Jessica Bird

Last updated
Jessica Rowley Pell Bird Blakemore
BornJessica Rowley Pell Bird
(1969-04-19) April 19, 1969 (age 55) [1]
Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Pen nameJ. R. Ward
Occupation Novelist
LanguageEnglish
Education Smith College
Albany Law School (JD)
Period2002–present
Genre Romance, paranormal romance
Notable worksBlack Dagger Brotherhood series
Notable awardsRITA award – Best Short Contemporary Romance
2007 From the First
RITA award – Best Paranormal Romance
2008 Lover Revealed
SpouseJohn Neville Blakemore III (2001–present)
Website
www.jessicabird.com

Jessica Rowley Pell Bird Blakemore (born April 19, 1969) is an American novelist. Under her maiden name, Jessica Bird, she writes contemporary romance novels, and as J.R. Ward, she writes paranormal romance. She is a three-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, once as Bird for Best Short Contemporary Romance for From the First and twice as Ward for Best Paranormal Romance for Lover Revealed and Dearest Ivie, and her books have been on The New York Times Best Seller list.

Contents

Biography

Born Jessica Rowley Pell Bird in Massachusetts, United States, she is the daughter of W. Gillette Bird Jr. and Maxine F. Bird. [2] She began writing as a child, penning her thoughts in diaries as well as inventing short stories. The summer before she went to college she wrote her first book, a romance novel. [3] After that, she wrote regularly, but for herself. [4] Bird attended Smith College [2] where she double majored in history and art history, concentrating on the medieval period. [4] She then received a Juris Doctor degree from Albany Law School [2] and worked in healthcare administration for several years, [4] including as the Chief of Staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. [2]

In 2001, Bird married John Neville Blakemore III. [2] Her new husband encouraged her to try to get an agent and market her manuscripts. She found an agent, and in 2002 her first novel, a contemporary romance called Leaping Hearts, was published. [4] [5] Several years later, Bird invented a world populated by vampires and began writing single-title paranormal romance novels under the pen name J.R. Ward. These novels are a series, known as the Black Dagger Brotherhood. [5]

Bird likes to write series novels which incorporate characters from her previous books. She likens the process of creating a series to "meeting friends through other friends". [4] Her heroes are most often alpha males, "the tougher, the cockier, the more arrogant, the better", while the heroines are smart and strong. [4]

The Romance Writers of America awarded her the RITA Award for Best Short Contemporary Romance in 2007 for her novel From the First. [6] She has also been nominated six times for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, winning once for Lover Awakened. She was also number 2 on the New York Times Bestsellers List of 2014. [7]

As Jessica Bird

Single novels

The Moorehouse Legacy Series

  1. Beauty and the Black Sheep. Silhouette. July 2005 [2005]. ISBN   9780373246984.
  2. His Comfort and Joy. Silhouette. January 2006 [2006]. ISBN   9780373247325.
  3. From The First. Silhouette. April 2006 [2006]. ISBN   9780373247509.
  4. A Man in a Million. Silhouette. January 2007 [2007]. ISBN   9780373248032.

