Jessica Bird

Jessica Rowley Pell Bird Blakemore
Born	Jessica Rowley Pell Bird 1969 (age 41–42) Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Pen name	Jessica Bird; J. R. Ward
Occupation	novelist
Language	English
Nationality	U.S.American
Period	2002-present
Genres	romance, paranormal romance
Spouse(s)	John Neville Blakemore III (2001-present)
jessicabird.com

Jessica Rowley Pell Bird (b. 1969 in Massachusetts, U.S.A.) is an American novelist. Under her maiden name, Jessica Bird, she writes contemporary romance novels, and as J.R. Ward, she writes paranormal romance. She has received the Romance Writers of America RITA Award.

Biography

Born Jessica Rowley Pell Bird on 1969 in Massachusetts, U.S.A., she is the daughter of W. Gillette Bird, Jr. and Maxine F. Bird.^[1] 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.^[2] After that, she wrote regularly, but for herself.^[3] Bird attended Smith College^[1] where she double majored in history and art history, concentrating on medieval period.^[3] She then received a law degree from Albany Law School^[1] and worked in healthcare administration for many years,^[3] including as the Chief of Staff at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.^[1]

In 2001, Bird married John Neville Blakemore III.^[1] 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.^[3][4] Several years later, Bird invented a world populated by vampires and began writing single-title paranormal romance novels under the pen name J.R. Ward. These novels are a series, known as the Black Dagger Brotherhood.^[4]

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".^[3] Her heroes are most often alpha males, "the tougher, the cockier, the more arrogant, the better", while the heroines are smart and strong.^[3]

The Romance Writers of America awarded her the RITA Award for Best Short Contemporary Romance in 2007 for her novel From the First.^[5] She has also been nominated six times for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Awards, winning once for Lover Awakened.^[6]

Bibliography

As Jessica Bird

Single novels

• Leaping Hearts 07/30/02 ISBN 0-8041-1988-0
• Heart of Gold 06/03/03 ISBN 0-8041-1989-9
• An Unforgettable Lady 03/02/04 ISBN 0-345-45895-8
• An Irresistible Bachelor 03/30/04 ISBN 0-345-45896-6

The Moorehouse Legacy Series

1. Beauty and the Black Sheep 07/01/05 ISBN 0-373-24698-6
2. His Comfort and Joy 01/01/06 ISBN 0-373-24732-X
3. From The First 04/01/06 ISBN 0-373-24750-8
4. A Man in a Million 01/01/07 ISBN 0-373-24803-2

The O'Banyon Brothers Series

1. The Billionaire Next Door 08/01/07 ISBN 0-373-24844-X

Omnibus

• From the First / What are Friends for? (2006)

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 series

1. Dark Lover 09/06/05 ISBN 0-451-21695-4
2. Lover Eternal 03/07/06 ISBN 0-451-21804-3
3. Lover Awakened 09/05/06 ISBN 0-451-21936-8
4. Lover Revealed 03/06/07 ISBN 0-451-41235-4
5. Lover Unbound 09/25/07 ISBN 0-451-22235-0
6. Lover Enshrined 06/03/08 ISBN 0-451-22272-5
7. Lover Avenged 4/28/09 ISBN 0-451-22585-6
8. Lover Mine 05/01/10 ISBN 0749941789
9. Lover Unleashed 03/29/11
10. The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide 10/01/08 ISBN 978-0-451-22500-9
11. Lover Reborn 03/27/12 ISBN 978-0-451-23584-8

• J.R. Ward Box Set: Dark Lover, Lover Eternal, Lover Awakened, Lover Unbound, Lover Revealed, Lover Enshrined (omnibus) (2009)

Fallen Angels series

1. Covet 9/29/2009 ISBN 0-451-22821-9
2. Crave 10/05/2010 ISBN 0-451-22944-4
3. Envy 09/06/2011 ISBN 0-349-40020-2

Collections in collaboration

• "The Story of Son" in Dead After Dark (2008) (with Sherrilyn Kenyon, Susan Squires, Dianna Love)
• "Dark Lover" in Blood Lust 6 (2010) (with MaryJanice Davidson, Christine Feehan)
• "Lover Awakened" in Blood Sample 7 (2010) (with MaryJanice Davidson, Laurell K Hamilton, Charlaine Harris, Katie MacAlister)

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} "Weddings; Jessica Bird, Neville Blakemore", New York Times, October 7, 2001, http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A06E4D7173CF934A35753C1A9679C8B63, retrieved 2007-11-14 
2. ^ "Jessica Bird's Bio at eHarlequin". Harlequin Enterprises Limited. http://www.eharlequin.com/author.html?authorid=241. Retrieved 2010-10-17. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Alice, Kris (September 2004), Jessica Bird, A Romance Review, http://www.aromancereview.com/debden/den0904.phtml, retrieved 2007-11-14 
4. ^ ^{a b} Gentle, Dee (January 2006), An Interview with J.R. Ward, PNR Paraphanelia, http://paranormalromance.org/JRWard06.htm, retrieved 2007-11-14 
5. ^ RITA Awards: Past Winners, Romance Writers of America, 2007, http://www.rwanational.org/cs/contests_and_awards/rita_awards/past_winners, retrieved 2007-11-14 
6. ^ "Author Profile: Jessica Bird". Romantic Times. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-12-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20071230054907/http://www.romantictimes.com/authors_profile.php?author=11078. Retrieved 2007-11-14. 

External links

• Jessica Bird Official site
• J. R. Ward's Official Site
• BookPage interview with JR Ward
• J. R. Ward at the Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Persondata
Name	Bird Blakemore, Jessica Rowley Pell
Alternative names	Bird, Jessica (maiden name and pseudonym); J. R. Ward (pseudonym)
Short description	U.S. novelist
Date of birth	1969
Place of birth	Massachusetts, U.S.A.
Date of death
Place of death