| Deborah Coonts | |
| Birth Name: | Deborah Buell |
| Birth Place: | Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Writer |
| Period: | 1999 - present |
| Genre: | Romantic mystery Humorous fiction |
| Notableworks: | Wanna Get Lucky? Lucky Bastard |
| Awards: | RITA award double finalist |
| Spouse: | Stephen Coonts (divorced) |
| Nationality: | American |
| Education: | Hockaday preparatory school Southern Methodist University (BBA, JD) University of Texas at Austin (MA) New York University (LLM) |
Deborah Coonts (born Deborah Buell) is an American novelist and lawyer best known for her Lucky O'Toole Las Vegas Adventures series of romantic, humorous mystery novels.[1]
Coonts grew up in Dallas, Texas, where she attended the Hockaday preparatory school. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Southern Methodist University's Cox School of Business, and received a Master's degree in small business finance from the University of Texas at Austin's McCombs School of Business, a Master of Laws in taxation from New York University School of Law, and a Juris Doctor from Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law.[2]
Coonts was admitted to the Texas Bar Association in 1989[3] and practiced tax law in Colorado after being admitted to its bar in 1990.[4]
While still practicing law, she wrote for Aviation for Women magazine from 1999 to 2005.[5]
Her first book, Wanna Get Lucky?, was included in The New York Times "Notable Crime Books of 2010"[6] and was a double finalist for the Romance Writers of America's 2011 RITA award in the categories of "Best First Book" and "Novel With Strong Romantic Elements."[7] Lucky Bastard, fourth in the Lucky O'Toole series, was released by Forge Books in May 2013[4] and was a Denver Post bestseller in June 2013.[8]
An essay by Coonts was included in the anthology Fade, Sag, Crumble: Ten Las Vegas Writers Confront Decay, published by CityLife Books in 2011.[9]
In a 2012 interview with The Big Thrill magazine, Coonts said her debut series is based in Las Vegas because "the whole world wanders through Vegas. The stories are endless."[10]
Coonts is a licensed commercial pilot and instrument rated flight instructor in single-engine land and sea planes. She lives in Las Vegas and has one son.[11] She was married to novelist Stephen Coonts.[12]