Name Brandon SandersonBorn December 19, 1975Hometown Lincoln, Nebraska, USAEducation B.A. in English Brigham Young University, M.F.A. in Creative Writing BYUStatus Very much alive, and still conjuring words faster than most of us can read them.A Scribe of Steel and StormlightIf fantasy literature had a Mount Olympus, Brandon Sanderson would already have a throne carved in glowing mist and ancient runes. Born in the heartland of Nebraska but destined to reshape the very laws of magic, Sandersons journey from Wheel of Time torchbearer to Cosmere architect is the stuff of legendsand irony.As a ki...

Born April 12, 1947Died October 1, 2013Education Loyola College now Loyola University Maryland, Bachelors in English LiteratureThere are authors, and then theres Tom Clancya bespectacled insurance salesman who cracked open the Pentagon with a pen. Yes, you read that right. Clancy was never in the military. He didnt attend West Point. He didnt have classified access. But the man wrote military thrillers so razorsharp, so eerily accurate, that the U.S. government once raised its eyebrows and asked, How the hell does he know this?Thats the legend. Thats the irony.Tom Clancya civilian with a typew...

If theres one name thats synonymous with spinechilling thrillers and deeply psychological crime fiction, its Tami Hoag. Known for her razorsharp storytelling and bonedeep understanding of the human psyche, Hoag has carved a place for herself among the mostread and mostrevered crime fiction authors of our time. Her life, just like her novels, has been a fascinating mix of unexpected turns, fierce determination, and quiet genius that sneaks up on you like a killer in the dark.Born Tami Mikkelson on January 20, 1959, in Cresco, Iowa, and raised in Harmony, Minnesota, Hoag grew up in a small town ...

What happens when a reallife commando swaps his rifle for a pen? You get Brad Taylora man whose life reads like a thriller novel long before he ever wrote one.Born on June 14, 1965, in Okinawa, Japan, Brad Taylors entry into the world wasnt exactly what youd call ordinary. The son of a military man, Taylors early years were steeped in the rhythms of discipline, relocation, and duty. It was almost as if destiny had whispered in his ears, Your life is going to be one hell of a mission.After spending much of his youth moving from base to base, Brad eventually found himself at University of Texas,...

When you think of the phrase skys the limit, Dale Brown didnt just accept ithe throttled past it at Mach 2. Born on November 2, 1956, in Buffalo, New York, Brown grew up with his eyes tilted toward the heavens and a mind wired for both speed and strategy. From the very beginning, the ordinary world was simply too small for him.After high school, he chased the clouds all the way to Pennsylvania State University, earning his degree in Western European History. An odd major for someone destined to become one of the worlds top writers of cuttingedge military fiction? Absolutely. But then again, no...

If storytelling is an art form that makes time bend, then Mitch Albom is the clockmaker who taught our hearts how to tick again. Born on May 23, 1958, in Passaic, New Jerseya city as unassuming as a Tuesday morningMitchell David Albom did not come into the world destined to be the voice of spiritual awakenings and tearyeyed revelations. No, this man didnt start out scribbling soulsoaked epiphanies on napkins. He began by chasing stats, not salvation.Yes, you read that right. Mitch Albom didnt dive headfirst into the literary deep end. He built his early career as a sports journalist, hammering...

Born on January 4, 1962, in Newark, New Jersey, Harlan Coben was not the kind of kid who ran from monstershe chased them into closets, pinned them to the wall with a flashlight, and asked, Whats your secret? That instinctcuriosity wrapped in charm, dipped in paranoiawould one day define his global reign as the king of psychological thrillers and domestic suspense.Coben didnt stumble into writing like so many tortured creatives do. No, he was a smart kid. Too smart, maybe. He studied political science at Amherst College, where he roomed with none other than future author Dan Brown. Yes, The Da ...

Born July 27, 1954Real Name Kathy Hogan TrocheckBirthplace St. Petersburg, FloridaStatus Alive and very much kicking with a beach bag full of bestsellersEducation B.A. in Journalism from the University of GeorgiaYou ever meet someone whose pen bleeds sunshine, sass, secrets, and Southern soul all in one? Thats Mary Kay Andrews for you. But heres the twistnot many know that before she was the reigning queen of beach reads and southern charm, she was Kathy Hogan Trocheck, a crime reporter with a nose for gritty headlines and the scent of scandal.Yes, you read that right. Before writing about cha...

There are writers who pen stories, and then theres Karen Rosea master of intertwining gritty suspense with heartthrobbing romance, creating worlds where danger breathes down your neck while love holds you tightly by the hand. Born on July 29, 1964, in the United States, Karen Rose is not just a bestselling author shes a force of literary gravity pulling readers into chilling tales laced with emotional depth and devastating truths.But waitbefore you assume shes always been the queen of psychological thrillers, lets take a detour through her rather ironic journey. Karen wasnt always writing abou...

Imagine a man whos mastered the art of weaving murder, courtroom drama, and dog rescue into pageturning mysteries then imagine him doing it all while refusing to take himself too seriously. Welcome to the paradoxical world of David Rosenfelt, the author who can make you laugh midmurder case and cry over a golden retriever in the very next breath.Born on December 24, 1949, in Paterson, New Jersey, Rosenfelt didnt set out to become a novelist. In fact, if youd asked a young David what he wanted to be, the guy who writes courtroom dramas about wisecracking lawyers and dog heroes probably wouldnt...