Name J. Jance Role Author | Education University of Arizona Nominations Dilys Award | |
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Books Second Watch, Until Proven Guilty, Remains of Innocence, Betrayal of Trust, Desert heat | ||
Kendall & Cooper talk mysteries with J A Jance
Judith Ann (J. A.) Jance (born October 27, 1944) is an American author of mystery and horror novels. She writes at least three series of novels, centering on retired Seattle Police Department Detective J. P. Beaumont, Arizona County Sheriff Joanna Brady, and former Los Angeles news anchor turned mystery solver Ali Reynolds. The Beaumont and Brady series intersect in the novel Partner in Crime, which is both the 16th Beaumount mystery and the 10th Brady mystery. They intersect again in Fire and Ice.
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Biography
Jance was born in Watertown, South Dakota, and raised in Bisbee, Arizona (the setting for her Joanna Brady series of novels). She is a graduate of the University of Arizona. Before becoming an author, she worked as a school librarian on a Native American reservation (Tohono O'Odham), and as a teacher and insurance agent.
She lives part of the year in Arizona and part of the year in Seattle. Jance uses her initials for her pen name because a publisher told her that disclosing her gender would be a liability for a book about a male detective. At signings, Jance asks bookstores to donate a percentage of their earnings from her appearances to various causes. Over the past 10 years, she has raised more than $250,000 for charity.