The O'Banyon Brothers Series

  1. The Billionaire Next Door . Silhouette. August 2007 [2007]. ISBN   9780373248445.

Omnibus

Collections in collaboration

As J. R. Ward

Black Dagger Brotherhood Universe

The Black Dagger Brotherhood

  1. Dark Lover . Penguin. September 2005 [2005]. ISBN   9780451216953.
  2. Lover Eternal . Signet. March 2006 [2006]. ISBN   9780451218049.
  3. Lover Awakened . Signet. September 2006 [2006]. ISBN   9780451219367.
  4. Lover Revealed . Onyx. March 2007 [2007]. ISBN   9780451412355.
  5. Lover Unbound . Signet. September 2007 [2007]. ISBN   9780451222350.
  6. Lover Enshrined . Signet. June 2008 [2008]. ISBN   9780451222725.
  7. Lover Avenged . NAL. April 2009 [2009]. ISBN   9780451225856.
  8. Lover Mine . NAL. May 2010 [2010]. ISBN   9780451229854.
  9. Lover Unleashed . NAL. March 2011 [2011]. ISBN   9780451233165.
  10. Lover Reborn . NAL. March 2012 [2012]. ISBN   9780451235848.
  11. Lover at Last . NAL. March 2013 [2013]. ISBN   9780451239358.
  12. The King . NAL. April 2014 [2014]. ISBN   9780451417053.
  13. The Shadows . NAL. March 2015 [2015]. ISBN   9780451417077.
  14. The Beast . NAL. April 2016 [2016]. ISBN   9780451475169.
  15. The Chosen . Ballantine Books. April 2017 [2017]. ISBN   9780451475190.
  16. The Thief . Ballantine Books. April 2018 [2018]. ISBN   9780451475213.
  17. The Savior . Gallery Books. April 2019 [2019]. ISBN   9781501194948.
  18. The Sinner . Gallery Books. March 2020 [2020]. ISBN   978-1501195099.
  19. Lover Unveiled . Gallery Books. April 20, 2021 [2021]. ISBN   9781501195129.
  20. Lover Arisen. Gallery Books. April 5, 2022
  21. Lassiter. Gallery Books. April 11, 2023 ISBN 0349430861
  22. The Beloved. Gallery Books. April 2024
  23. Lover Forbidden. Gallery Books. March 2025
Christmas Novels
Novellas
  • "Father Mine: Zsadist and Bella's Story" (October 2008) – ebook
  • "The Story of Son" (in Dead After Dark anthology) (December 2008)
  • "Dearest Ivie" (March 2018) – ebook
  • "Prisoner of Night" (January 2019) – ebook
  • "Darius" (prequel) (September 2023)
Supplement
Omnibus
  • Black Dagger Brotherhood, box set: Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, Lover Unbound, Lover Revealed, Lover Enshrined (2009)

Fallen Angels Series

Same universe but takes place in an earlier timeline.

  1. Covet. Signet. September 2009 [2009]. ISBN   978-0-451-22821-5.
  2. Crave. Signet. October 2010 [2010]. ISBN   978-0-451-22944-1.1
  3. Envy . Signet. September 2011 [2011]. ISBN   978-0-349-40020-4.
  4. Rapture. NAL. September 2012 [2012]. ISBN   978-074-995-700-1.
  5. Possession. NAL. October 2013 [2013]. ISBN   978-045-124-019-4.
  6. Immortal. NAL. October 2014 [2014]. ISBN   978-045-124-116-0.

Black Dagger Legacy

Spin-off series that details the trainees.

  1. Blood Kiss. Signet. December 2015 [2015]. ISBN   978-0-451-47532-9.
  2. Blood Vow. Ballantine Books. December 2016 [2016]. ISBN   978-0-451-47533-6.
  3. Blood Fury. Ballantine Books. January 2018 [2018]. ISBN   978-0-451-47534-3.
  4. Blood Truth. Gallery Books. August 2019 [2019].

Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp

  1. The Jackal. Gallery Books. August 2020 [2020]. ISBN   978-1-501-19508-2.
  2. The Wolf. Gallery Books. November 16, 2021 [2021]. ISBN   978-1-982-17987-8
  3. The Viper. Gallery Books. September 20, 2022
  4. Brother of Fire: Lost Dagger Society 1. Gallery Books. 2025

Lair of the Wolven

  1. Claimed. Pocket Books. June 29, 2021 [2021]. ISBN   978-1-982-15037-2.
  2. Forever. Pocket Books. [2023]. ISBN   978-1-982-18020-1.
  3. Mine. Pocket Books. [2024]

The Bourbon Kings

  1. The Bourbon Kings. Berkley. July 2015 [2015]. ISBN   978-0-451-47526-8.
  2. The Angel's Share. Berkley. July 2016 [2016]. ISBN   978-0-451-47528-2.
  3. Devil's Cut. Ballantine Books. August 2017 [2017]. ISBN   978-0-451-47530-5.

Firefighters

  1. Consumed. Gallery Books. October 2018 [2018]. ISBN   978-1-501-19490-0.

Novella

  • "The Wedding from Hell" (3-Part ebook prequel for Consumed)-July–August 2018

The Kingdoms of the Compass

Collections in collaboration

Awards and reception

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Marie Moning</span> American novelist

Karen Marie Moning is an American author. Many of her novels have appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list with Shadowfever reaching the number one position on multiple national best sellers lists. She is a winner of the prestigious Romance Writers of America RITA award for Best Paranormal Romance and is a multiple RITA nominee.

Emma Holly is American author who specializes in writing erotic romance novels, often with a focus on BDSM. She has written over twenty books and was a finalist for the Romance Writers of America 2004 RITA award for Best Paranormal Romance.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is an ongoing series of paranormal romance books by author J. R. Ward. The series focuses on a society of vampire warriors who live together and defend their race against de-souled humans called lessers. The first book in the series was published in 2005.

