Janet Evanovich Author Biographies

Janet Evanovich was born Janet Schneider in South River, New Jersey on April 22, 1943. She studied art for four years at Rutgers’ Douglass College of Art. She married Peter Evanovich in 1964. They produced two children, Peter and Alexandra. Janet became a home maker and artist. In her thirties, she developed an allergy to pigment. As an alternative she started writing romance novels using the pseudonym, Steffie Hall.

After many failed attempts at being published, she took a secretarial job with a temp agency. A few months later she got a call to publish “Hero at Large”. She quit her temp job and started writing romances novels full time.

Later, Janet started writing in the mystery genre and in 1994 her first Stephanie Plum book was published. The central character, Stephanie Plum, is an inept bounty hunter. These light-hearted mysteries, with a touch of romance, will keep you laughing and wondering when the next book will hit the shelf. Janet claims that, “If we can laugh at something, we can face it.”

Janet sold the movie rights for these books to Columbia Tristar, but so far no movies have been made. Janet said she had envisioned Sandra Bullock as Stephanie Plum, but Sandra Bullock is getting too old now.

The family moved to New Hampshire in 1995 where she started her own company, called Evanovich, Inc. Her husband, Stephen runs the business. Her son, Peter does all things financial and is the master problem solver. Daughter, Alex, along with her staff created and run the website, writes the newsletter and takes care of publicity.

Janet has received many awards for her Romance, mysteries and thrillers. In 2010, her and her daughter will be coming out with some graphic novels for Dark Horse Comics. They will be based on her Alexandra Barnaby series. In an interview she said, “It allows me to feed my Nascar addiction and comic book addiction all at the same time.”

Bibliography:

Stephanie Plum Series:
One for the Money (1994)
Two for the Dough (1995)
Three to get Deadly (1997)
Four to Score (1998)
High Five (1999)
Hot Six (2000)
Seven Up (2001)
Hard Eight (2002)
To the Nines (2003)
Ten Big Ones (2004)
Eleven on Top (2005)
Twelve Sharp (2006)
Lean Mean Thirteen (2007)
Fearless Fourteen (2008)
Finger Lickin' Fifteen (Stephanie Plum Novels)(2009)

Plum Boxed Set 1 (1, 2, 3): Contains One for the Money, Two for the Dough and Three to Get Deadly(Stephanie Plum Novels)


Between the Numbers:
Visions of Sugar Plums (2002)
Plum Lovin’ (2007)
Plum Lucky (2008)
Plum Spooky (A Between-the-Numbers Novel)(2009)

Stephanie Plum Omnibuses:
Three Plums in One (2001)
The Stephanie Plum Novels (2002)
Three to Get Ready/ Four to Score/ High Five/ Hot Six (2002)
Hot Six/ Seven Up/ Hard Eight (2006)
More Plums in One (2007)
Seven Up/ Hard Eight/ To the Nines (2007)
Ten Big Ones/ Eleven on Top/ Twelve Sharp (2007)


Max Holt Series (written with Charlotte Hughes:
Full House (2002
Full Tilt (2002)
Full Speed (2003)
Full Blast (2004)
Full Bloom (2005)
Full Scoop (Janet Evanovich's Full Series)(2006)

The Full Box (omnibus) (2006)
Alexandra Barnaby Series:
Metro Girl (2004)
Motor Mouth (2006)
Cate Madigan (written with Leanne Banks)
Hot Stuff(2007)

Romance Novels: (Pseudonym, Stephie Hall)
Hero at Large
Foul Play
The Grand Finale
Thanksgiving
Manhunt
Love Overboard
Back to the Bedroom
Smitten
Wife for Hire
Rocky Road to Romance
Naughty Neighbor


Nonfiction:
How I Write (2006)

Kathy Reichs Author Biographies

Kathy Reichs was born Kathleen Joan Toelle in 1950 in Chicago, Illinois. She received a BA in Anthropology from American University in 1971. She received her MA in Physical Anthropology in 1972 and her PHD in 1975 from Northwestern University. She is also professionally trained in archaeology. She is one of only about 50 some forensic anthropologists certified by the American Board of forensics where she is also a board member.
Kathy says, as a child she had a big interest in archaeology and was an avid mystery fan reading Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys.
Kathy Reichs wears many hats. Besides being a wife and mother, (she married attorney Paul Reichs and they have three children) she is a professor of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte. She divides her time between North Carolina and Quebec where she works at the Laboratoire de Sciences Judicaires et de Medicine Leagale. She is also Director of Forensic Anthropology for the Providence of Quebec .
She participated in the cleanup at the World Trade Center in 2001 which she said was the hardest thing she ever had to do. Kathy has worked on projects with the National Disaster Medical System team. She is also an expert witness in criminal trials.
She has edited forensics textbooks and written several journal articles. In 1997 she had her first book of fiction published. Her series of books are based on a Forensics Anthropology character, Dr. Temperance Brennan aka “Bones” by her FBI partner. These series of books inspired the television series “Bones” with Kathy as Executive Producer.
“Bones” is based very loosely on the Kathy Reich’s books. Dr. Temperance Brennan, besides being a forensic anthropologist at the Jeffersonian Institute, working closely with the FBI, also writes best selling books with her protagonist being Kathy Reichs. Kathy played a small role in one of the “Bones” episodes. The show is now in its fifth season.

