to share her new book,
Bluegrass Sons.
93.9 WLXU
Wednesdays at 8 PM
Air date coming soon!
Eastern Standard
Tom Martin interviews Erin Chandler on Eastern Standard, discussing her new book, Bluegrass Sons, and her journey as a Kentucky writer
and champion of local authors.
88.9 WEKU
Thursdays at 11 AM & 8 PM
Sundays at 6 PM
Air date coming soon!
Trivial Thursdays
Erin Chandler chats with host Mick Jefferies on Trivial Thursdays, diving into her latest book, Bluegrass Sons, and how she came to tell this gritty true crime story with a personal family twist.
88.1 FM WRFL
Live Thursdays at 10 AM
Air date coming soon!
Bluegrass Sons: A True Crime Memoir
is an honest account of the events and activities described in the Bluegrass Conspiracy and the fantastical origins of the Cocaine Bear.
Told from the perspective of one of this true story's key players, Bradley Bryant, Bluegrass Sons is a tale of intrigue and espionage. Bryant's niece,
Erin Chandler, spent four years verifying facts with him and other central characters for her book.
Bluegrass Sons is a featured book at the 2024 Kentucky Book Festival on November 2nd, at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington.
Author
Erin Chandler's memoir, June Bug Versus Hurricane was published in 2018. Her original play of the same name was produced at the Lost Studio in Los Angeles in 2009. Cinderella Sweeping Up, a collection of essays Has been released in June 2019. They were originally published in the Woodford Sun where she writes a weekly column. Erin holds an MFA in Creative Writing from Spalding University and Masters in Theatre from the University of Kentucky. She teaches playwrighting and screenwriting at the Carnegie Center in Lexington, KY and is hard at work on a new novel, Nervous Blood. Erin is on the roster for the 2019-2020 Kentucky Humanities Speakers Bureau.
Erin Chandler founded Rabbit House Press in 2015. The company was born of a passion for sharing the voices of authors who might otherwise not have been heard, helping them create beautiful books to put out in the world.
It is our vision with Rabbit House Press to create a publishing company with uncompromising integrity. Setting the highest standards in both content and aesthetics, the objective is to share unique works that promise enduring appeal. We will forever remain passionate about evocative stories which are uniquely American, celebrating the glorious quilt of disparate characters that make up the fabric of our country. It is our pleasure to connect writers with their readers.
Publisher
Actress
Film and Television credits include Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas with director Terry Gilliam alongside Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. John Ritter was her partner in the film Dead Husbands and in Chicago Hope with Hector Elizando and Adam Arkin. As the lead in Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel, Chandler shared the screen with Leslie Jordan, Mark Pellegrino, and Carlos Gomez. Most recently, Erin played Carol to Sharlto Copely's Ted Kazinsky in Ted K, a new film shot in Lincoln, Montana and set to be released in 2020.
Bio
Erin Chandler is an author, playwright, actress, and creative writing professor. Her memoir, June Bug Versus Hurricane, was released in 2017 and Cinderella Sweeping Up: A Collection of Essays was released in 2019.
Erin worked professionally in the entertainment industry for over twenty years in Los Angeles. Film and television credits include Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel, Dead Husbands, Chicago Hope, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. This led her to producing independent film and theatre, winning awards such as Best Actress Dramalogue Award for In the Boom Boom Room and Best Ensemble, Best Script at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival for Lost in the Pershing Point Hotel with Leslie Jordan.
Upon returning to Kentucky in 2015, Erin attended graduate school at Spalding University, receiving her MFA in Creative Writing and turning her attention to a literary life. As it was a pleasure to find great material, talent, and a venue to create special theatrical events, she decided to apply the same principle to books. Rabbit House Press was born of a passion for sharing the voices of authors who might otherwise not have been heard, helping them create beautiful books to put out in the world.
Erin currently teaches Memoir and Playwrighting at the Carnegie Center in Lexington, Kentucky. Her new book of non-fiction, Bluegrass Sons, is based on her father, Dan Chandler, a Las Vegas casino executive, and her uncle, Bradley Bryant. The book is set in the 1970s and early 80s, a time when their lives intersected with Brad’s work as a CIA operative and drug smuggler for the infamous Chagra family from El Paso, Texas. A companion podcast is in the works with award-winning documentarian, Evan Mascagni and Peabody-winning podcast producers, journalists Sean Cannon and Heather Schroering.
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