Jo Clayton (February 15, 1939 – February 13, 1998) was an American

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...

and

science fiction author This is a list of notable science-fiction authors, in alphabetical order: A *Dafydd ab Hugh (born 1960) * Alexander Abasheli (1884–1954) *Edwin Abbott Abbott (1838–1926) *Kōbō Abe (1924–1993) * Robert Abernathy (1924–1990) *Dan ...

. She wrote 35 novels and many short stories. Her works sold over one and a quarter million copies.James W. Fiscus,
Obituary and fact sheet: Jo Clayton
, Science Fiction Writers of America, 17 February 1998. Retrieved 1 November 2019.

Biography

She was born Patricia Jo Clayton in

Modesto, California Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the List of cities and towns in Ca ...

,"Clayton, Jo", Harris M. Lentz, ''Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 1998'', Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1999,
p. 46
and was raised in the area along with two sisters by her farmsteading parents. Their parents arranged for all three children to attend college, and Jo graduated ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

in 1963. She worked as a teacher for thirteen years, beginning in

Bell, California Bell is an municipal corporation, incorporated city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located near the center of the former San Antonio Township (abolished after 1960), its population was 33,559 at the 2020 United States census ...

. In 1969 she had a religious conversion and moved to

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

to join the Sisters of Mount Carmel, a

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

order of instructors.Bernard A. Drew, ''Literary Afterlife: The Posthumous Continuations of 325 Authors' Fictional Characters'', Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 2010,
p. 279
She left the order after three years, just before she would have taken her vows to become a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service and contemplation, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 5 ...

. While in New Orleans she wrote heavily and also worked as an artist, painting people's pets. By 1983 she decided to move to

Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...

. At age 57 she was diagnosed with

multiple myeloma Multiple myeloma (MM), also known as plasma cell myeloma and simply myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell that normally produces antibody, antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. As it progresses, bone ...

, a

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

of the

bone marrow Bone marrow is a semi-solid biological tissue, tissue found within the Spongy bone, spongy (also known as cancellous) portions of bones. In birds and mammals, bone marrow is the primary site of new blood cell production (or haematopoiesis). It i ...

, and died from her condition a year and a half later. During her stay in the hospital she continued writing, completing a full novel and half of the last book in a trilogy. She was survived by her mother, Bessie Clayton, and her sisters, Penn Brumm and Pamela Larsen.

Bibliography

References

Sources

"Additional Statements: Jo Clayton, Author"
Senator

Tom Harkin Thomas Richard Harkin (born November 19, 1939) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Pa ...

, February 27, 1998, ''

Congressional Record The ''Congressional Record'' is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress, published by the United States Government Publishing Office and issued when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record Ind ...

'', p. S1164.

External links

Official web site
*
Goodreads page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clayton, Jo 1939 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American novelists 20th-century American short story writers 20th-century American women writers American fantasy writers American science fiction writers American women novelists American women short story writers Deaths from cancer in Oregon Deaths from multiple myeloma in the United States Novelists from California People from Modesto, California American women science fiction and fantasy writers