Book written by Kathy Reichs

Deja Dead(1997)
Death Du Jour (1999)
Deadly Decisions (2000)
Fatal Voyage (2001)
Grave Secrets (2002)
Bare Bones (2003)
Monday Mourning (2004)
Cross Bones (2005)
Break No Bones (2006)
Bones to Ashes (2007)
Devil Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan)(2008)
206 Bones: A Novel (Temperance Brennan Novels)(2009)

Omnibus of Deja Dead/Death Du Jour in (2004)

Patricia Cornwell Author Biographies

Patricia Cornwell was born Patricia Carroll Daniels, aka Patsy, on June 9, 1956 in Miami Florida. Her father was an appellate attorney and her mother a secretary. She has two brothers. When she was in grade school, the family minus dad, moved to North Carolina a couple of miles from Billy Graham. After her mother fell into deep depression, Patricia was placed in foster care.

In high school, Patricia played tennis on the boy’s team since there was no girl’s team. Even in college she had to play on the men’s team. Patricia wrote short stories and poems as a child but didn’t take writing serious until years later when she quit tennis at the age of 19.

She attended King’s College in Bristol, Tennessee and in 1979 received her BA in English Literature from Davidson College in North Carolina. She married Charles Cornwell, her college professor, who was 17 years older, but they divorced ten years later. They have no children.
Patricia started her career as a crime reporter then went on to work in the medical examiner’s office in Richmond Virginia. She published her first mystery, “Postmortem”, in 1990, winning several prestigious awards. She is now one of the top grossing female authors in the world.

As Patricia was growing up, Ruth Graham, Billy Graham’s wife, was a mentor to her. Patricia wrote the commemorative book, “Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham” published in 1997.

While researching neuroscience, she met with Dr. Staci Gruber, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, at Harvard Medical School and Associate Director of the Cognitive Neuroimaging Laboratory at McLean Hospital. They were married in 2005. Patricia says that she finally feels rooted somewhere and is outraged that same sex marriages are not allowed in all states. She acknowledged and dedicated her book, “Book of the Dead”, to Dr. Gruber. This book also won her the BCA Crime Thriller of the Year award for 2008.

Patricia and Fox 2000 are teaming up on a movie deal based on Patricia’s Scarpetta series. Angelina Jolie will play the part of the medical examiner, Kay Scarpetta. Patricia has also made a deal with the cable network, Lifetime, to adapt “At Risk” and “The Front”, her Winston Garano series.

Books by Patricia Cornwell:

Kay Scarpetta Series:
Postmortem (1990)
Body of Evidence (1991)
All That Remains (1992)
Cruel and Unusual (1993)
The Body Farm (1994)
From Potter’s Field (1994)
Cause of Death (1996
Point of Origin (1998)
Black Notice (1999)
The Last Precinct (2000)
Blow Fly (2003)
Trace (2004)
Predator (2005)
Book of the Dead (2007)
Scarpetta (2008)
The Scarpetta Factor (2009)

Postmortem/Body of Evidence (omnibus) (1995)
Cruel and Unusual/The Body Farm/From Potters Field (omnibus)( 2000)
Cause of Death/Unnatural Exposure/Point of Origin (omnibus) (2002)

Andy Brazil Series:
Hornet’s Nest (1997)
Southern Cross (1999)
Isle of Dogs (2001)

Winston Garano Series:
At Risk (2006)
The Front (2008)

Non Fiction:
Food to Die For: Secrets from Kay Scarpetta’s Kitchen (2001)
Portrait of a Killer: Jack the Ripper-Case Closed (2002
Ruth, A Portrait: The Story of Ruth Bell Graham (1997)
Scarpetta’s Winter Table (1998
Life’s Little Fable (1999) A children’s book

John Grisham Author Biographies

John Grisham was born on February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro Arkansas to a cotton farmer and an itinerant construction worker father and a mother who was a homemaker.  As a child, he dreamed of being a professional baseball player, but it was not to be.  He attended Mississippi State University where he majored in accounting.  He graduated with a law degree from University of Mississippi in 1981.


 John married Renee Jones in 1981 and they have two children, Ty and Shea. He practiced criminal and civil law in Southaven, Mississippi for 10 years.  He was also a State Representative of Mississippi from 1983 until 1990.  They make a farm near Oxford, Mississippi and a plantation near Charlottesville, Virginia there home.

