Jessica Bird

Biography

Born Jessica Rowley Pell Bird in 1969 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. 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 law 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.

Single novels

The Moorehouse Legacy Series

1. Beauty and the Black Sheep. Silhouette. July 2005 [2005]. ISBN 9780373246984. 
2. His Comfort and Joy. Silhouette. January 2006 [2006]. ISBN 9780373247325. 
3. From The First. Silhouette. April 2006 [2006]. ISBN 9780373247509. 
4. A Man in a Million. Silhouette. January 2007 [2007]. ISBN 9780373248032. 

The O'Banyon Brothers Series

1. The Billionaire Next Door. Silhouette. August 2007 [2007]. ISBN 9780373248445. 

Omnibus

Collections in collaboration

The Black Dagger Brotherhood

1. Dark Lover. Penguin. September 2005 [2005]. ISBN 9780451216953. 
2. Lover Eternal. Signet. March 2006 [2006]. ISBN 9780451218049. 
3. Lover Awakened. Signet. September 2006 [2006]. ISBN 9780451219367. 
4. Lover Revealed. Onyx. March 2007 [2007]. ISBN 9780451412355. 
5. Lover Unbound. Signet. September 2007 [2007]. ISBN 9780451222350. 
6. Lover Enshrined. Signet. June 2008 [2008]. ISBN 9780451222725. 
7. Lover Avenged. NAL. April 2009 [2009]. ISBN 9780451225856. 
8. Lover Mine. NAL. May 2010 [2010]. ISBN 9780451229854. 
9. Lover Unleashed. NAL. March 2011 [2011]. ISBN 9780451233165. 
10. Lover Reborn. NAL. March 2012 [2012]. ISBN 9780451235848. 
11. Lover at Last. NAL. March 2013 [2013]. ISBN 9780451239358. 
12. The King. NAL. April 2014 [2014]. ISBN 9780451417053. 
13. The Shadows. NAL. March 2015 [2015]. ISBN 9780451417077. 
14. The Beast. NAL. April 2016 [2016]. ISBN 9780451475169. 
15. The Chosen. Ballantine Books. April 2017 [2017]. ISBN 9780451475190. 
16. The Thief (Announced-Release Date 2018)

Novella

Supplement

Omnibus

Fallen Angels Series

Same universe but takes place in an earlier timeline.

1. Covet. Signet. September 2009 [2009]. ISBN 0-451-22821-9. 
2. Crave. Signet. October 2010 [2010]. ISBN 0-451-22944-4. 1
3. Envy. Signet. September 2011 [2011]. ISBN 0-349-40020-2. 
4. Rapture. NAL. September 2012 [2012]. ISBN 978-074-995-700-1. 
5. Possession. NAL. October 2013 [2013]. ISBN 978-045-124-019-4. 
6. Immortal. NAL. October 2014 [2014]. ISBN 978-045-124-116-0. 

Black Dagger Legacy

Spin-off series that details the trainees

1. Blood Kiss. Signet. December 2015 [2015]. ISBN 978-0-451-47532-9. 
2. Blood Vow. Ballantine Books. December 2016 [2016]. ISBN 978-0-451-47533-6. 
3. Blood Fury. Ballantine Books. January 9, 2018 [2018]. ISBN 978-0-451-47534-3. 

The Bourbon Kings Series

1. The Bourbon Kings. July 2015 [2015]. ISBN 978-0-451-47526-8. 
2. The Angel's Share. July 2016 [2016]. ISBN 978-0-451-47528-2. 
3. Devil's Cut. August 1, 2017 [2017]. ISBN 978-0-451-47530-5. 

Collections in collaboration

Awards and reception