Carolyn Jourdan is an American author, ''
USA Today
''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
'', Top-10 Audible, and six-time ''
Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' (''WSJ''), also referred to simply as the ''Journal,'' is an American newspaper based in New York City. The newspaper provides extensive coverage of news, especially business and finance. It operates on a subscriptio ...
'' Top-10 bestselling memoirist, biographer, and mystery writer.
Biography
Jourdan's first book, a memoir, ''
Heart in the Right Place'', was a ''Wall Street Journal'' No. 7 bestseller in 2012
and No. 9 bestseller in 2017.
''Heart in the Right Place'' is the true story of a spoiled, high-powered
United States Senate
The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...
lawyer who gives up a glamorous life in Washington, D.C. and comes back home to the
Great Smoky Mountains
The Great Smoky Mountains (, ''Equa Dutsusdu Dodalv'') are a mountain range rising along the Tennessee–North Carolina border in the southeastern United States. They are a subrange of the Appalachian Mountains and form part of the Blue Ridg ...
to work as an inept receptionist in her father's rural medical office. It was published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill in 2007 (hardback) and 2008 (paperback).
According to WorldCat, it is held in 1,076 libraries.
''
Family Circle
''Family Circle'' was an American women's magazine that covered topics such as homemaking, recipes and health. It was published from 1932 until the end of 2019. Originally distributed at supermarkets, it was one of the " Seven Sisters," a grou ...
'' magazine chose ''Heart in the Right Place'' as its first ever Book of the Month, and ''
Elle
Elle may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* Elle (magazine), ''Elle'' (magazine), a fashion publication
** Elle Style Awards
* Elle (India), ''Elle'' (India), the Indian edition
* Elle (film), ''Elle'' (film), a 2016 French film
* ''Elle: ...
'' awarded it a Readers Prize. It was honored in Michigan with a
One City One Book in the ''Capital Area Reads One Book'' in 2010.
''Medicine Men: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring'' (2012) was Jourdan's second book. It was a ''Wall Street Journal'' No. 5 bestseller in 2014,
a
''Wall Street Journal'' No. 6 bestseller in 2015,
and a
''Wall Street Journal'' No. 9 bestseller in 2022,
''Medicine Men'' was No. 1 in Biography & Memoir, Science, and Medicine on Amazon. It is a follow-on to ''Heart in the Right Place'' and is a collection of true stories from Jourdan's family and over a dozen physicians who practiced in Southern
Appalachia
Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...
.
''Bear in the Back Seat: Adventures of a Wildlife Ranger in the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...
'' is a two-part memoir with Kim DeLozier. It was a ''Wall Street Journal'' No. 9 bestseller in 2013
and ''New York Times'' No. 7 audio book bestseller in 2016.
It describes DeLozier's 32-year career dealing with wildlife.
Her medical mystery, ''Out on a Limb: A Smoky Mountain Mystery'' (2013), was a ''USA Today'' best seller
and voted a Best Kindle Book of 2014. The French translation of the book, ''Suspendue'', was shortlisted for the Cognac Thriller Prize, the Prix Polar International.
It deals with
East Tennessee
East Tennessee is one of the three Grand Divisions of Tennessee defined in state law. Geographically and socioculturally distinct, it comprises approximately the eastern third of the U.S. state of Tennessee. East Tennessee consists of 33 coun ...
and the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States in the southeastern United States, southeast, with parts in North Carolina and Tennessee. The park straddles the ridgeline o ...
, with an emphasis on the insular and quirky local culture.
Jourdan's work has been translated into French, German, and Hungarian.
Jourdan is a former Counsel to the
United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works
The United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works is responsible for legislation and oversight of the natural and built environment and for studying matters concerning environmental protection and resource conservation and util ...
and the
United States Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs. She has degrees from the
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee, Knoxville (or The University of Tennessee; UT; UT Knoxville; or colloquially UTK or Tennessee) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee, United St ...
in
Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering (BME) or medical engineering is the application of engineering principles and design concepts to medicine and biology for healthcare applications (e.g., diagnostic or therapeutic purposes). BME also integrates the logica ...
and Law.
Bibliography
Nonfiction
Medical
*''Heart in the Right Place: A Memoir'' (2007)
*''Medicine Men: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring'' (2012)
*''Radiologists at Work: Saving Lives with the Lights Off'' (2015)
*''Talking to Skeletons: Behind the Scenes With a Radiologist'' (2015)
*''Nurse: The Art of Caring'' (2016)
Wildlife
*''Bear in the Back Seat I: Adventures of a Wildlife Ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park'' (2013)
*''Bear in the Back Seat II: Adventures of a Wildlife Ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park'' (2014)
*''Bear Bloopers: True Stories from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park'' (2014)
*''Waltzing with Wildlife: 10 Things NOT to Do in Our National Parks'' (2016 ebook)
*''Dangerous Beauty: Stories from the Wilds of Yellowstone'' (2017)
Writing
*''How to Write, Edit & Publish Your Memoir: Advice From a Best-Selling Memoirist'' (2018)
Fiction
Mystery
*''Out on a Limb: A Smoky Mountain Mystery'' (2013)
*''School for Mysteries: A Midlife Fairy Tale Adventure'' (2014)
*''School for Psychics: A Midlife Fairy Tale Adventure'' (2014)
*''Breakdown on Blowhard Mountain: A Travel Mystery'' (2019)
References
* "Carolyn Jourdan" in ''Contemporary authors. : Volume 263 a bio-bibliographical guide to current writers in fiction, general nonfiction, poetry, journalism, drama, motion pictures, television, and other fields'' Gale, 2008
External links
Official websiteAuthor page at Algonquin/WorkmanAuthor Central Amazon page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jourdan, Carolyn
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
American women novelists
Cozy mystery writers
21st-century American memoirists
American women memoirists
21st-century American novelists
21st-century American women writers
University of Tennessee alumni