Paul Black (born July 22, 1957 in

Hinsdale, Illinois Hinsdale is a village in DuPage County, Illinois, United States, with a small portion in Cook County, Illinois, Cook County. It is one of the wealthiest communities in Illinois. Hinsdale is a western suburb of Chicago with a population of 17,395 ...

) is an American

graphic artist A graphic designer is a practitioner who follows the discipline of graphic design, either within companies or organizations or independently. They are professionals in design and visual communication, with their primary focus on transforming l ...

, designer and writer of general and

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

. He is best known for his near-future science fiction trilogy, The Tels.

Early life

Black grew up in the western suburbs of

Chicago, Illinois 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 ...

. His passion for art and writing began early. By age twelve, he had advanced into adult level drawing classes. By high school, he had completed a book of poetry and his first novella. He attended the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

, where he earned a degree in

graphic design Graphic design is a profession, academic discipline and applied art that involves creating visual communications intended to transmit specific messages to social groups, with specific objectives. Graphic design is an interdisciplinary branch of ...

and was a 2-time national champion gymnast.

Career

His first book, '' The Tels'', won

Writers Digest ''Writer's Digest'' is an American magazine aimed at beginning and established writers. It contains interviews, market listings, calls for manuscripts, and how-to articles. History ''Writer's Digest'' was first published in December 1920 und ...

's Book of the Year for Genre Fiction, along with the Independent Publishers Book Award for Science Fiction, as well as being a finalist in the

Eric Hoffer Eric Hoffer (July 25, 1902 – May 21, 1983) was an American philosopher and social critic. A conservative moderate with an atypical working-class background, Hoffer authored ten books over his career and was awarded the Presidential Medal of F ...

Book Awards for Science Fiction and ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year for Science Fiction. His second book, '' Soulware'', was also a finalist for the Independent Publishers Book Award for Science Fiction and won second place in ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year for Science Fiction. His third book, '' Nexus Point'', is the Gold Medal winner for ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year for Science Fiction. His fourth book, '' The Presence'', won the 2011 Independent Publishers Book Award for Science Fiction. His fifth book, '' The Samsara Effect'', won the 2013 Independent Publishers Book Award for General Fiction, along with the New York and London Book Festivals and Foreword Magazine's Book of the Year Award for Science Fiction. His sixth book, '' Cool Brain'', won the 2016 International Book Award, along with the New York, San Francisco and London Book Festivals.

Personal life

Paul Black lives in

Santa Fe, New Mexico Santa Fe ( ; , literal translation, lit. "Holy Faith") is the capital city, capital of the U.S. state of New Mexico, and the county seat of Santa Fe County. With over 89,000 residents, Santa Fe is the List of municipalities in New Mexico, fourt ...

Novels

* '' The Tels'' (2003) Novel Instincts () * '' Soulware'' (2004) Novel Instincts () * '' Nexus Point'' (2007) Novel Instincts () * '' The Presence'' (2010) Novel Instincts () * '' The Samsara Effect'' (2012) Novel Instincts () * '' Cool Brain'' (2016) Novel Instincts () * ''

Dark Slide In photography, a dark slide is a wooden or metal plate that covers the sensitized emulsion side of a photographic plate. In use, a pair of plates joined back to back were used with both plates covered with a dark slide. When used, the dark slid ...

'' (2019) Novel Instincts ()

References

External links

Paul Black official homepage
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Paul 1957 births Living people American artists 21st-century American novelists Writers from Dallas People from Hinsdale, Illinois American science fiction writers American male novelists 21st-century American male writers Novelists from Texas