Jess Lourey

Jess Lourey
Born (1970-05-24) May 24, 1970 (age 54)
Tacoma, Washington, U.S.
OccupationWriter

Jessica Lourey (born 1970)[1] is an American author of crime, young adult, and magic realism novels, children's books, and nonfiction books.

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 Catalain Book of Secrets series

  • The Catalain Book of Secrets (2014)
  • Seven Daughters (2014)

Murder by Month Romcom Mystery series

  1. May Day (2006)
  2. June Bug (2007)
  3. Knee High by the Fourth of July (2007)
  4. August Moon (2008)
  5. September Mourn (2009)
  6. October Fest (2011)
  7. November Hunt (2012)
  8. December Dread (2012)
  9. January Thaw (2014)
  10. February Fever (2015)
  11. March of Crime (2017)
  12. April Fools (2019)
  13. Monday Is Murder (2022 novella)

Salem's Cipher thrillers

  1. Salem's Cipher (2019)
  2. 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)

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Lourey, Jess 1970- (Jessica Lourey)". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  2. ^ "Jessica Lourey explains how to 'Rewrite Your Life' at Weekend With Your Novel". Continuing Studies. 2016-09-28. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  3. ^ TEDxTalks (2016-08-23). "Use fiction to rewrite your life | Jessica Lourey | TEDxRapidCity". YouTube. Retrieved 2022-01-04.
  4. ^ "Jess Lourey lands book contract". St. Cloud Technical and Community College. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  5. ^ "Instructor Jessica Lourey releases 15th book". St. Cloud Technical Community College. April 27, 2017. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  6. ^ "Minnesota author Jessica Lourey is teaching two writing classes on Saturday". 7 November 2019.
  7. ^ "Jess Lourey lands book contract". St. Cloud Technical Community College. January 15, 2019. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  8. ^ "Announcing the 2021 Anthony Award winners". CrimeReads. 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  9. ^ Schaub, Michael (2021-08-30). "Winners of the Anthony Awards Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-07-31.
  10. ^ a b "Anthonys 2020 - 2022". Boucheron: World Mystery Convention. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  11. ^ Schaub, Michael (2022-09-12). "Winners of the 2022 Anthony Awards Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2022-09-12.
  12. ^ "Bouchercon 2022: Anthony Award Nominees & Winners". Criminal Element. 2022-09-11. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  13. ^ HQ, Crime (2022-06-07). "The 2022 ITW Thriller Awards: Nominees and Winners". Criminal Element. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  14. ^ Schaub, Michael (2022-06-07). "International Thriller Award Winners Are Revealed". Kirkus Reviews. Retrieved 2023-01-04.
  15. ^ Mary Ann Grossmann (2023-05-02). "Here Are the Winners of the 2023 Minnesota Book Awards". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  16. ^ Michael Schaub (2023-09-05). "Winners of Anthony Awards Announced". Kirkus. Retrieved 2023-09-09.