Jessica Bird Explained
Jessica Rowley Pell Bird Blakemore (born April 19, 1969) 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 is a three-time winner of the Romance Writers of America RITA Award, 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, 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.[2] After that, she wrote regularly, but for herself. Bird attended Smith College where she double majored in history and art history, concentrating on the medieval period. She then received a Juris Doctor degree from Albany Law School and worked in healthcare administration for several years, including as the Chief of Staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
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 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.
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, "the tougher, the cockier, the more arrogant, the better", while the heroines are smart and strong.
The Romance Writers of America awarded her the RITA Award 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.[3]
As Jessica Bird
Single novels
- Book: Leaping Hearts . 2002 . July 2002. Ivy Books. 9780804119887.
- Book: Heart of Gold . registration . 2003 . June 2003. Ivy Books. 9780804119894.
- Book: An Unforgettable Lady . 2004 . March 2004. Ivy Books. 9780345458957.
- Book: An Irresistible Bachelor . 2004 . March 2004. Ivy Books. 9780345458964.
- The St. Ambrose School for Girls. Gallery Books. July 2023. (as Jessica Ward).
The Moorehouse Legacy Series
- Book: Beauty and the Black Sheep. 2005. July 2005. Silhouette. 9780373246984.
- Book: His Comfort and Joy. 2006. January 2006. Silhouette. 9780373247325.
- Book: From The First. 2006. April 2006. Silhouette. 9780373247509.
- Book: A Man in a Million. 2007. January 2007. Silhouette. 9780373248032.
The O'Banyon Brothers Series
- Book: The Billionaire Next Door. 2007. August 2007. Silhouette. 9780373248445. registration.
Omnibus
- Book: From the First / What are Friends for? . 2002.
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 Universe
- Book: . 2005 . September 2005. Penguin. 9780451216953.
- Book: . 2006 . March 2006. Signet. 9780451218049.
- Book: . 2006 . September 2006. Signet. 9780451219367.
- Book: . 2007 . March 2007. Onyx. 9780451412355.
- Book: . 2007 . September 2007. Signet. 9780451222350.
- Book: . 2008 . June 2008. Signet. 9780451222725.
- Book: . 2009 . April 2009. NAL. 9780451225856.
- Book: . 2010 . May 2010. NAL. 9780451229854.
- Book: . 2011 . March 2011. NAL. 9780451233165.
- Book: . 2012 . March 2012. NAL. 9780451235848.
- Book: . 2013 . March 2013. NAL. 9780451239358.
- Book: . 2014 . April 2014. NAL. 9780451417053.
- Book: . 2015 . March 2015. NAL. 9780451417077.
- Book: . 2016 . April 2016. NAL. 9780451475169.
- Book: . 2017 . April 2017. Ballantine Books. 9780451475190.
- Book: . 2018 . April 2018. Ballantine Books. 9780451475213.
- Book: . 2019 . April 2019. Gallery Books. 9781501194948.
- Book: . 2020 . March 2020. Gallery Books. 978-1501195099.
- Book: . 2021 . April 20, 2021. Gallery Books. 9781501195129.
- Lover Arisen. Gallery Books. April 5, 2022
- Lassiter. Gallery Books. April 11, 2023 ISBN 0349430861
- The Beloved. Gallery Books. April 2024
- Lover Forbidden. Gallery Books. March 2025
Christmas Novels
- Book: . 2019 . November 2019. Pocket Books. 9781982135478.
- Book: . 2020 . December 2020. Pocket Books. 9781982159702.
- 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
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.
- Book: Covet. 2009. September 2009. Signet. 978-0-451-22821-5.
- Book: Crave. 2010. October 2010. Signet. 978-0-451-22944-1. 1
- Book: Envy . registration . 2011 . September 2011. Signet. 978-0-349-40020-4.
- Book: Rapture . 2012 . September 2012. NAL. 978-074-995-700-1.
- Book: Possession . 2013 . October 2013. NAL. 978-045-124-019-4.
- Book: Immortal. 2014. October 2014. NAL. 978-045-124-116-0.
Black Dagger Legacy
Spin-off series that details the trainees.
- Book: Blood Kiss. 2015. December 2015. Signet. 978-0-451-47532-9.
- Book: Blood Vow . 2016 . December 2016. Ballantine Books. 978-0-451-47533-6.
- Book: Blood Fury . 2018 . January 2018. Ballantine Books. 978-0-451-47534-3.
- Book: Blood Truth . 2019 . August 2019. Gallery Books.
Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp
- The Jackal. Gallery Books. August 2020 [2020]. .
- The Wolf. Gallery Books. November 16, 2021 [2021].
- The Viper. Gallery Books. September 20, 2022
- Brother of Fire: Lost Dagger Society 1. Gallery Books. 2025
Lair of the Wolven
- Claimed. Pocket Books. June 29, 2021 [2021]. .
- Forever. Pocket Books. [2023]. .
- Mine. Pocket Books. [2024]
The Bourbon Kings
- Book: The Bourbon Kings . 2015 . July 2015. Berkley. 978-0-451-47526-8.
- Book: The Angel's Share . 2016 . July 2016. Berkley. 978-0-451-47528-2.
- Book: Devil's Cut . 2017 . August 2017. Ballantine Books. 978-0-451-47530-5.
Firefighters
- Book: Consumed . 2018 . October 2018. Gallery Books. 978-1-501-19490-0.
Novella
- "The Wedding from Hell" (3-Part ebook prequel for Consumed)-July–August 2018
Collections in collaboration
Awards and reception
- 2006 – RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award for Best Vampire Romance for Lover Awakened[4]
- 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[5]
- 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[5]
- 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
External links
Notes and References
- Web site: Voter Information Center .
- Web site: Jessica Bird's Bio at eHarlequin. Harlequin Enterprises Limited. 2010-10-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20100201201730/http://eharlequin.com/author.html?authorid=241. 2010-02-01. dead.
- Web site: Author Profile: Jessica Bird . Romantic Times . 2007 . 2007-11-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071230054907/http://www.romantictimes.com/authors_profile.php?author=11078 . 2007-12-30 . dead .
- Web site: Awards for J.R. Ward. www.fictiondb.com. 19 April 2018.
- Web site: myRWA : RITA Awards : RITA Award Winners. www.rwa.org. 19 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20160109102946/https://www.rwa.org/p/cm/ld/fid=535. 9 January 2016. dead. dmy-all.