B. A. Paris

Last updated

B. A. Paris
Baparis.jpg
Paris in 2021
Born1958 (age 66–67)
Surrey, UK
OccupationAuthor
SpouseCalum MacDougall
Children5
Website
baparis.com

Bernadette Anne MacDougall [1] [2] (born 1958), better known by her pen name B. A. Paris, is a British writer of fiction, mainly in the psychological thriller subgenre. Her debut novel, Behind Closed Doors (2016), was a New York Times [3] and Sunday Times bestseller. It has been translated into 40 languages and sold over 3.5 million copies worldwide.

Contents

Her other books include The Breakdown (2017), [4] Bring Me Back (2018), The Dilemma (2019) [1] [5] and The Therapist (2021).

Biography

Paris was born in Surrey in 1958 to a French mother and Irish father. She is the third of 6 children, including 4 brothers and a sister. After completing her education, she moved to France, where she worked as a trader in an international bank in Paris for several years. During this time, she met her husband Calum, with whom she now has 5 daughters. They eventually left the world of finance to set up a language school together. [1]

Only after turning 50 did Paris begin writing, when one of her daughters suggested she enter a writing competition advertised in a magazine. While she did not win, this led her to write her first novels, including her internationally bestselling debut Behind Closed Doors. She is published by HarperCollins Publishers in the UK and St Martin's Press in the US.

Paris now lives in Hampshire with her family.

Novels

Behind Closed Doors

Paris's debut novel, Behind Closed Doors, was picked up in 2014 by her agent, Camilla Bolton, at the Darley Anderson Literary Agency in London. The book quickly became a #1 New York Times and Sunday Times bestseller after being published the following year by HarperCollins Publishers. She was nominated in the Best Debut Author and Best Mystery & Thriller categories of the Goodreads Choice Awards of 2016.

In 2017, Behind Closed Doors won the Gold Nielsen Bestseller Award for UK sales of 500,000 copies, making Paris the only debut fiction author to win a gold award that year. The book went on to win the Platinum Nielsen Bestseller Award in 2019 for sales of 1,000,000 copies in the UK alone. More than 3.5 million copies of Behind Closed Doors have been sold globally since its release.

The film and TV rights for The Breakdown were acquired by Stone Village Productions in 2016. The film adaptation of The Breakdown, titled Blackwater Lane , directed by Jeff Celentano, was released in June 2024. [6]

List of published works

Critical reception

Writing for The Toronto Star , Jack Batten said, "Paris is a consistent whiz at stitching any number of random events and devious characters into a plot winner." [8]

The Guardian critic Alison Flood said The Prisoner had an "excellent premise," but "didn't quite live up to [its] promise." [9]

References

  1. 1 2 3 McDonald, Sally. "Meet the author: The Dilemma writer BA Paris". Sunday Post. Retrieved 10 April 2023.
  2. ↑ Paris, B. A. (2018). ""Nigdy nie jest za późno, by spełnić swoje marzenie" – rozmowa z B.A. Paris" ["It's never too late to make your dream come true" – interview with B.A. Paris]. Virtualo (Interview) (in Polish). Interviewed by Urbaniak, Katarzyna. (Skąd wzięło się B.A. Paris?) B.A. to moje inicjały – Bernadette Anne. Nie chciałam umieszczać na okładce swoich imion, bo są bardzo długie. Nie chciałam również używać swojego nazwiska (tak naprawdę nazwiska mojego męża).[(Where did B.A. Paris come from?) B.A. are my initials – Bernadette Anne. I didn't want to put my first names on the cover because they're very long. I also didn't want to use my last name (which is actually my husband's last name).]
  3. ↑ "Paperback Trade Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Aug. 6, 2017 - The New York Times". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  4. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: The Breakdown by B.A. Paris. St. Martin's, $25.99 (336p) ISBN 978-1-250-12246-9". PublishersWeekly.com. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  5. ↑ "Review: 'The Dilemma,' by B.A. Paris". Star Tribune. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  6. ↑ Dalton, Ben (13 October 2022). "Minka Kelly, Maggie Grace, Dermot Mulroney to star in B.A. Paris adaptation 'Blackwater Lane'". screendaily.com. Screen International.
  7. ↑ Review, Thriller Book (25 November 2024). "Behind Closed Doors By B.A. Paris Review: Detailed Plot & Summary". Thriller Book Review. Retrieved 4 December 2024.
  8. ↑ "Review | Devious characters, grisly crimes mark the newest crop of mystery books". thestar.com. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  9. ↑ "The best recent crime and thriller writing – review roundup". The Guardian. 30 October 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
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