David B. Coe, who also writes as D.B. Jackson, wrote his first novel at the age of six. It was called “Jim the Talking Fish,” and it was not really as good as the title makes it sound. David illustrated the story, which did nothing to improve its quality.
And yet, as poor as this first effort might have been, it did mark the beginning of a lifetime passion for dreaming up stories and writing them down so that he might inflict them on others share them with others. Along the way David has dabbled in other professions — he was a political consultant for several years, and he earned a Ph.D. in U.S. history, flirting with the notion of an academic career before wisely thinking better of it.
He began writing full time in 1994, with the love and support of The World’s Best Spouse, and published his first novel in 1997. He is now the award-winning author of nineteen novels and more than a dozen short stories.
His newest project, a contemporary urban fantasy called the Case Files of Justis Fearsson, is being published by Baen Books. All three books, Spell Blind, His Father’s Eyes, and Shadow’s Blade, are now out and available in a variety of formats.
Writing as D.B. Jackson, he is the author of the Thieftaker Chronicles, a series set in pre-Revolutionary Boston that combines elements of urban fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction. Thieftaker, Thieves’ Quarry, A Plunder of Souls, and Dead Man’s Reach have been released, and are available in hardcover, ebook, audio book, and, in the cases of the first three volumes, paperback.
David’s early books include the LonTobyn Chronicle, a trilogy that received the Crawford Fantasy Award as the best work by a new author in fantasy, as well as the critically acclaimed Winds of the Forelands quintet and Blood of the Southlands trilogy. He has also written the novelization of director Ridley Scott’s movie, Robin Hood, starring Russell Crowe. David’s books have been translated into a dozen languages.
David received his undergraduate degree from Brown University and his Master’s and Ph.D. in U.S. history from Stanford University. He co-founded and regularly contributes to the Magical Words group blog (http://magicalwords.net), a site devoted to discussions of the craft and business of writing fantasy, and is co-author of How To Write Magical Words: A Writer’s Companion.
He is still married to The World’s Best Spouse. They have two daughters and live in a small college town on the Cumberland Plateau.
Learn more about his books at http://www.DavidBCoe.com and http://www.DBJackson-author.com.