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 Romance (love), romantic love between two people, and usually has an "emotionally satisfying and optimis ...
.
After that, she wrote regularly, but for herself.
Bird attended
Smith College
Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's c ...
[ 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 l ...
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 A ...
[ 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.]vampires
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
and began writing single-title 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.[
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 s ...
, "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)
* "The Billionaire Next Door" in ''Mistress: Taken by the Tycoon'' (2009) (with Jan Colley and Kristi Gold)
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
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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, Dianna Love)
* "Dark Lover" in ''Blood Lust 6'' (2010) (with MaryJanice Davidson, 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 autho ...
)
* "Lover Awakened" in ''Blood Sample 7'' (2010) (with MaryJanice Davidson, Laurell K Hamilton, Charlaine Harris
Charlaine Harris Schulz (born November 25, 1951) is an American author who specializes in mysteries. She is best known for her book series ''The Southern Vampire Mysteries'', which was adapted as the TV series ''True Blood''. The television show ...
, Katie MacAlister)
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
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{{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