Keir Graff (born 1969) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

and

literary editor A literary editor is an editor in a newspaper, magazine or similar publication who deals with aspects concerning literature and books, especially reviews.

Biography

Graff was born and raised in

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ; fla, label= Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County. It is located along the Clark Fork ...

. He has had four novels published and is also the executive editor of ''

Booklist ''Booklist'' is a publication of the American Library Association that provides critical reviews of books and audiovisual materials for all ages. ''Booklist''s primary audience consists of libraries, educators, and booksellers. The magazine is av ...

Publications'' at the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members ...

. He currently resides in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Career

Graff moved to

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

in 1996. After quitting his job in 1997 to go on "wife support," he wrote and tried to sell screenplays before finding more success as a freelance writer. In 2001 he accepted a position as editorial assistant at ''

''. In 2005 Graff was named senior editor of the newly created ''Booklist Online''. 2016 saw his promotion to executive editor of ''Booklist Publications''. His first novel, ''Cold Lessons'', was published under the pseudonym Michael McCulloch in 2007. Other books soon followed under his real name: ''My Fellow Americans'' (2007), ''One Nation Under God'' (2008), and ''The Price of Liberty'' (2010). In 2011 Graff became a children's-book author with the publication of the middle-grade novel, ''The Other Felix.'' A second middle-grade novel, ''The Matchstick Castle,'' followed in January 2017.

Reviews

Critical response to Graff's novels has been mixed at times but appears to be improving. Reviewing ''My Fellow Americans'', ''Library Journal'' wrote that "Graff . . . has a light but sure hand. Jason's harrowing adventures, perfectly paced and leavened by touches of humor, are gripping from start to finish." ''Publishers Weekly'' disagreed: "While many thoughtful observers have wondered whether the war on terror will cost the U.S. its soul, Graff barely scratches the surface of the challenging ideas his intriguing conceit presents." ''Publishers Weekly'' was also critical of ''One Nation, Under God'', calling it "unconvincing fictional effort to paint the extreme religious right as a major threat." The ''Chicago Sun-Times'', however, noted that " . . . One Nation evokes such paranoid 1970s thrillers as ''The Parallax View'' and ''Six Days of the Condor''." Reviews of ''The Price of Liberty'' were positive, with ''Library Journal'' calling it "another winner" and ''Publishers Weekly'' concluding "Graff's cynical take on government waste and corporate greed plays well.". Other review sources offered praise, including ''ForeWord'' ("Graff's writing keeps the reader anxious for the next scene."), the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' ("Other contemporary thriller writers resort to the exotic and outlandish to sustain their narrative, but Graff builds suspense around real people in the real world."), Blogcritics.org ("a first-class thriller that sweeps the reader along on a bouncy, jarring ride", and more. Graff's children's books have been favorably reviewed. Of ''The Other Felix,'' ''Publishers Weekly'' noted that "Graff populates his story with familiar characters" but concluded "his skill at capturing the small, everyday details and dramas that loom large in children’s minds, as well as his avoidance of a too-neat ending, ought to linger with readers who share Felix’s introspective nature." Evaluating ''The Matchstick Castle,'' ''Kirkus Reviews'' noted "Graff neatly contains his wacky plot within narrator Brian’s Everykid voice, unspooling the looniness with transparent glee. Fast-paced, anarchic fun for reluctant and avid readers alike."

Awards and honors

Graff was a finalist for the

Society of Midland Authors The Society of Midland Authors is an association of published authors from twelve American states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. According to its constit ...

Fiction Prize in 2011, for his book ''The Price of Liberty''. The Matchstick Castle was named an official 2018 Illinois Reads selection by the Illinois Reading Council. The Phantom Tower was judged to be one of the

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television a ...

's Best Children's Books of 2018.

Works

Novels

*
Cold Lessons
' (2007) (written under the pseudonym Michael McCulloch)Likely Stories: A Booklist Blog
/ref> *
My Fellow Americans
' (2007) *
One Nation, Under God
' (2008) *
The Price of Liberty
' (2010)

Anthologies

*
Montana Noir
' (2017) (as editor & contributor)

Children's Books

*
The Other Felix
' (2011) *
The Matchstick Castle
' (2017) *
The Phantom Tower
' (2018)

References

External links

WorldCat Identities page

Booklist Online

website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graff, Keir 1969 births Living people 21st-century American novelists Novelists from Illinois Writers from Missoula, Montana American literary editors American male novelists 21st-century American male writers