Joseph Coulson is a novelist, poet, playwright, and teacher. His published books include The Vanishing Moon (Book of the Year Award, Gold Medal in Literary Fiction, ForeWord Magazine) and Of Song and Water (finalist for the Great Lakes Book Award).
THE PRINCE OF MEMPHIS – A novel
COMING SEPTEMBER 15 2026
Aron Beale is the unacknowledged son of Elvis—and a Black mother, Clara Mae Beale—the result of a chance meeting one night at New York’s Warwick Hotel in the summer of ‘56. Few know Aron’s secret, and his mid-life plan to publish a revealing memoir brings out lawyers from Graceland, religious fanatics, and death threats aiming to silence him. But his decades old chart-topping song, “Midnight Candy,” catches the ear of a young journalist, Odelia Jane Phillips, triggering an unlikely love affair and a partnership in writing and adventure—a shared mission to confront and expose the conspirators who would bury Aron’s controversial book.
Grounded in pop culture, laced with dark humor, and propelled by musical prose, The Prince of Memphis immerses readers in a dreamlike journey—from Detroit to Las Vegas to the Birthplace of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Sparks fly as Aron and Odelia’s electric connection collides with the magnetic pull of Aron’s past, fueling a rock ‘n’ roll odyssey, a race through the shadowlands bordering black and white, a reckoning with an absent father who is endlessly present.
Early praise for The Prince of Memphis
“Rhinestones, rock-and-roll religion and the American road, Coulson—history, music, culture impresario—re-mixes the dream.”
—John Reed, author of A Still Small Voice, Snowball's Chance, and others.
“I've never read anything that captures the magic of Memphis in the way that Joseph Coulson has. The Prince of Memphis is a more satisfying midlife vehicle than any red convertible.”
—Preston Lauterbach, author of Before Elvis
The Prince of Memphis features an original song, “Midnight Candy,” composed by the song-writing team of Joseph Coulson, Robert Schleeter, and William Relling Jr.
As the story goes, Aron Beale records “Midnight Candy” in 1974 and the song climbs to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Media inquiries: lissawarrenpr@gmail.com