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

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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.
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