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Jacquelyn Mitchard is an American journalist and author. She is the author of the best-selling novel '' The Deep End of the Ocean'', which was the first selection for Oprah's Book Club, on September 17, 1996.Kirkpatrick, David D. - "Oprah Will Curtail 'Book Club' Picks, And Authors Weep". - ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''. - April 6, 2002.
Other books by Mitchard include ''The Breakdown Lane'', ''Twelve Times Blessed'', ''Christmas, Present'', '' A Theory of Relativity'', ''The Most Wanted'', '' Cage of Stars'', '' No Time to Wave Goodbye'', '' Second Nature - A Love Story'', and ''Still Summer''. She is a professor of creative writing at the Vermont College of Fine Arts.


Biography

Born and raised in a suburb of
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
,
Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...
, Mitchard's father was a plumber, from Newfoundland, Canada, and her mother a hardware store clerk, a competitive horsewoman, and a member of the Lac du Flambeau Chippewa Cree tribe. She studied creative writing for three semesters under Mark Costello (author of ''The Murphy Stories'') at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United States. Established in 1867, it is the f ...
. She became a newspaper reporter in 1979, eventually achieving a position as lifestyle columnist for the ''
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...
'' newspaper. Her weekly column, The Rest of Us: Dispatches from the Mother Ship, appeared in 125 newspapers nationwide until she retired it in 2007. Mitchard is a contributing editor for
More (magazine) ''More'' was a women's lifestyle magazine published 10 times a year by the Meredith Corporation with a rate base of 1.3 million and a circulation of 1.8 million. A Canadian version was published under license by Transcontinental from 2007 t ...
and is featured regularly in
Reader's Digest ''Reader's Digest'' is an American general-interest family magazine, published ten times a year. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, it is now headquartered in midtown Manhattan. The magazine was founded in 1922 by DeWitt Wallace and his wi ...
,
Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American lifestyle media brand that covers a wide range of topics from home decor and renovation, health, beauty and food, to entertainment, pets and gifts. The Good Housekeeping Institute which opened its "Experiment ...
, Hallmark, Real Simple and other publications. Her nonfiction work includes the 1986 memoir 'Mother Less Child' (WW Norton) and essays in more than 30 anthologies. Mitchard married Dan Allegretti, a reporter for ''
The Capital Times ''The Capital Times'' (or ''Cap Times'') is a weekly newspaper published Wednesday in Madison, Wisconsin, by The Capital Times Company. The company also owns 50 percent of Capital Newspapers, which now does business as Madison Media Partners. ...
'', and the couple had three children (Robert, Daniel, and Martin). Dan also had a daughter, Jocelyn, from a previous marriage. After 13 years of marriage, Allegretti died of cancer at the age of 45 in 1993.Simms, Pat. - "New Author Signs Two-Book Deal". - ''
Wisconsin State Journal The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of Septembe ...
''. - December 19, 1994.
Blinkhorn, Lois. - "Madison Author Scores Coup". - ''
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper and also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely read. It was purchased by the G ...
''. - September 27, 1996.
Carvajal, Doreen. - "Reality Returns for an Anointed Author". - ''
Wisconsin State Journal The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of Septembe ...
''. - August 8, 1998.
After the death of Allegretti, while working freelance for the ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' and a part-time public relations position at the
University of Wisconsin–Madison The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
, she started writing her first novel, '' The Deep End of the Ocean''. The idea for the story had come to her in a dream in the summer of 1993. Basbanes, Nicholas A. - Dream Takes Jacquelyn Mitchard to a Best-Selling 'Deep End'". - ''
The Morning Call ''The Morning Call'' is a daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1883, it is the second-longest continuously published newspaper in the Lehigh Valley, after '' The Express-Times''. The newspaper is owned by Alden Global Capital ...
''. - December 1, 1996.
She is an alum and distinguished fellow of the Ragdale Foundation, an artist's colony in
Lake Forest, Illinois Lake Forest is a city located in Lake County, Illinois, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 19,367. The city is along the shore of Lake Michigan, and is a part of the Chicago metropolitan area and t ...
, where she went to write the first two chapters on the encouragement of author
Jane Hamilton Jane Hamilton (born July 13, 1957) is an American novelist. Early life Jane Hamilton was born and grew up in Oak Park, Illinois (U.S.), the youngest of five children. She won prizes for poetry and short stories throughout high school and colle ...
. After finishing the first six chapters, 70 pages, she received a contract with
Viking Press Viking Press (formally Viking Penguin, also listed as Viking Books) is an American publishing company owned by Penguin Random House. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheimer and then acqu ...
in December 1994, for that book and a second one to be written later (''The Most Wanted''). Bolstered by being featured by Oprah, the novel sold close to 3 million copies by May 1998. It has been Mitchard's only #1
New York Times Bestseller ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
, on the list for 29 weeks, including 13 weeks at number 1. The book had originally reached number 14, but after being selected by Winfrey, sales jumped. The
paperback A paperback (softcover, softback) book is one with a thick paper or paperboard cover, also known as wrappers, and often held together with adhesive, glue rather than stitch (textile arts), stitches or Staple (fastener), staples. In contrast, ...
would spend 16 weeks on the list. The film rights were sold to
Mandalay Mandalay is the second-largest city in Myanmar, after Yangon. It is located on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, 631 km (392 mi) north of Yangon. In 2014, the city had a population of 1,225,553. Mandalay was founded in 1857 by Ki ...
Entertainment, and the story later became a feature film starring
Michelle Pfeiffer Michelle Marie Pfeiffer ( ; born April 29, 1958) is an American actress. She was one of the most bankable stars in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during the 1980s and 1990s, and her List of Michelle Pfeiffer performances, performances ...
. But all of her other novels have been bestsellers as well as garnering critical acclaim—particularly for ''The Most Wanted'', ''Cage of Stars'' and ''The Breakdown Lane''. ''The Most Wanted'' was nominated for Britain's
Orange Prize for Fiction The Women's Prize for Fiction (previously with sponsor names Orange Prize for Fiction (1996–2006 and 2009–2012), Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction (2007–08) and Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction (2014–2017) is one of the United Kingdom's ...
and ''Cage of Stars'' for Britain's Spread The Word Prize. In 2004 Mitchard published her first book for children and young adults. Her first children's picture book, ''Baby Bat's Lullaby'', appeared in 2004 from HarperChildren's. Her two middle-grade novels, also published by HarperChildren's, ''Starring Prima!: The Mouse of the Ballet Jolie'', and ''Rosalie, My Rosalie: The Tale of a Duckling'' appeared in 2004 and 2005. Her second children's picture book, ''Ready, Set , School!'', appeared in 2007. ''Now You See Her'', Mitchard's first Young Adult novel, was published in 2007 by HarperTeen. ''All We Know of Heaven'' (HarperTeen) appeared in spring 2008, and the first in a series of Young Adult mysteries, ''The Midnight Twins'' (Razorbill/Penguin), based on the bewildering clairvoyant gift of twins Mallory and Meredith Brynn, debuted in summer 2008.


