Jess Lourey
American author
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jessica Lourey (born 1970)[1] is an American author of crime, young adult, and magic realism novels, children's books, and nonfiction books.
Jess Lourey | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | May 24, 1970 Tacoma, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation | Writer |
Biography
Lourey was born in 1970, in Tacoma, Washington and presently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.[1] She has two children.[1] Her husband, Jay, died of suicide shortly after their wedding, which prompted her creative writing career.[2]
In August 2016, she presented at the TEDxRapidCity event, where she "explores how everyone, not just authors, can use the power of fiction to transform."[3]
Lourey has received a Master of Arts and Master of Science degree.[1] As of 2021, she taught at St. Cloud Technical and Community College for 11 years in the college's Liberal Arts division.[4][5] There, she received The Loft’s Excellence in Teaching fellowship. She retired from teaching in August 2021 to pursue writing full-time.[6]
In addition to writing novels, Lourey is a blogger for Psychology Today[7] and hosts writing workshops.
Awards and honors
Lourey has received a grant from the Lake Region Arts Council.[1]
| Year | Title | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Unspeakable Things | Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original | Winner | [8][9][10] |
| 2022 | Bloodline | Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original | Winner | [11][12][10] |
| 2022 | Bloodline | ITW Thriller Award for Paperback Original Novel | Winner | [13][14] |
| 2023 | The Quarry Girls | Minnesota Book Award for Genre Fiction | Winner | [15] |
| 2023 | The Quarry Girls | Anthony Award for Best Paperback Original | Winner | [16] |
Publications
Adult fiction
Standalone novels
- Unspeakable Things (2020)
- Bloodline (2021)
- Litani (2021)
- The Quarry Girls (2022)
Reed and Steinbeck Thrillers
- Catch Her in a Lie (2022; ISBN 978-1-662-50767-0)
- The Taken Ones (2023; ISBN 978-1-662-50760-1)
- The Reaping (2024; ISBN 978-1-662-51399-2)
- The Laughing Dead (2025; ISBN 978-1-662-51416-6)
The Catalain Book of Secrets series
- The Catalain Book of Secrets (2014)
- Seven Daughters (2014)
Murder by Month Romcom Mystery series
- May Day (2006)
- June Bug (2007)
- Knee High by the Fourth of July (2007)
- August Moon (2008)
- September Mourn (2009)
- October Fest (2011)
- November Hunt (2012)
- December Dread (2012)
- January Thaw (2014)
- February Fever (2015)
- March of Crime (2017)
- April Fools (2019)
- Monday Is Murder (2022 novella)
Salem's Cipher thrillers
- Salem's Cipher (2019)
- Mercy's Chase (2019)
Children's books
- Leave My Book Alone! (2021)
Short stories
- Death by Potato Salad: A Murder-by-the Minute Short Story Featuring Mrs. Berns (2014 Murder by Month Romcom short)
- Give Her a Hand: A Short Story (2014)
- The Adventure of the First Problem (2016 Salem's Cipher short)
- Catch Her in a Lie, part of the Getaway series by multiple authors (2022)
Young adult novels
- The Toadhouse Trilogy (2012)
Nonfiction
- Rewrite Your Life: Discover Your Truth Through the Healing Power of Fiction (2017)