 John published his first book, “A Time to Kill”, in 1989. He said that it took him three years to write.  He would get up early in the morning to write before going to work at his law office.
In 1994 he became the publisher of a magazine, The Oxford American.  He helped save this struggling magazine from financial ruin.
 
After his second book, “The Firm”, was published and Paramount bought the movies rights for the book, John retired from law and took up writing full time.  He has generally published one book per year ever since.  About his books, he says that he builds fiction on top of facts.

He became an advocate for the abolishment of the death penalty while researching for his book, “The Chamber”.  He does not believe in state sanctioned killings.  He believes that it is morally wrong and there are too many individuals that are wrongly accused.   He wrote about such a case in “An Innocent Man, A true Story”.  This non-fiction, murder mystery and legal thriller, tells the story of the botched investigation, trial and wrongful conviction of Ron Williamson from Ada, Oklahoma.  He wants to make people question the death penalty.

John’s books have been translated into over 29 languages and there are over 245 million books in print worldwide.  So far eleven of his works have been made into movies.  He also wrote the original screenplay, “Mickey”, and served as producer.  The movie hit the screen in 2004 and starred Harry Connick, Jr. The film, “The Gingerbread Man” was based on one of John Grisham’s short stories.

John writes about six months a year and, when not writing, he supports many charitable causes.  He has helped raise 8.8 Million dollars for Gulf Coast Relief, following the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.  He also serves as the local Little League Commissioner.  He is also a board member of The Innocence Project.  This organization encourages the use of  DNA testing on death row inmates to determine innocence.

Bibliography:

Fiction:
A Time to Kill: A Novel(1989)
The Firm (1991)
The Pelican Brief (1992)
The Client (1993)
The Chamber(1994)
The Rainmaker (1995)
The Runaway Jury (1996)
The Partner (1997)
The Street Lawyer (1998)
The Testament (1999)
The Brethren (2000)
A Painted House (2001)
Skipping Christmas (2001)
The Summons (2002)
The King of Torts (2003)
Bleachers (2003)
The Last Juror (2004)
The Broker (2005)
Playing for Pizza (2007)
The Appeal (2008)
The Associate(2009)
Ford County: Stories(2009)


Non-Fiction:
The Innocent Man(2006)

Films:
Mickey (2004)
The Gingerbread Man (2004)

David Baldacci Author Biographies

David Baldacci was born on August 5, 1960 in Richmond, Virginia. He hails from a working-class background. His father, Rudolph, was a tucking foreman who had lost most of his hearing in World War ll. He earned his BA in Political Science from Virginia Commonwealth University and his law degree in1988 from the University of Virginia. David has two older siblings, a brother, Rudy, and artist, and sister, Sharon, a writer.
David practiced criminal law and then later corporate law for nine years. He says he always loved to read and telling stories, and while growing up, often got into trouble with his tall tales. He says he always wanted to write and started writing fiction as a young child and continued throughout his law practice. He likes to quip that, as a lawyer, he learned a lot about writing fiction.
David met Michelle A. Collins, a paralegal, at a barbecue and they dated and then married in 1990. They have two children, a daughter, Spencer, and a son, Collin. The family still resides in Virginia.
David’s first novel, “Absolute Power”, was made into a blockbuster movie starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman. David writes on diverse subjects, but is well known for his political thrillers. He is also a humorous, passionate and inspirational keynote speaker. He often speaks at worthy fund raising events. It has been said that he is as prolific a talker as he is a writer.
David and Michelle started a family foundation in 2002 called Wish You Well Foundation which works to eliminate illiteracy nationally. Recently they teamed up with Feeding Americans, Feeding Body and Minds utilizing food and book donations at food banks since poverty stems from illiteracy.
David does fund-raising book signings where he asks people to bring in new and used books. They are also involved in fund raising for The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the American Cancer Society and The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. David is a national ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.
David’s books have been published in over 45 languages

Books by David Baldacci:

Sean King and Michelle Maxwell Series:
Split Second (2003)
Hour Game (2003)
Simple Genius (2007)
First Family(2009)

Freddie and the French Fries:
Fries Alive (2005)
The Legend of Silas Finklebean (2006)

Camel Club:
The Camel Club (2005)
The Collectors (2006)
Stone Cold (2007)
Divine Justice (Camel Club)(2008)

Stand Alone Novels:
Absolute Power (1996)
Total Control (1997)
The Winner (1997)
The Simple Truth (1998)
Saving Faith (1999)
Wish You Well (2000)
Last Man Standing (2001)
The Christmas Train (2002)
The Whole Truth(2008)
True Blue(2009)

Non Fiction:
Origins of Wish You Well (2000)">