Jessica Rowley Pell Bird Blakemore (born April 19, 1969) is an American novelist. Under her maiden name, Jessica Bird, she writes contemporary

romance novels A romance or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed to the developme ...

, 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, from the speculative fiction genres of fantasy, scien ...

. 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 inc ...

RITA Award The RITA Award, presented by the Romance Writers of America (RWA) from 1990 to 2019, was the most prominent award for English-language romance fiction. It was named for the RWA's first president, Rita Clay Estrada. After not being awarded in 202 ...

, 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

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, 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 or romantic novel is a genre fiction novel that primarily focuses on the relationship and Romance (love), romantic love between two people, typically with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Authors who have contributed ...

. 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, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

where she double majored in history and art history, concentrating on the medieval period. She then received a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

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 The American Bar Association (ABA) is a voluntary ...

and worked in healthcare administration for several years, including as the Chief of Staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in

Boston, Massachusetts Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. 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. Several years later, Bird invented a world populated by

vampires A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...

and began writing single-title

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 the zoological field of ethology, 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. Different types of ...

, "the tougher, the cockier, the more arrogant, the better", while the heroines are smart and strong. The

awarded her the

for Best Short Contemporary Romance in 2007 for her novel ''From the First''. She has also been nominated six times for ''Romantic Times'' Reviewer's Choice Awards, winning once for ''Lover Awakened''. She was also number 2 on the New York Times Bestsellers List of 2014.

As Jessica Bird

Single novels

* * * * * ''The St. Ambrose School for Girls''. Gallery Books. July 2023. (as Jessica Ward).

The Moorehouse Legacy Series

# # # #

The O'Banyon Brothers Series

Omnibus

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 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

# # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # Lover Arisen. Gallery Books. April 2022 # Lassiter. Gallery Books. April 2023 ISBN 0349430861 # The Beloved. Gallery Books. April 2024 # Lover Forbidden. Gallery Books. September 2025

=Christmas Novels

= * * * ''A Bloom in Winter: A Caldwell Christmas''. Gallery Books. November 2024

= Novellas

= * "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 * "Darius" (prequel) (September 2023)

= Supplement

= * * ''The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider’s Guide Volume 2''. (December 2025)

= Omnibus

= * ''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. # # 1 # # # #

Black Dagger Legacy

Spin-off series that details the trainees. # # # #

Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp

# ''The Jackal.'' Gallery Books. August 2020

020 020 is the national dialling code for London in the United Kingdom. All subscriber numbers within the area code consist of eight digits and it has capacity for approaching 100 million telephone numbers. The code is used at 170 telephone exch ...

. # ''The Wolf.'' Gallery Books. November 16, 2021

021 069 is: * in Brazil, the telephone area code for the city of Rio de Janeiro and surrounding cities (Greater Rio de Janeiro) * in China, the telephone area code for the city of Shanghai. * in Indonesia, the area code for the city of Jakarta and su ...

# ''The Viper.'' Gallery Books. September 20, 2022 # ''Brother of Fire: Lost Dagger Society 1.'' Gallery Books. TBD

Lair of the Wolven

# ''Claimed.'' Pocket Books. June 29, 2021

. # ''Forever.'' Pocket Books. March 28, 2023 023 . # ''Mine.'' Pocket Books. January 23, 2024 024

The Bourbon Kings

# # #

Firefighters

Novella

*"The Wedding from Hell" (3-Part ebook prequel for ''Consumed'')-July–August 2018

The Kingdoms of the Compass

# ''Crown of War and Shadow'' (February 17, 2026)

Collections in collaboration

* "The Story of Son" in ''Dead After Dark'' (2008) (with

Sherrilyn Kenyon Sherrilyn Kenyon (born December 11, 1965) is a US writer. Under her former married name, she wrote both urban fantasy and paranormal romance. She is best known for her Dark-Hunter, Dark Hunter series. Under the pseudonym Kinley MacGregor she wr ...

Susan Squires Susan is a feminine given name, the usual English version of Susanna or Susannah. All are versions of the Hebrew name Shoshana, which is derived from the Hebrew ''shoshan'', meaning ''lotus flower'' in Egyptian, original derivation, and several ...

Dianna Love Dianna is a female given name. Originally an alternative spelling of the name Diana, meaning "heavenly, divine". People with this name include: * Dianna Agron (born 1986), American actress, singer, and dancer * Dianna Boileau, Canadian early rec ...

) * "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

Laurell K Hamilton Laurell Kaye Hamilton (born February 19, 1963) is an American fantasy and romance writer, who is best known as the author of two series of stories. Her ''New York Times''-bestselling '' Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter'' series centers on Anita Blak ...

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 sh ...

Katie MacAlister Katie MacAlister (born March 15, 1964) is a Seattle, Seattle-area author of fiction and non-fiction. Her most popular titles are historical, contemporary, and paranormal romance. She also writes young adult fiction, young-adult books under the ...

)

Awards and reception

* 2006 – RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance for ''Lover Awakened'' * 2006 - RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance for ''Lover Unbound'' * 2007 - Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Short Contemporary Romance for ''From the First'' * 2008 - P.E.A.R.L. (Paranormal Excellence Award for Romantic Literature) for Best Vampire Romance for ''Lover Enshrined'' * 2008 - Romance Writers of America RITA Award for Best Paranormal Romance for ''Lover Revealed'' * 2009 - P.E.A.R.L. (Paranormal Excellence Award for Romantic Literature) for Best Overall Paranormal Romance AND Best Vampire Romance for ''Lover Avenged'' * 2010 – Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Romance for ''Lover Mine'' * 2011 – Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Romance for ''Lover Unleashed'' * 2011 – RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance for ''Lover Unleashed'' * 2013 – Goodreads Choice Award Winner for Best Romance for ''Lover at Last''

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 American women science fiction and fantasy writers American women romantic fiction writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century American short story writers American paranormal romance writers 1969 births