Jessica Rowley Pell Bird Blakemore is an American novelist. Under her maiden name, Jessica Bird, she writes contemporary
romance novels
A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pr ...
, and as J.R. Ward, she writes
paranormal romance
Paranormal romance is a subgenre of both romantic fiction and speculative fiction. Paranormal romance focuses on romantic love and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, blending together themes from the speculative fiction ...
. She is a three-time winner of the
Romance Writers of America
Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by incr ...
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.
Biography
Born Jessica Rowley Pell Bird in
, United States, she is the daughter of W. Gillette Bird Jr. and Maxine F. Bird.
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
A romance novel or romantic novel generally refers to a type of genre fiction novel which places its primary focus on the relationship and romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending." Pre ...
.
After that, she wrote regularly, but for herself.
Bird attended
Smith College
Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...
[ where she double majored in history and art history, concentrating on the medieval period.][ She then received a ]Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree from Albany Law School
Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at Al ...
[ and worked in healthcare administration for several years,][ including as the Chief of Staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.][
In 2001, Bird married John Neville Blakemore III.][ 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.]paranormal romance
Paranormal romance is a subgenre of both romantic fiction and speculative fiction. Paranormal romance focuses on romantic love and includes elements beyond the range of scientific explanation, blending together themes from the speculative fiction ...
novels under the pen name J.R. Ward. These novels are a series, known as the Black Dagger Brotherhood
The Black Dagger Brotherhood is an ongoing series of paranormal romance books by author J. R. Ward. The series focuses on a society (the "Black Dagger Brotherhood") of vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on ...
.[
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".][ Her heroes are most often ]alpha males
In biology, a dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social groups interact, creating a ranking system. A dominant higher-ranking individual is so ...
, "the tougher, the cockier, the more arrogant, the better", while the heroines are smart and strong.[
The ]Romance Writers of America
Romance Writers of America (RWA) is an American non-profit writers' association founded in 1980. Its mission is to "advance the professional and common business interests of career-focused romance writers through networking and advocacy and by incr ...
awarded her the RITA Award for Best Short Contemporary Romance in 2007 for her novel ''From the First''.
As Jessica Bird
Single novels
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The Moorehouse Legacy Series
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The O'Banyon Brothers Series
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Omnibus
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Collections in collaboration
* "Plain Jane's Secret Life / Beauty and the Black Sheep" (2005) (with Cathy Gillen Thacker
Cathy Gillen Thacker is an American author of over seventy romance novels.
Biography
Thacker began writing to occupy herself while she was raising small children. She wrote seven books as she taught herself how to be an author. Her eighth att ...
)
* "The Billionaire Next Door" in ''Mistress: Taken by the Tycoon'' (2009) (with Jan Colley
Jan, JaN or JAN may refer to:
Acronyms
* Jackson, Mississippi (Amtrak station), US, Amtrak station code JAN
* Jackson-Evers International Airport, Mississippi, US, IATA code
* Jabhat al-Nusra (JaN), a Syrian militant group
* Japanese Article Numb ...
and Kristi Gold
Kristi Gold is an American writer of over 25 romance novels since 2000.
Biography
Kristi Gold decided at the age of twenty to write her first book. In 2000 her first book was published. Gold is married to a physician, and they have three childr ...
)
As J. R. Ward
Black Dagger Brotherhood Universe
The Black Dagger Brotherhood
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# Lover Arisen. Gallery Books. April 5, 2022
=Christmas Novels
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= Novellas
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* "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
= Supplement
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* ''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.
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Black Dagger Legacy
Spin-off series that details the trainees.
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Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp
# ''The Jackal.'' Gallery Books. August 2020 020 .
# ''The Wolf.'' Gallery Books. November 16, 2021 021
# “The Viper.” Gallery Books. September 20, 2022
Lair of the Wolven
# ''Claimed.'' Pocket Books. June 29, 2021 021 .
The Bourbon Kings
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Firefighters
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Novella
*"The Wedding from Hell" (3-Part ebook prequel for ''Consumed'')-July–August 2018
Collections in collaboration
* "The Story of Son" in ''Dead After Dark'' (2008) (with Sherrilyn Kenyon
Sherrilyn Woodward (formerly Sherrilyn Kenyon; born December 11, 1965) is a bestselling US writer. Under her former married name, she wrote both urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She is best known for her Dark Hunter series. Under the pseud ...
, Susan Squires
Susan is a feminine given name, from Persian "Susan" (lily flower), from Egyptian '' sšn'' and Coptic ''shoshen'' meaning "lotus flower", from Hebrew ''Shoshana'' meaning "lily" (in modern Hebrew this also means "rose" and a flower in general), ...
, Dianna Love Dianna is a female given name. Originally an alternative spelling of the form Diana with two Ns, meaning "heavenly, divine".
People with this name include:
* Dianna Agron (born 1986), American actress, singer, and dancer
* Dianna Booher, American ...
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* "Dark Lover" in ''Blood Lust 6'' (2010) (with MaryJanice Davidson
MaryJanice Davidson is an American author who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult literature and non-fiction.
She is the creator of the popular ''Undead'' series. She is both a ''New York Times'' and ''USA Today'' bestseller.
...
, Christine Feehan
Christine Feehan (born Christine King in Ukiah, California) is an American author of paranormal romance, paranormal military thrillers, and fantasy. She is a #1 ''New York Times'', #1 ''Publishers Weekly'', and International bestselling author ...
)
* "Lover Awakened" in ''Blood Sample 7'' (2010) (with MaryJanice Davidson
MaryJanice Davidson is an American author who writes mostly paranormal romance, but also young adult literature and non-fiction.
She is the creator of the popular ''Undead'' series. She is both a ''New York Times'' and ''USA Today'' bestseller.
...
, Laurell K Hamilton
Laurell Kaye Hamilton (born February 19, 1963) is an American fantasy and romance writer. She is best known as the author of two series of stories.
Her ''New York Times''-bestselling '' Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter'' series centers on Anita Bl ...
, Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris Schulz (born November 25, 1951) is an American author who specializes in Mystery fiction, mysteries. She is best known for her book series ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', which was adapted as the TV series ''True Blood''. The ...
, Katie MacAlister
Katie MacAlister (born 1964) is a Seattle-area author of fiction and non-fiction. Her most popular titles are historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance. She also writes young-adult books under the pseudonym Katie Maxwell and mysterie ...
)
Awards and reception
* 2006 - RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance for ''Lover Awakened''
References
External links
Jessica Bird Official site
J. R. Ward's Official Site
BookPage interview with JR Ward
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bird, Jessica
21st-century American novelists
American fantasy writers
American romantic fiction writers
American women short story writers
American women novelists
Living people
RITA Award winners
Smith College alumni
Albany Law School alumni
Novelists from Massachusetts
Women science fiction and fantasy writers
Women romantic fiction writers
21st-century American women writers
21st-century American short story writers
American paranormal romance writers
1969 births