Harriet B. Gilmour (November 24, 1939,

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

, New York – June 21, 2009,

Cornwallville, New York Cornwallville is a hamlet in the town of Durham, Greene County, New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northe ...

) was a bestselling author of movie novelizations and books for

young adults A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

and

children A child ( : children) is a human being between the stages of birth and puberty, or between the developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers to a minor, otherwise known as a person younger ...

. She grew up in

Williamsburg, Brooklyn Williamsburg is a Neighborhoods in Brooklyn, neighborhood in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Brooklyn, bordered by Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Greenpoint to the north; Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, Bedford–Stuyvesant to the s ...

with her mother an extended family, and wrote her first poem for

Arbor Day Arbor Day (or Arbour in some countries) is a secular day of observance in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant trees. Today, many countries observe such a holiday. Though usually observed in the spring, the date varies, dependi ...

when she was eight years old. As a teenager, she moved to Florida to live with her father. She attended college there and then moved back to New York City. Gilmour's first publishing job was at

E. P. Dutton E. P. Dutton was an American Publishing, book publishing company. It was founded as a book retailer in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1852 by Edward Payson Dutton. Since 1986, it has been an imprint of Penguin Group. Creator Edward Payson Dutton ( ...

. In 1964, she joined

Bantam Books Bantam Books is an American publishing house owned entirely by parent company Random House, a subsidiary of Penguin Random House; it is an imprint of the Random House Publishing Group. It was formed in 1945 by Walter B. Pitkin, Jr., Sidney B. ...

where she worked as a copywriter, editor, and copy chief and as an associate director of marketing. She was married to Bruce Gilmour in 1968. She had a child, Jessica, with him in 1970; they were divorced in 1972. Her first novel ''The Trade'', a trashy paperback about the publishing business, was published in 1969. She wrote novelizations (including ''

Saturday Night Fever ''Saturday Night Fever'' is a 1977 American dance drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian-American man from the Brooklyn borough of New York. Manero spends his ...

'' and ''

Pretty in Pink ''Pretty in Pink'' is a 1986 American teen romantic comedy-drama film about love and social cliques in American high schools in the 1980s. A cult classic, it is commonly identified as a "Brat Pack" film. It was directed by Howard Deutch, produc ...

'') and children's books (including

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

books) while working full-time at Bantam and raising a child on her own. She published her second original novel ''So Long, Daddy'' in 1985. The artwork for the dust jacket of the hardcover release includes a photo of her daughter, Jessica. Her third novel was ''Ask Me If I Care'', a book about a teenage girl who gets in with the wrong crowd. In 1992, she joined the book division at Scholastic, leaving in 1995 to pursue writing full-time. She focused her energy on books for " tweens" and children. Gilmour's best-known novels are the ''

Clueless ''Clueless'' is a 1995 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Amy Heckerling. It stars Alicia Silverstone with supporting roles by Stacey Dash, Brittany Murphy and Paul Rudd. It was produced by Scott Rudin and Robert La ...

'' series with author Randi Reisfeld. She met John Johann, whom she would later marry, in 1992. They moved to Cornwallville in

upstate New York Upstate New York is a geographic region consisting of the area of New York State that lies north and northwest of the New York City metropolitan area. Although the precise boundary is debated, Upstate New York excludes New York City and Long Is ...

where she lived until her death. She died on June 21, 2009, of pneumonia due to complications from lung cancer.

Books

*''The Trade'' (1973) *''

'' (1977) *''

Eyes of Laura Mars ''Eyes of Laura Mars'' is a 1978 American neo noir mystery-thriller film starring Faye Dunaway and Tommy Lee Jones and directed by Irvin Kershner. The screenplay was adapted (in collaboration with David Zelag Goodman) from a spec script titled '' ...

'' (1978) *'' All That Jazz'' (1979) *''Electric Horseman'' *''So Long, Daddy'' *''Even Kermit Gets Angry'' *''Why Wembley Fraggle Couldn't Sleep'' *''The Giant Next Door'' *''

'' (1986) (with Randi Reisfield) *''

Fatal Attraction ''Fatal Attraction'' is a 1987 American psychological thriller film directed by Adrian Lyne from a screenplay by James Dearden, based on his 1980 short film '' Diversion''. Starring Michael Douglas, Glenn Close, and Anne Archer, the film centers ...

'' (1988) *''Ask Me If I Care'' *''Wedded To Crime: The Autobiography of a Mafia Wife'' (with Sandy Leibowitz) *''The Amazing Zoo'' *''One Fine Day'' *''

Clarissa Explains It All ''Clarissa Explains It All'' is an American teen sitcom created by Mitchell Kriegman for Nickelodeon. In the series, Clarissa Darling ( Melissa Joan Hart), is a teenager who addresses the audience directly to explain the things that are happenin ...

'' *'' Godzilla: A Junior Novelization'' (1998) ( Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards Nominee) *''Curse of Katana'' *''Spontaneously Combustible'' *''My Fantasy Dream Date With......'' *''Making Waves'' (with Randi Reisfeld) *''Oh Baby!'' (with Randi Reisfeld) *'' Twitches'' series (with Randi Reisfeld) *''

'' series (with Randi Reisfeld)

References

External links

Interview with HB Gilmour
at Teen FX {{DEFAULTSORT:Gilmour, H.B. 1939 births 2009 deaths 20th-century American novelists American children's writers Deaths from lung cancer Writers from New York (state) People from Brooklyn American book publishers (people) American women novelists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women