Michele Bardsley is the pen name of Michele Freeman who is an American writer of paranormal and contemporary romantic fiction. Bardsley is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author and has published more than 40 novels, novellas, short stories, and articles since the publication of her first book in 1999. She has written young adult paranormal fiction under Michele Vail. She lives in Texas with her husband, four dogs, and two cats.

Suzanne Brockmann is an American romantic fiction writer. She lives near Boston, Massachusetts, with her husband, Ed Gaffney, and their two children, Melanie and Jason T. Gaffney. She has also written works under the name Anne Brock.

Anne Kristine Stuart is an American romance novelist. She has written over 100 novels and is a recipient of the Romance Writers of America's Lifetime Achievement Award.

Linda Lael Miller, is a best-selling American author of more than 100 contemporary and historical romance novels. She has also written under the pen name Lael St. James.

Maggie Shayne an American author of more than 70 novels. Shayne has won multiple awards, including the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, multiple Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice and Career Achievement Awards, The Readers' Choice Award, and the P.E.A.R.L. Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keri Arthur</span> Australian writer

Keri Arthur is a writer of fantasy, horror fiction, and romance novels from Melbourne, Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kresley Cole</span> American writer

Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of paranormal romance and young adult novels. She has received three Romance Writers of America (RWA) RITA Awards and was inducted into the RWA Hall of Fame in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richelle Mead</span> American fantasy author (born 1976)

Richelle Mead is an American fantasy author. She is known for the Georgina Kincaid series, Vampire Academy, Bloodlines and the Dark Swan series.

Linnea Sinclair is an American writer of science fiction romance, fantasy romance and paranormal romance. Sinclair's Gabriel's Ghost was the winner of the 2006 RITA Award in the Best Paranormal Romance category. She has used the pseudonym Megan Sybil Baker. Formerly, she has been a news reporter and a private detective.

The Morganville Vampires is a series of young adult urban fantasy/vampire novels written by Rachel Caine. The novels feature Claire Danvers, a student at Texas Prairie University, and her housemates in the vampire-controlled city of Morganville, Texas. While the mayor of Morganville is human, the population co-exist with a group of vampires. Morganville is also home to an unusually large number of second-hand thrift stores.

Diane Farr is an American historical romance novelist. She is best known for her Regency romance, published with Signet Regency romances.

Tina St. John, is an author of historical and paranormal romance novels. As Tina St. John she wrote seven historical romances, and under the pseudonym Lara Adrian she currently writes the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling Midnight Breed vampire series of paranormal romances, published by Random House Books.

Barbara O'Neal is an American romance novelist who has written over forty books under different pen names.

Susanna Kearsley is a New York Times best-selling Canadian novelist of historical fiction and mystery, as well as thrillers under the pen name Emma Cole. In 2014, she received Romance Writers of America's RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance for The Firebird.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eileen Dreyer</span> American novelist

Eileen Dreyer is an American author of contemporary romance, historical romance and suspense, and also publishes under the pen name Kathleen Korbel. She is a five-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award and in 1995 was inducted into the Romance Writers of America Hall of Fame. In 2014, she competed on the TV game show Jeopardy!.

Chloe Neill is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Devil's Isle and Chicagoland Vampires series. She writes in the urban fantasy and paranormal romance genres.

Simone St. James is a Canadian author of mystery, historical fiction, and romance novels. Simone lives outside of Toronto, Canada and had twenty years of experience in the television business before leaving to write full-time.

References

  1. "Voter Information Center".
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Weddings; Jessica Bird, Neville Blakemore", New York Times , October 7, 2001, retrieved 2007-11-14
  3. "Jessica Bird's Bio at eHarlequin". Harlequin Enterprises Limited. Archived from the original on 2010-02-01. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Alice, Kris (September 2004), Jessica Bird, A Romance Review, archived from the original on 2016-03-03, retrieved 2007-11-14
  5. 1 2 Gentle, Dee (January 2006), An Interview with J.R. Ward, PNR Paraphrenalia, archived from the original on 2007-11-10, retrieved 2007-11-14
  6. RITA Awards: Past Winners, Romance Writers of America, 2007, archived from the original on 2007-09-27, retrieved 2007-11-14
  7. "Author Profile: Jessica Bird". Romantic Times. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-30. Retrieved 2007-11-14.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Awards for J.R. Ward". www.fictiondb.com. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
  9. 1 2 "myRWA : RITA Awards : RITA Award Winners". www.rwa.org. Archived from the original on 9 January 2016. Retrieved 19 April 2018.