Awards

Mitchard has won the
Bram Stoker Award The Bram Stoker Award is a recognition presented annually by the Horror Writers Association (HWA) for "superior achievement" in dark fantasy and horror writing. History The Awards were established in 1987 and have been presented annually since ...
,
Shirley Jackson Award The Shirley Jackson Awards are literary awards named after Shirley Jackson in recognition of her legacy in writing. These awards for outstanding achievement in the literature of psychological suspense, horror and dark fantasy are presented at Rea ...
, and Walkabout Prize (UK).


Personal life

In 2011, Mitchard wrote that she and her husband had lost millions of dollars and most of their possessions to investment advisor Trevor Cook, who was convicted of operating a
Ponzi Scheme A Ponzi scheme (, ) is a form of fraud that lures investors and pays Profit (accounting), profits to earlier investors with Funding, funds from more recent investors. Named after Italians, Italian confidence artist Charles Ponzi, this type of s ...
.


Bibliography


For adults

*Non-fiction/biography: **1985: ''Mother Less Child'' — (W.W. Norton & Co.) *Fiction: **1996: '' The Deep End of the Ocean'' — (Viking Press) **1998: ''The Most Wanted'' — (Viking Press) **2001: '' A Theory of Relativity'' — (HarperCollins) **2003: ''Christmas, Present'' — (HarperCollins) **2003: ''Twelve Times Blessed'' — (HarperCollins) **2005: ''The Breakdown Lane'' — (HarperCollins) **2006: '' Cage of Stars'' — (Warner Books; ) **2007: ''Still Summer'' — (Warner Books; ) **2009: ''No Time to Wave Goodbye'' — (
Random House Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
; ) **2011: ''Second Nature: A Love Story'' - (Random House; ) **2016: ''Two if by Sea : A Novel'' - (
Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...
; )


For young adults

*Non-Fiction/biography: **1992: ''Jane Addams: Pioneer in Social Reform and Activist for World Peace'' — (Gareth Stevens Children's Books) *Fiction: **2007: ''Now You See Her'' — (HarperCollins) **2008: ''All We Know of Heaven'' — (HarperTeen) **2008: ''The Midnight Twins'' — (Razorbill) **2009: ''Look Both Ways'' — (Razorbill) **2010: ''Watch For Me By The Moonlight'' - (Razorbill) **2013: ''What We Saw at Night'' - (Soho Teen) **2013: ''What We Lost in the Dark'' - (Soho Teen)


For children

*2004: ''Baby Bat's Lullaby'' — (with Julia Noonan; HarperCollins) *2004: ''Starring Prima!: The Mouse of the Ballet Jolie'' — (with Tricia Tusa; HarperCollins) *2005: ''Rosalie, My Rosalie: The Tale of a Duckling'' — (with John Bendall-Brunello; HarperCollins) *2007: ''Ready, Set, School!'' — (with Paul Rátz de Tagyos; HarperCollins)


Essays

Mitchard's essays have appeared in: **1997: ''The Rest of Us: Dispatches From the Mother Ship'' — (Viking Press; ) **2005: ''A Love Like No Other: Stories from Adoptive Parents'', edited by Pamela Kruger and Jill Smolowe (Riverhead) **2006: ''My Father Married Your Mother'', edited by Anne Burt (W.W. Norton) **2007: ''Mr. Wrong: Real Life Stories About Men We Used to Love'', edited by Harriet Brown (Ballantine) **2007: ''Choice: True Stories of Birth, Contraception, Infertility, Adoption, Single Parenthood and Abortion'', edited by Karen E. Bender and Nina de Gramont (McAdam Cage) **2007: ''Altared: Bridezillas, Bewilderment, Big Love, Breakups and What Women Really Think About Contemporary Weddings'', edited by Collen Curran (Vintage)


References


External links

*
A profile of Jacquelyn Mitchard
. -
HarperCollins HarperCollins Publishers LLC is a British–American publishing company that is considered to be one of the "Big Five (publishers), Big Five" English-language publishers, along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group USA, Hachette, Macmi ...
. {{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchard, Jacquelyn Living people 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American women novelists American columnists Writers from Chicago Writers from Madison, Wisconsin Milwaukee Journal Sentinel people American women columnists 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers Novelists from Illinois Novelists from Wisconsin 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people) Vermont College of Fine Arts faculty